From President Ray
Big Numbers for PCVRC at Run The Bridge 10K

On Sunday 11/4, over 20 club members ran the Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge across the Ben Franklin to Philadelphia & back plus a loop around downtown Camden past the Battleship New Jersey and finishing on the baseball field at Campbell’s Field. It was chilly, with wind picking up after a while, but nearly 3,300 finished the race. This has become a major area race and the winning time was 29:15!!!

Our USATF team took 2nd place, led in points by our 88 year old rookie phenom Hugh Campbell, still getting used to the 10K distance. He had the 3rd highest Age-Graded score overall (89.7). With a time of 1:03:11, Hugh beat over 1300 runners!

Sue Simmons ran her first-ever 10k. Austin Gee was tops for PCVRC, finishing 29th overall. Our age-group award winners included: Jay Coughenour (2nd, 45-49), Greg Cauller (2nd, 50-54), Sarah Rusk (1st, 30-34), Epi Camacho (1st, 55-59), Lynn Knothe (2nd, 35-39), Dan Simmons (1st, 65-69), Carol Feole (3rd, 50-54). Sorry if I missed anyone, but we had such a huge team! I got to ride up with Epi and Hugh.

Run The Bridge is a great scenic race, but fills up almost two months in advance if you want to consider for next year. It’s fun watching for our fast friends among the leaders during the out and back on the bridge. You don’t have to be fast to be a member of PCVRC’s USATF Road or Off-Road teams. Just join USATF for 2013 ($30/year) at http://www.mausatf.org/join-membership.htm and indicate that you’re a member of our club (#025). Your results are then automatically scored. Contact Tom Steenkamer with questions:

Each of our USATF members who complete at least four of the series races have received free or discounted PCVRC membership for the following year, based on our team winnings. We’ll be posting the list of this year’s verified runners after the 11/24 Delaware Open XC 5K.

Holiday Party Scheduled for Wed. 12/12/12 at Timothy’s
We’ve again reserved the upstairs room at Timothy’s, 100 Creek View Rd. off Paper Mill Rd. in Newark for the club’s Holiday Party. It will be on Wednesday, December 12 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. You buy your drinks and the club provides food. This is always a good time to renew your dues for 2013. Invite prospective club members to come as well. Your input will be appreciated on potential award winners for 2012 and club events for 2013. Get your club shirt if you’ve never received one. Please RSVP to Rachel (see Events page) so we have an idea of how much food to order. Last two years, over 50 attended.

Group runs continue throughout winter
Come out and run with us, even if you never have before. As long as it isn’t too icy, we’ll be out there at Delcastle Rec Area each Wed & Thurs 6pm and meeting in front of Panera on Main St Newark Sundays 8am.
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Wine Dinner Benefits PCVRC

On Monday, November 19th, Caffe Gelato is having a wine dinner. The cost is $62 pp, with $22 coming back to PCVRC for each club member who attends. For more information on the menu, directions to the restaurant etc, please see: http://caffegelato.net/reservations/special-dinner-events/. If you plan to attend, please call Caffe Gelato directly (302-738-5811) to make your reservation, and let them know you are a PCVRC member. There will not be special reserved seating for PCVRC members, but if you would like to sit at a table with other PCVRC members you can contact Claire Neilan () who will connect you with other PCVRC members attending the dinner.
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Atlantic City Marathon From Joe Rullo – 1st time marathoner

Did the Atlantic City Marathon on 10.21.12. Weather was amazing considering the change it saw a week later. Finished 122 overall of 2700 in 3:43.00. We crossed the finish line on the AC Boardwalk right in front of Ballys Casino. Ironic to think it wouldn’t be there eight days later. Sad. Next goal is to qualify for Boston.
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USATF Series
The Run the Bridge 10K, the eighth event in the MA-USATF Grand Prix Series, was held last Sunday. With over 3,300 participants, 17 club members ran and did quite well, both individually and representing the club in the series. Hugh Campbell, participating in only his second MA-USATF event, was again the club’s top age-graded runner, third overall in age-grading behind the race winner (a Kenyan) and the world-class Doreen McCoubrie. The race also had two club members, who are the first two Delaware male participants to do a 10K in the 80-84 age-group, Don Monagle and John Schultz. John now has the state record of 1:21:00.

