Tuesday night lights
The days may be shorter but Tuesday night track workouts continue over the winter months. Meet at the UD track at 5:45, the lighting is sponsored by the UD Triathlon club until 7:30 PM. All ages and abilities are welcome. Coach Jim Fischer continues to provide guidance and encouragement to everyone from beginners to experienced runners.

Annual Banquet – tentatively scheduled for March 8, 2014 – mark your calendars now!

Party review!
On behalf of Rachel Perkowski (Social Chair) and Claire Neilan (President), PCVRC wants to thank everyone who came out to Timothy’s on Monday the 9th for the PCVRC holiday party. We had a great turnout- the largest in recent history! Rachel selected a tasty menu for us and the bar was well-stocked. Claire brought the official PCVRC gear and the remaining 2013 DDC shirts for purchase. We had door prizes, generously donated by Nathan’s and Select Amenities (thank you, Vince McIntosh). Also, we collected donations for the Ministry of Caring.

Claire updated the group on only how well the USATF teams did this past year and how well so many of us did. She encouraged those who are on Facebook to join the club’s page, take part in the discussions or post your race results and reviews. She pointed out that through these posts, we all can celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

From the Membership Committee’s perspective, we had three new members join at the party and another 26 club members renew their memberships. Combining that with the 24 memberships conferred via participation (and money prizes won again this year) in the USATF racing series, over 30% of our club has already re-joined for 2014. This goes to show the excitement everyone has for the club!

Next on the club’s social calendar is the annual banquet tentatively scheduled for March 8, 2014. Look for more details over the next month.

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Reindeer Run 5k, Newark, Dec. 6
Dan Suher, 16:45 (Overall winner)
Matt Cutrona, 18:03 (1st in AG)
Tom Jermyn, 19:40 (2nd in AG)

Sarah Rusk, Running with the Reindeer 5K, Elkton, MD Dec. 7, 22:41 (1st in AG)

P.A.L Chase the Police and Santa Too 5k, Hockessin, Dec. 7
Epi Camacho, 20.41 (3rd overall)
Justin Chan, 22:22 (3rd in AG)
Don Ropp, 22:46
Kelly Jones-Reph, 23:05 (2nd overall female)
John Schultz, 37:39.4 (3rd in AG)
Mark Denio 51:32 (1st male walker)

Rehoboth Beach Half Marathon, Dec. 7
Greg Cauller, 1:21:05 (1st male masters)

Kelly Horowitz, 1:30:46, (3rd in AG)
Dirk Sweigart, 1:32:06 (3rd in AG)
Dan Simmons, 1:37:45 (1st in AG)
Sheri Herrmann, 1:42:04
Jack Horowitz, 1:47:13
Theresa Kauffman, 1:50:34
Jim Steele, 1:53:56
Andrea Ladany, 1:53:57
Doug White, 1:56:56 (1st in AG)
Paul Schweizer, 2:02:12
Denise Boyle, 2:06:15
Lenora Wagner, 2:14:13
Gelsomina Paolini, 2:21:08
Betty Olmstead, 3:03:22

Rehoboth Beach Marathon
Adam Shilling, 3:35:58
Kristen Stump, 3:40:37
Tony Chelpaty, 4:09:17
Connie Montana, 4:46:27
Lori Culnane, 3:52:42 (2nd in AG)
Fred Jalot, 6:55:18
Fred Jalot, Jr, 6:55:17
Rick Jalot, 6:31:00

Tucson Half Marathon
Joel Schiller, 2:04:22

Tucson Marathon
Stacey Schiller, 4:52:05 (PR)

USATF
DE Open XC Championship recap (Tom Steenkamer)

The USATF Off-Road race series concluded Thanksgiving weekend with the 29th Delaware Open Cross Country Championship 5k at Brandywine Creek State Park. This race is always well attended by PCVRC members and this year was no exception with 25 participants completing the hilly course.

I am not sure if it is the allure of taking on the challenge of Delaware’s most difficult 5k XC course or the prospect of having your name drawn during the endless post-race prize giveaways. Regardless of the motivation for participating, PCVRC runners took advantage of their local course knowledge and ran to first place in the club competition for the day.