The next and final events in the series are the Rothman 8K (Nov 17) and the Philadelphia Half and Full Marathons (Nov. 18). The club can combine scores from the three events and could have up to three full teams scoring. The club has already scored in seven events and is currently in fifth place in the team competition. One, two or three good team scores from the marathon weekend could improve upon the teams’ total, replacing lower scores from earlier events. Certainly the top five scorers will improve upon one of the earlier ones.

Race Results
Evansburg Ten Miler:
1:25:56 Carole Feole (corrected from 1:35:56)

Run the Bridge 10K:
Time – AgGrd (top Grades in bold)

36:19 73.933 Austin Gee
36:28 82.251 Jay Coughenour, 2nd 45-49
36:38 85.929 Greg Cauller, 2nd 50-54
37:33 83.755 Tom Steemkamer
38:15 80.986 John Costello
39:25 77.223 Sarah Rusk, 1st 30-34
40:18 80.025 Epi Camacho, 1st 55-59
41:41 73.491 Lynn Knothe, 2nd 35-39
42:32 73.354 Dirk Sweigart
43:53 79.567 Dan Simmons, 1st 65-69
44:54 71.269 Sheri Herrmann
46:33 77.658 Carole Feole, 3rd 50-54
46:57 65.389 Ray Christensen
50:48 76.083 Beth Howlett
63:11 89.739 Hugh Campbell
81:00 54.012 John Schultz, State Record for Male 80-84
105:16 43.794 Don Monagle

Delaware Futures 5K:
17:16 Matt Cutrona, 2nd Overall, 1st Master
23:29 Kelly Reph-Jones, 2nd Overall Female

Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame
From Tom Fort:

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cavaliers Country Club

The Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame will be honoring four inductees this year, as follows:
Jim Gano, Shayla Baine Gosa, Keith Saddler, Don Wood.

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 15, 2012

For tickets, please contact Tom Fort at 302-234-7803 or .

Ticket Order
Current
Name:__________________________ Hof F Member?______Inductee?______
Current
Name:__________________________ Hof F Member?______Inductee?______
Current
Name:__________________________ Hof F Member?______Inductee?______
Current
Name:__________________________ Hof F Member?______Inductee?______

Tickets for the general public are $50. Tickets for previously inducted members and 2012 paid and Life Hall of Fame members are $40. A ‘2012’ on your label indicates current paid membership, an ‘I’ indicates previous inductees and a ‘L’ indicates a life member.

Number of tickets at $50____________Number of tickets at $40_____________

Make checks out to Delaware Sports Club.

Mail to Tom Fort, 11 Revelstone Drive, Newark, DE 19711-2982

Please pay for tickets with your reservation. Tickets will be available at the door.
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The Evansburg Challenge From Lisa Jalot:

The 7th USATF Off-Road Running Series Race, The Evansburg Challenge, took place this past Sunday, October 28th. After a short period of speculation on whether the race would be held, due to the early effects of Hurricane Sandy, we received reassurance from Ron Horn of Pretzel City Sports, that “No, we were not “Girlyboys” or “Weenies” and of course, the race would go on.”

Seven brave Pike Creek Valley members participated and were pleasantly surprised that conditions were much better than anticipated (low 50’s, with rain mostly holding off until after the race). Some of the more treacherous water crossings were removed from the course with only one waist deep (or higher for Rich and I who unintentionally slipped/swam across the Skippack Creek) crossing. With that said, the course was definitely the muddiest of the 6 trail races preceding and that seems to be the trend, based on the years I’ve run it. As a trade-off to the mud and water, the course is fairly flat and only moderately technical with roots and rocks very dodge-able.

The race was intended to be ten miles but ended up being a 15K as a result of the weather driven course change and elimination of water crossing(s) – another change I believe most of us didn’t mind. Pike Creek scored competitively in this race, solidifying our 3rd place spot in the Off-Road Running Series. The last race of this 2012 Series will be the November 24th Delaware Open XC Championship 5K. For those of you considering participating in the finale, please come out and join the fun!
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State Records Set
Two club members set state records over the weekend. Don Monagle completed the Radnor Run Five Miler, marking the first time a male 80-84 completed this race distance. Don completed this tough course in 1:24:23 and no doubt both he and John Schultz could post a better time for five miles.

At the E-racing The Blues 10K, Hugh Campbell posted a time of 1:02:24, which is an age-graded mark of over 90.5, a world class effort. Not only is this a Delaware State Record, it appears to also be a single-age(88) world record. The American and World age-group record, set by an 85 year-old, is about six minutes faster. Hugh ran this event in preparation to compete for the club in the Ben Franklin Bridge Challenge 10K this Sunday.
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NYC Marathon
Of interest to runners, amidst all the devastating news in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, is the fact that the New York City Road Runners Club, with the cooperation city, is still intent on putting on the New York City Marathon this Sunday. While the marathon course itself avoids low-lying areas, the problems to be overcome are getting about 20,000 international runners into the country with air travel having been delayed and transporting the athletes to Staten Island for the start with the subways down and possible ferry service limited. The event will be telecast on ESPN2.
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Hershey Half From Victoria Acker:

Just wanted to send a note letting you know I finished the Hershey Half in Hershey PA on Oct 21st in 2:05:05, which ties a personal best. The weather was great, and an entire mile of the race is run through Hershey Park. The surrounding area is beautiful and we had several great cheering sections of Milton Hershey students, but the BEST was the chocolate aid station at about mile 11 handing out Reese’s candies!

Race Results:

Caffe Gelato Ten Miler:
1:22:36 Andrea Rubinoff, 1st 55-59

ATI Physical Therapy 5K:
19:33 Kelly Horowitz, 2nd Overall Female

Radnor Run Five Miler:
PCVRC did not field a team for this event, but results count for age groups.

AgeGr – Time
75.260 36:51 Dan Simmons
73.973 34:04 Lee Kauffman
57.532 49:34 Jerry Herman
43.393 1:24:23 Don Monagle

E-Racing the Blues 10K:
40:15 Sarah Rusk, Overall Female winner

E-Racing the Blues 5K:
18:17 Greg Cauller, Overall Winner
21:01 Lynn Knothe, 2nd Overall Female
Kudos to Michael Peyton and David Baca for doing these two races back-to-back.

Evansburg 15K Challenge:
AgGr – Time
68.70 1:20:08 Carol Giampietro
68.70 1:09:50 Tom Steenkamer
66.53 1:28:30 Andrea Rubinoff
64.06 1:35:56 Carole Feole
62:54 1:16:49 Lisa Jalot
56.99 1:20:44 Rich Szymanski
37:52 2:57:43 John Schultz

Marine Corps Marathon:
5:01:39 Stacey Schiller
5:06:57 Joel Schiller

Caffe Gelato Fundraiser coming
On Monday, November 14th, Caffe Gelato is having a wine dinner. Eight people are currently going as members of PCVRC. For each person who does go as a member of the club, $22 will come back to the club. For more information on the dinner, see: http://caffegelato.net/reservations/special-dinner-events/. Be sure to communicate that you are signing up for the dinner as a club member. Additional details to appear in future bulletin about how to meet up as a group.
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Louisiana Marathon
Before posting the following note, this editor will mention that I knew about this last week and inquired about a discount, for which the race director provided a code. However, my going was contigent on being able to share expenses for a room and a car rental. The person from whom I learned about this is taking his wife and spending extra time in New Orleans. I’d still be interested and would split the savings of the code, as well as room and car expenses, with a male runner who is interested in mainly traveling for the event and coming back within a day, i.e., staying no more than two nights. If you would like to make more extensive plans, then use the discount for yourself.

My name is Craig Sweeney, Race Director of The Louisiana Marathon. Last year we had our Inaugural event and we had runners from 46 states and 11 countries. We are 14 weeks away and we have 45 states and 9 countries We have yet to secure a runner from Deleware. I thought I may reach out to see if we can influence your base to come down to our event. Happy to provide a nice code as incentive.