DE XC Open Club scoring – PCVRC 387.41,
Greater Philly TC 386.60,
Rosemont 353.31,
Pineland Striders 325.44,
TNT 318.55,
Philly Masters 296.48

PCVRC individual DE XC scoring:

The USATF Off-Road 2013 club challenge concluded with PCVRC taking third place. This year we had 36 individuals (a record) participate in one or more events in the eight race series. Thanks to everyone who came out this year to support the off-road competition!

Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found here
http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found here
http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

PCVRC Events Calendar
Our “Events Calendar” page on the website includes all club-related activities including weekly group runs, USATF Series races (noted with blue stars), social events, and club meetings. We’ll also note events where PCVRC is affiliated in some way such as Delaware Marathon. The calendar is updated regularly.

PCVRC Holiday Party, Monday, (Dec. 9) 6:30 at Timothy’s (upstairs) in Newark!
See ya’ll there!! Please send RSVPs to . We will be accepting Ministry of Caring donations from those coming to the party. Items needed include toiletries, bus passes, and grocery store giftcards. There will be giveaways from Nathan Sports (fuel belts, flashy lights, etc.), and we will have DDC shirts for sale for $5 each.

Tuesday night lights

The days may be shorter but Tuesday night track workouts continue over the winter months. Meet at the UD track at 5:45, the lighting is sponsored by the UD Triathlon club until 7:30 PM. All ages and abilities are welcome. Coach Jim Fischer continues to provide guidance and encouragement to everyone from beginners to experienced runners.

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Here’s what’s been sent in…

Mike Piorkowski, Pilgrim Pacer Marathon, Shawnee, Kansas, Nov. 9, 3:42:19 (2nd in AG)

Pike Creek club members flock to Newark Turkey Trot (Tom Steenkamer)

Saturday, November 23rd, marked the 40th running of the annual Newark Turkey Trot 10k/5k. The race is the second oldest organized race in Delaware. Pike Creek club members were out in force to take on the challenge of the rolling course on the western edge of Newark. The early-week warm weather gave way to typical late November conditions as race time temperatures for the 10k were in the low 40’s accompanied by a stiff northwesterly breeze.

In the 10k race, PCVRC was led by top performances from Kelly Horowitz, 1st overall female, and Kristen Stump, 2nd overall female. There were numerous age group award winners in both races taking home the coveted “Golden Running Turkey” trophy. Congratulations to the double award winners, Theresa Cannon, Betty Olmstead and Dan Simmons – who decided two loops of hills were not enough!

10k
Kelly Jones-Reph, 3rd 40-44
Theresa Cannon, 1st 50-54
Betty Olmstead, 1st 65-69
DJ Farren, 3rd 1-13
Epi Comacho, 1st 55-59
Dan Simmons, 1st 65-69

5k
Theresa Cannon, 2nd 50-54
Betty Olmstead, 2nd 65-69
Jordon Deshon, 3rd 19-24
Tom Steenkamer, 1st 55-59
Dan Simmons, 1st 65-69

USATF
Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found here http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found here http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

Links for Club Members
PCVRC Events Calendar: www.pcvrc.com/calendar.php
PCVRC News Bulletins: www.pcvrc.com/news.php

Please patronize our sponsors!

New Balance Brandywine & Christiana stores offer a 20% discount to current club members. www.NBretail.com

M&T Bank offers personal & business banking, credit cards, mortgages, investments. www.mtb.com

Foot Care Group provides comprehensive care and treatment of the foot and ankle. www.FootCareGroup.org

Harvest Market provides organic and natural foods, nutritional supplements, and natural health care products. www.HarvestMarketNaturalFood.com

Cheskin Chiropractic – Dr. Jeff Cheskin is a club member & long-time sponsor w/20+ years experience.
www.cheskinchiropractic.com

Sourcing corporate gifts or products for fundraising and wellness programs? www.WholesalePersonalCare.com

PCVRC Holiday Party, December 9
Mark your calendars now for our Holiday party – Monday, December 9th at 6:30 at Timothy’s (upstairs) in Newark! Please send RSVPs to . We will be accepting Ministry of Caring donations from those coming to the party. Items needed include toiletries, bus passes, and grocery store giftcards. There will be giveaways from Nathan Sports (fuel belts, flashy lights, etc.), and we will have DDC shirts for sale for $5 each.

Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame, 2013 Induction Banquet
Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Cavaliers Country Club

The Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame will be honoring three inductees this year: Tricia Dendy, Gwen Harris and Alonzo Wiggins.

You are invited to join in the celebration of their induction with a social hour at 6:00 pm and dinner at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $50.00 for the general public and $40.00 for Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame members and previous inductees. Deadline for tickets is Thursday, November 21, 2013

For tickets, please contact Tom Fort at 302-234-7803, or Tom Fort, 11 Revelstone Drive, Newark, DE 19711-2982.

Please pay for tickets with your reservation. Prepaid tickets will be available at the door.
No Ticket sales at the Banquet.

Tuesday night lights
The days may be shorter but Tuesday night track workouts continue over the winter months. Meet at the UD track at 5:45, the lighting is sponsored by the UD Triathlon club until 7:30 PM. All ages and abilities are welcome. Coach Jim Fischer continues to provide guidance and encouragement to everyone from beginners to experienced runners.

Your Club
Pike Creek Valley Running Cub “Gives Back”

A portion of our DDC proceeds are given back to our local community. Major beneficiaries of our event this year include the Mike Clarke Legacy Foundation and the B+ Foundation. Other beneficiaries include Sojourner’s Place, DBE, Ursuline Academy, and the Brandywine Rotary. Thank you volunteers, runners and members – we are an important part of the community we live in!

Dues – dues will remain at $25 for 2014. There are also benefits in the form of subsidies for USATF runners who run at least 4 USATF races per year. The teams have regularly won money for our club from the Mid-Atlantic USATF Grand-prix and trail running series. This is one reason why it is important for our club to participate and do well in these series. We are always hoping to attract younger and/or faster runners into our club but we need depth as well – come and run USATF for Pike Creek!

PCVRC’s paid memberships stands at 136 (not including any new members who have joined PCVRC through their DDC registration).

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Here’s what’s been sent in…

Dan Simmons, USAT Duathlon National Championship, Tucson Arizona, Oct. 26, 2:00:12.62 (4th in AG)

Betty Olmstead, Trenton Half Marathon, Nov. 9, 02:58:49 (1st in AG)
my 12th half marathon since turning 67!

Jim Durkin, The Lemon Run 5K (Alex’s Lemonade Stand), Philadelphia, Nov. 10, 28:15

Philadelphia Marathon, Nov. 17
(look for more results under the USATF results)

Darlise DiMatteo, 3:50:53
Kim Doherty, 5:26:39
Nicholsa Hernjak, 4:29:52
Michael Reph, 3:34:53 (we call this redemption!)
Adam Shilling, 3:50:51 (we call this “healed!)
Jennifer Snyder, 3:35:26

Philadephia Half-marathon
(look for more results under the USATF results)
Jennifer Accord, 2:37:16
Kim Borges, 2:07:42
Betty Olmstead, 2:57:25
Gelsomina Paolini, 2:22:47
Nice work all!

USATF
Philadelphia Marathon weekend (Tom Steenkamer:
The 2013 Mid Atlantic USATF road racing season came to a close this past weekend with the running of the Rothman 8k, Philadelphia Half and Full Marathons.

23 Pike Creek Valley USATF members participated in one or more of these races. Yes – our own Greg Cauller once again competed in both the 8k and Half Marathon and age graded >86%!

MA-USATF Club challenge age grade scoring for this weekend is unique. The club challenge rules permit clubs to create composite race scores for up to 15 individuals (three race teams) across all three races. Sadly MA-USATF rules also prevent using an individual score more than once. Greg was not alone as four other USATF members ran both the 8k and half marathon. (Note that both the overall male and female 8k race winners went on repeat in the half marathon.)

The club challenge competition is based on a club’s seven best scores out of the eight race weekends. Thanks to outstanding club support in the three Philadelphia races, PCVRC was able to have two team scores out of three that were used in our season total. Congratulations to everyone who participated!

PCVRC took fourth overall for the year in the Grand Prix! Look for complete season recap and club challenge results in an upcoming newsletter.

Note for anyone looking to compete again, we have the final USATF trail race next Saturday, Nov. 30. The Delaware Open XC championship will be held at Brandywine Creek State park. Day of registration will be available for this event. Event details are here.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Tom

PCVRC USATF results:

8K
Cauller Gregory York PA 58 0 28 21 88.360 50 54 M 25 RI
Cauller Gregory York PA 77 1 20 35 86.019 50 54 M 25 HALF
Steenkamer Thomas Rising Sun MD 68 0 29 14 85.690 50 54 M 25 RI
Wiechecki David Wilmington DE 64 0 28 56 84.447 50 51 M 25 RI
Belair Kirsten Wilmington DE 79 0 30 7 83.177 40 41 F 25 RI
Costello John Middletown DE 72 0 29 40 83.034 50 52 M 25 RI —
424.707
Coughenour Jay Lincoln Univ PA 72 1 19 58 82.326 45 48 M 25 HALF
Giampietro Carol Garnet Valley PA 1946 3 35 55 79.637 55 55 F 25 MAR
Cutrona Matthew Wilmington DE 63 0 28 54 79.412 40 43 M 25 RI
Feole Carole Wilmington DE 212 0 36 49 78.995 50 55 F 25 RI
Simmons Daniel Newark DE 687 1 38 56 78.369 65 66 M 25 HALF —
398.739

Knothe Lynn Wilmington DE 112 0 32 19 75.503 35 36 F 25 RI
Kauffman William Lee Newark DE 799 3 16 57 74.130 55 55 M 25 MAR
Howlett Beth Garnet Valley PA 2930 1 55 44 73.517 55 60 F 25 HALF
Crispin Keith Bear DE 205 1 28 49 72.903 45 46 M 25 HALF
Sweigart Dirk Wilmington DE 444 1 35 7 72.245 50 53 M 25 HALF —
368.298
Kauffman Theresa Wilmington DE 256 0 38 35 71.577 50 51 F 25 RI
Herrmann Sheri Wilmington DE 823 1 40 42 69.530 40 44 F 25 HALF
Baca David Newark DE 964 1 42 9 66.683 50 52 M 25 HALF
Neilan Claire Newark DE 2858 3 47 22 62.740 35 40 F 25 MAR
James Chris Wilmington DE 664 1 38 35 62.079 35 39 M 25 HALF
Boyle Denise Hockessin DE 6260 2 10 30 60.907 55 55 F 25 HALF
Herman Gerald Wilmington DE 782 0 49 1 58.416 65 69 M 25 RI
Schultz John Wilmington DE 10835 6 51 25 49.897 80 81 M 25 MAR

Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found here
http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found here
http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

Review- National Duathlon, Tucson AZ <9>(Dan and Sue Simmons)
(From Dan) Sue and I went to Tucson last month so I could participate in the National Duathlon Championship race. The event and venue were quite memorable. Tucson is in a high desert and those of you who have been in that part of the country know how beautiful it is. I was very impressed by the diversity of plants (mostly but not entirely cactus) and animals. One highlight was the visit to the Sonora desert museum- more like a zoo, actually. They displayed flora and fauna from the desert and it was an excellent presentation. There also had a live raptor show with a hawk, an owl and several falcons. Those birds were well trained and amazingly agile, flying right over our heads. Another highlight was a visit to Biosphere 2, where two groups of people were kept in a sealed environment for two years and seven months, respectively, to study how humans could survive in and colonize other worlds.

Those of you who have been to that part of the country also know that the desert can be very cool at night and very hot during the day. In late October, when we were there, the mornings were in the 40s but the mid-afternoons were in the 90s. Race day was no exception. My wave started at 7:45 when it was a pleasant 52 degrees. When I finished two hours later, the temperature had gone up well into the 70s. I did the standard distance which was composed of a 5K run, 35K bike and a second 5K run. The course was hilly on both the run and bike portions. In addition to the standard distance, there was a “sprint” distance where all segments were cut by half. I was very happy not to have signed up for the “sprint” because it started at 11:30 when it was nearly 90 degrees with a full desert sun blaring down.

I made the mistake of renting a bike in Tucson rather than bringing my own. Although I rented a good time trial bike, it did not fit me properly and the geometry on the bike was totally different from what I was used to. I had decided to rent a bike simply because we wanted to travel in advance of the race and I clearly did not want to carry my bike everywhere we went. There are other options, however, that I’ll have to consider next time. But in part because of this and because the bike course was hilly, I did not do as well as I could have. I did fine in the first run but spent so much energy on the bike course that I also suffered in the second run. The heat during the second run also did not help.