Craig Sweeney, Race Director
LOUISIANA MARATHON, JANUARY 20 // 2013
(504) 237-7774 thelouisianamarathon.com
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Submit your results
Editor’s Note: Numerous times I have posted the policy I use for including race results. The first rule is: If you want something printed, let me know, because I don’t post every club member’s results from every race. I do try to post all members from: club events, USATF events, and race distances that are longer than 10K. We’ll post multi-sport events – if those involved let us know about the results. All this being said, I still miss or overlook names when searching through hundreds of results to find club members. When that happens, let me know and the result will get in the following week. At year’s end, I will turn the editor’s position over to another. But I’ll still help out with the results. Maybe with two people searching for results, there will be less missed people. All I know is that it was never my intention to slight anyone, much less cause people to quit the club (which I have heard has happened). If you know anyone who has left because of my oversight, please urge them to re-join, secure in the knowledge that I won’t be the editor any longer. By the way, with Carll’s result now acknowledged, that make five people I originally missed in the DDC results. In all the club had 36 participants in the 15K.
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DDC 15K + Empire State Half Marathon From Carll Human:
Just a quick note that I appear to have been missed on the DDC15K results, too… I was a little slower than previous races, as I was a bit less prepared. I had taken five months without running, to recover from a double fracture of my right Tibia. But, I was able to train a little and finish the DDC15K in 1:22:42 (gun time).

Yesterday (10/21), I completed the 2nd annual Empire State Half Marathon, in Syracuse, NY in 1:55:55. It¡¦s a fast and flat, out & back course. Very well organized. My fiancé (not a PCVRC member) ran the full marathon. It¡¦s the same out & back course as the half, with a 13.1 mile loop inserted at the 6.55 mile point. The loop had a fair number of hills, which was somewhat challenging. But, having the first and last 6.55 miles fast and flat allowed her to set a nice pace in the beginning and finish strong. It¡¦s a small race, with only 1,351 half marathon finishers (526 men & 825 women) and 542 marathon finishers (314 men & 228 women). They were calling for rain and wind for the entire morning. But, it turned out to be partly cloudy, in the low 50¡¦s and a stiff breeze (~15mph). Overall, a very pleasant race, for my 14th halfer (10th state).
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Queen of the Roses From Dan Feldstein:

Chestertown, MD was the running capital of the world today. The very famous Queen of the Roses run was held today and I finished third in the 55-59 division, which means I won a plaque. Although it was a hilly course and with a strong head wind against me on the way out, I did much better than I did two weeks ago.

There was a big barbeque after the race with all you can eat hamburgers and hot dogs, plus all the pizza you could eat, plus delicious cake and cookies. There were hundreds and hundreds of participants and they had
a DJ too. All in all this was the race to be at. My time was 28:36, but as soon as I finished the race I said to somebody that I thought the course was a little long and sure enough-two people with GPS watches had the course at 3.14 miles. So it looks like it was about 70 yards too long.
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Cape Henlopen Triathalon From Theresa Kauffman:
I did the Cape Henlopen Triathalon and was 4th in the 50-54 woman. My time was 1:35:04. I’m happy to get one in after my surgery. So slowly, but surely, its nice to come back and run without pain.
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Niagara Falls Marathon From Lori Culnane (about club member Leonora Wagner and her daughters):

The Wagner family finished the Niagara Falls Marathon, 1st marathon for all of them, in style on Sunday!! Lenora and Alex crossed the line together and Christa was right behind them!!
Lenora. 4:54:34
Alex. 4:54:35
Christa. 5:02:37

What an amazing feat for such an incredible family!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

A picture of the family with their medals in front of the falls and a rainbow is posted on the club’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/289855916248/

Beach to Battleship Ironman & Half Ironman
A number of club members of the Rebel Runner contingent planned a group trip to Wilmington, N.C. to participate in the Beach to Battleship Full and/or Half Distance Triathlons. Here is Trish Szymanski’s account. The times are posted in the Results.

As I sit down to write this, I started thinking about the last time I wrote up a race report. It was June of 2009 for my 1st Half Ironman distance, Eagleman. I recall when I finished that race that I was asked (think by Lori) if I would ever do a Full Ironman and I said ¡§Hell No¡¨!