The top 18 in each age group qualified for the World’s Duathlon Championship in Pontevedra Spain next May. This may be unfair to the younger athletes who have to compete against a greater number of people (perhaps they should select a percentage of those in each AG, not a certain number). In any case, in spite of my problems, I came in fourth out of 20 men in my AG and therefore qualified for World. I still haven’t decided whether to do it although Sue is definitely ready to go!

(From Sue) As a spectator, I felt a lot of warmth and camaraderie among all the others there. Everyone wanted to know where we were from and marveled that we had traveled “all the way from Delaware”. They also cheered when Dan went by. It was a good feeling to be amongst all the spectators. One woman even said that it’s harder being a spectator than a participant as you worry when your loved one doesn’t pass by when you think they should. I also had a great time on our vacation prior to the duathlon (as Dan described above). I am ready for Spain!

PCVRC Holiday Party, December 9
Mark your calendars now for our Holiday party – Monday, December 9th at 6:30 at Timothy’s (upstairs) in Newark! Details to follow.

Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame, 2013 Induction Banquet
Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Cavaliers Country Club

The Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame will be honoring three inductees this year: Tricia Dendy, Gwen Harris and Alonzo Wiggins.

You are invited to join in the celebration of their induction with a social hour at 6:00 pm and dinner at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $50.00 for the general public and $40.00 for Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame members and previous inductees. Deadline for tickets is Thursday, November 21, 2013

For tickets, please contact Tom Fort at 302-234-7803, or Tom Fort, 11 Revelstone Drive, Newark, DE 19711-2982.

Please pay for tickets with your reservation. Prepaid tickets will be available at the door.
No Ticket sales at the Banquet.

Tuesday night lights

The days may be shorter but Tuesday night track workouts continue over the winter months. Meet at the UD track at 5:45, the lighting is sponsored by the UD Triathlon club until 7:30 PM. All ages and abilities are welcome. Coach Jim Fischer continues to provide guidance and encouragement to everyone from beginners to experienced runners.

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:

Dan Simmons, USAT Duathlon National Championship, Tucson Arizona, Oct. 26, 2:00:12.62 (4th in AG)

USATF
Cooper Norcross “Run the Bridge” Review Tom Steenkamer

On Sunday November 3rd, 14 PCVRC members joined 3386 fellow runners in Camden for the Ben Franklin Bridge 10k. Well-rested after getting in that extra hour of sleep with the end of day-light saving time, PCVRC excelled, taking home several age group awards.

The weather forecast for Sunday morning sounded like December with predicted temperatures hovering just above the freezing mark and wind gusts to 20 mph. Thankfully neither of those conditions existed at race time. The Sunday morning temperature was about 44 degrees with light winds providing ideal race conditions.

The race starts on the Camden side of the bridge proceeding west bound over the bridge into Philadelphia. Participants make a turn-around on the Philadelphia side onto the east bound span and return back to Camden. Coming back up the bridge, you have an amazing view of the outbound runners and walkers who stretched back for about a mile. Once back in Camden the 5k mark appears as you exit the bridge and make your way down to the Camden waterfront. After you wind your way through the riverfront attractions (Battleship NJ, Susquehanna Arts, Aquarium), your race ends at the finish line in the outfield of the Campbell Field ball park.

Jay Coughenhour – 3rd Male Masters

Age Group award winners:
Matt Cutrona – 1st
Lynn Knothe – 2nd
Greg Cauller – 2nd
Beth Howlett – 2nd
Dan Simmons – 2nd
Dave Wiechecki – 3rd
Lee Kauffman – 3rd

Post-race gathering was held at Molly Malloy’s in the Reading Terminal Market. We had a great brunch and good beer. Thanks to Jay who generously shared his male masters winnings to support our hydration needs!

MA USATF 2013 Club Challenge
Bryn Mawr – 2506.063
Greater Philadelphia TC – 2470.255
South Jersey AC – 2447.539
Pike Creek Valley RC – 2446.292
Athena – 2076.704

The USATF 2013 Club Challenge competition draws to a close next weekend in Philadelphia with Rothman 8k, Half and Full Marathon races. Clubs can score in one or all three of the races held on Saturday and Sunday.

Bryn Mawr appears to have a solid hold on first place but expect strong performances from Greater Philadelphia and Athena. Athena must field scoring teams in two races next weekend to stay in the hunt however they hold the highest team scoring average per race.

PCVRC remains in a close battle with South Jersey AC for third place. After the bridge run, PCVRC trails SJAC by just 1.247 points.

Full results:
Cauller, Gregory – 36:32, 86.816
Coughenour, Jay – 35:45, 84.522
Steenkamer, Thomas – 37:55, 83.648
Wiechecki, David – 37:23, 82.791
Knothe, Lynn – 41:24, 74.235 – – – – – 412.012
Simmons, Daniel – 44:56, 78.412
Cutrona, Matthew – 37:15, 78.031
Kauffman, William Lee – 42:14, 75.730
Sweigart, Dirk – 42:29, 74.029
Howlett, Beth – 53:08, 73.777
Jakubowitch, Andy – 37:41, 72.800
Herrmann, Sheri – 45:21, 71.150
Cahoon, John – 42:00, 65.317
Schultz, John – 1:18:01, 57.509

Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found here http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found here http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

Links for Club Members
PCVRC Events Calendar: www.pcvrc.com/calendar.php
PCVRC News Bulletins: www.pcvrc.com/news.php

Please patronize our sponsors!
New Balance Brandywine & Christiana stores offer a 20% discount to current club members. www.NBretail.com
M&T Bank offers personal & business banking, credit cards, mortgages, investments. www.mtb.com
Foot Care Group provides comprehensive care and treatment of the foot and ankle. www.FootCareGroup.org
Harvest Market provides organic and natural foods, nutritional supplements, and natural health care products. www.HarvestMarketNaturalFood.com
Cheskin Chiropractic – Dr. Jeff Cheskin is a club member & long-time sponsor w/20+ years experience.
www.cheskinchiropractic.com
Sourcing corporate gifts or products for fundraising and wellness programs? www.WholesalePersonalCare.com

Paul Schweitzer, PT on Injury Prevention,
Nov. 5th, ATI, Limestone Road, 7 PM
Our next seminar will be a session with Paul Schweitzer on Tuesday, Nov 5th. This will be held at the ATI location just off Limestone Road (100 Valley Center Drive, Wilmington, DE 19808). This is just south of the Pike Creek shopping center and New Linden Hill Road. Paul will speak about injury prevention, specifically for runners.

Paul Schweizer graduated with honors from University of Delaware’s physical therapy program. His early experience was at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children where he became the Director of Aquatics Therapy. After that, he started several physical therapy practices, the most recent of which is PRO Physical Therapy (which is now ATI). Paul’s expertise is in the areas of aquatics therapy, sport medicine and general orthopedics. He is an accomplished runner and has been fixing athletes for years. You can read about some of his activities here http://www.atipt.com/news-media/blog/physical-therapist-leads-cancer-survivors-advocates-finish-line

There will be a short “open” Board meeting for the first half-hour, for a “club discussion” about any items that board or the members feel is appropriate, followed by Paul’s talk. Come with your ideas, suggestions, comments and contributions!

RSVP’s are appreciated but not required to Paula Jermyn at

PCVRC Holiday Party, December 9
Mark your calendars now for our Holiday party – Monday, December 9th at 6:30 at Timothy’s (upstairs) in Newark! Details to follow.

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Kristen Stump’s been busy!

Joy-Hope 10K, Oct. 12, 41:32 (Overall Female Winner)

Run for Buds Half Marathon, Oct. 19, 1:35:30 (Overall Female Winner!)

Theresa Cannon, Steamtown Marathon, Scranton, PA, Oct. 13, 3:58:39 (BQ)
Special note – Theresa has now run a marathon in under 4 hours for 4 decades!

Mike Piorkowski, Whistlestop Trail Marathon, Ashland WI, Oct. 12, 3:29:13 (BQ)
PS, for a special treat, check out the race photos of Mike!

Monster Mash Marathon, Dover, Oct. 19
Dave McCorquodale, 4:06:03 (3rd in AG)
John Schultz, 6:47:57 (2nd in AG)

Monster Mash Half-Marathon
David Baca, 1:47:10 (3rd in AG)

USATF
MidAtlantic USATF Quarterly newsletter.
Check out the great article about our own Hugh Campbell on pg. 15.
http://www.mausatf.org/association/newsletters/Newsletter-2013-October.pdf

USATF Masters 5k Cross Country-Championships, PCVRC Earns 3rd Place in a National Event (Tom Steenkamer)
This past Sunday, October 20th, at the Cross-Country Championships at Deer Path Park in Flemington NJ, our team competed in the Men’s 50-59 age group team competition against 13 other clubs from NJ, NY, PA, and GA. Cross country scoring rules applied to this race. Therefore we raced head-to-head with the order of finish from each team determining the team scores. The top five positions from each team create the team total and positions six and seven displace other runners. The lowest score wins.

The course was two loops on an all-grass course, fairly flat with a few minor hills. The hills were followed by gradual descents. We believed it was a fair test that could produce fast times. Race time approached and we assembled for check in and team uniform inspection. Thanks to DE New Balance and Jamie Graham! PCVRC was assigned to starting box 15, which was a great spot in the middle of the starting line.

With a brief delay to reload ammunition the gun sounded and we were off. The pack of 106 headed across the field and up the first gradual hill. Spacing was tight, with three or four runners abreast, the pace felt slow. 2:35 at 800m must not be that slow, 5:40 at the mile. The pace felt under control and there were four PCVRC orange singlets within a few strides of each other. Pack running, that’s what is needed in XC to get a good team score.

Things were looking good as we headed back past the cheering crowd for lap #2. The field stretched out finally and we were only two abreast or single file heading up the first hill. Going down to the two mile mark, the PCVRC pack was still intact but stretched a bit. John maked a move up the last hill at the 2.5 mark, with Dave and Tom in pursuit. We ran down through the tree line and had only 800m across the field to the finish. Feeling pretty good, the stride lengthens and the arms drive, attempting to close the distance or at least keep from getting out-kicked. We avoided the dreaded last-second sprinters and hit the finish mats.

On a perfect fall day for XC racing the six-man PCVRC team did exceptionally well in a strong field. The winner of the 50-59 division was renowned Californian, Pete Magill, who put down an amazing 15:51 at age 51. The next three places were under 17 minutes and the rest of the top 20 were under 18 minutes. The combination of cool weather and a good course contributed to the great times.

We were excited about the potential to score as a team, and speculated during our post race cool down that we could be on the podium. Fueled by the energy of the race and some of the post-race tail gate material we anxiously awaited the race results posting.

The award ceremony began without the results from our race being posted. All of the other race results were available except for the Men’s 50-59. Unknown to us, there had were issues with the chip timing and subsequent scoring for the 50+ race. Finally the 50+ team awards are announced and posted. We are shut out! Atlanta Track Club is awarded third, Genesse Valley second and Greater Philadelphia took first.

Meanwhile Lynn Knothe and a few of the guys are busy analyzing the result pages. The numbers are not adding up! Lynn discovered that Greg was listed with PCVRC but his finish place was not included in our score. Dave and Tom headed to the timing company truck to explain the situation. The timer agreed and admitted that they committed a data entry error. Adding Greg changes the results and we needed to file a results protest with the USATF race officials. We located the official and he stated that we were within the official USATF one-hour protest window and he accepts the timer’s explanation. We are awarded third! Unfortunately, the third place plaque and medals had already departed with the Atlanta Track Club!

Post race was a great affair. Fellow competitors welcomed us to their tail gate parties. We owe a special thanks to Greg’s buddies in the Baltimore Washington Athletic Club who shared their keg of home brew. Greater Philly also shared their spread and opened their coolers of Guinness. Our dear MA-USATF friend, Robin Jeffries, satisfied our continued thirst with some Troegs Double Bock during the awards ceremony. The celebration continued when we returned home as Sheri and Dirk opened their home for an impromptu barbeque. Special thanks to Sheri and Lisa Jalot for pulling it all together.

PCVRC’s Jim Durkin also competed as an individual in the 75+ age group in the men’s 60+ race. Jim finished the 5k in 29:55 for 5th. Nice work Jim!

Congratulations to my teammates: Greg Cauller, Harvest Bob Klezsics, John Stoudt, Dirk Sweigart. I am both honored and thankful to have been able to participate.

Team Results:
8. John Stoudt, 17:29 *
12. David Wiechecki, 17:36 *
13. Thomas Steenkamer, 17:37 *
20. Gregory Cauller, 17:55 *
41. Dirk Sweigart, 19:39 *
48. Bob Kleszics, 20:03

I believe that this is the first time in club history that PCVRC has sent a team to a national championship. A belated awards ceremony for the PCVRC team is tentatively scheduled at the Delaware XC Open Championship on Saturday, November 30th.

It would be great to have PCVRC have greater involvement in these types of USATF events. Next year the USATF National club championships will be held at Lehigh University on December 13th. This is a bigger and even more prestigious race where PCVRC could potentially enter teams for both men and women.

PCVRC USATF Evansburg Challenge 10-mile Trail Race Recap (Ray Christensen):

The Evansburg Challenge 10-miler is part of the USATF Series, held on a pretty state park course near Collegeville, PA. With many of our fastest male trail-racers competing at the national master’s club cross country championship in NJ, Tom & Rich knew that they’d have to scramble to put together a team to at least put up a score to hold our place in the series. That turned out to be a huge challenge itself. Between injuries, and a multitude of other races, we didn’t have a full five-person lineup until the day before. Many emails and calls confirmed valid reasons even though over 50 club members are members of USATF. For example, John Schultz ran Monster Mash Marathon on Saturday and was actually willing to take on the long trail race Sunday except that he was already booked for another activity.

So I was the lucky guy who joined four of our dedicated ladies to round out the PCVRC team. Tom repeatedly told us “not to be heroes” and that everyone finishing was our only important goal. So our team battle cry was “Just finish!” Along with Carole Feole, Carol Giampietro, Sheri Herrmann-Sweigart and Lisa Jalot, we hit the trail on a gorgeous, crisp, sunny morning. Lisa was really heroic. She took one for the team, aggravating her existing leg injury and running through the pain to finish first in her age group, no less! Sheri took second in the same group while Carol G won her own age group.

The course is not as hilly as others in the series, but there was plenty of surface mud along with rocks and roots. There were also two water crossings. I didn’t realize that the first was nearly waist-deep until I was wading through it and actually put a hand down to avoid going for a swim. Even with the course being not very technical, 10 miles of trails makes your mind almost as tired as your body just from concentrating on staying upright. There are always some runners at the finish proudly displaying their battle scars from the race.

I was having a good run until I got through the second water crossing with just a half-mile to go. That’s when I guess I felt that 10 miles just wasn’t enough of a challenge, so I made a wrong turn and added an 11th mile to my race. At the start, Ron Horn had instructed us to watch for markings and signs and to follow course marshal directions. But by mile 9.5, my mind was too tired to remember the last critical direction. The trail goes either left or right and I went left since I thought I heard a volunteer say “go left”. I had lost contact with the runners ahead of me so it was only after I ran all the way to where we had first crossed the water that I knew for sure that I was in the wrong place. I hurriedly back-tracked while pondering how I’d screwed up.

I had thought the guy said “go left”, but maybe he had said “half mile left”. Maybe he said “don’t go left”. Maybe he saw my PCVRC singlet and intentionally sent me in the wrong direction. Whatever it was, I said a lot of naughty words when I finally got to the finish, over six minutes after I should have been there. I cheered up once I saw that all of our ladies had finished and cheered up a bit more when Sheri, Lisa and I grabbed some frosty beverages at the car.

After awards, a team picture and a photo with a bunch of Korean guys who requested a photo with my lovely teammates, it was time to head for Delaware while awaiting results from our guys competing across the river. I was still perturbed about messing up what would have been a good race. Lisa and Sheri were carpooling with me and we needed a restroom break en route. When we missed a turn to a gas station on 202, we saw a Dunkin Donuts ahead. I realized that there was a Hooters right next to it. My day suddenly improved when the ladies suggested we drop in to grab a beer. Who cares that I ran an extra mile when I’m sitting with two of our own lovely ladies surrounded by Hooters girls while drinking beer, eating french fries and watching football?

But the real point of this story is “join our club USATF team!”. You don’t have to be fast. We need a long bench to fill in for injuries, busy race weekends and last minute schedule changes. Team events make running and racing even more fun. Run safe!

USATF Grand Prix “Road” Series
The next race is the Bridge run 10k on Sunday November 3rd. Online registration has closed (October 18th.)