Well as all of you now know, I did just complete my first (and last) Ironman distance!! My race report is as follows:

Early 2012 ¡V the training begins ƒº For the first time, I not only followed a training plan but hired a triathlon coach as well. I didn¡¦t think my ¡§me too¡¨ plan would get me through 140.6 miles. For those of you who don¡¦t know this plan, it¡¦s showing up to run and asking your friends what they are doing for mileage that day, they say, for instance, 18 miles, and I say..oh, ok…¡¨me too¡¨~! The second thing I did that was a ¡§first¡¨ for me was hire a personal trainer. Due to my knee injury (ok..nice way to say OLD knee), I had to limit my running to no more than a couple of days a week and speed/track work was a no no. So I needed to build a strong core & body to give me the additional strength needed to do this event.

A lot of fun (um..ok..for the most part!!) weekends riding long with Darlise and Andy ¡Kcan¡¦t ever imagine training alone and being able to train with great friends was a huge benefit. All of which led to…

Race week:
Big week is here..all the Rebels descend down to the ¡§other Wilmington (NC)¡¨ and Darlise, Gelsamina and I head down first on Wednesday. And, whew..glad we did because there was SO much to do and prepare for! Holy Moly, it¡¦s surprising I found any time to be nervous at all (trust me I did¡K). Between picking up packets, stuffing bags (1 for bike transition, 1 for swim transition, 2 special needs..ah yih yih), dropping off bike the day before, preparing another bag for race morning, etc, etc¡K.whew¡K¡K

Saturday – Race Day
4:00 the alarm goes off and of course I needed the alarm because I was sleeping so soundly (sounds of sarcasm..can you hear it?!!) and it was time to eat and get ready. My morning starts with cramming as much food in as possible, which means pancakes, pancakes & pancakes, followed by yogurt, banana, blueberries, strawberries, mango and milk smoothie. Just when I think I¡¦m ready to throw up..I know I¡¦m good to go ƒº Darlise, Andy and I met in the lobby at 4:45 and headed to catch 1 of 2 shuttles to get us to the swim start!! On both rides I felt sick to my stomach¡KI¡¦ve never felt like throwing up before..is this a good omen or bad? I¡¦m not sure¡K. As I write this, my stomach is kind of queasy¡K.not kidding!

We are in the dark at the beach, waiting for the sun to come up so we can start the swim. We make our way to the water and as the sun appears, the play the National Anthem, then as Eminem blasts out of speakers, the gun goes off and I¡¦m off (along with about 600+ others participants) for 2.4 mile swim.

The Swim:
Water conditions are perfect and I¡¦m very calm and relaxed going into the swim ~ despite my initial concern of a ¡§mass start¡¨. The channel was so big that my concern for the kicking, slapping, swimming over top of people in the water, like I¡¦ve experienced before, never happened (ok¡Kpartly because I stayed and started in the back..!!). My main concern and focus was to avoid cramping. I had been fighting toe, foot and leg cramps the week leading up to the race. I have to say I prayed a lot during this time to get through without cramping. I did start to feel my toes cramping and prayed harder that it didn¡¦t go any further than my toes. When I could see the finish, my entire right calf seized up on me and I flipped over on my back and prayed even harder. I told God, just make this go away and I wouldn¡¦t ask for His help on the bike or the run. I don¡¦t know how many of you know how bad a Charlie horse/cramp can be, but it¡¦s debilitating in the water and beyond painful! I breathed slowly, turned back around, and tried to keep my legs as still as possible (I tried to barely move my legs at all in the swim portion because of the cramping) and pulled as hard as I could in the water with my arms to reach the ladder. Success! But, I also knew that it was doubtful I¡¦d be able to climb out as a result of the cramp. I did attempt this, my calf seized up, I fell back into the water taking the guy behind me right down with me. The volunteers were on me in what seemed like forever (but I¡¦m sure it was seconds) and pulled me (complete dead weight) out of water with me screaming. I couldn¡¦t stand, let alone walk and they started pushing on my ¡§tennis ball¡¨ bulge immediately. When I could stand, the volunteers were supporting me on both sides but I was like..ok..thanks but I have to get going now because I haven¡¦t even crossed the finish mat!! I had to grab my shoes and experience the ¡§wet suit¡¨ stripping. They told me to sit down so they could rip off my suit, but I was afraid to take my right leg off the ground because I was afraid of cramping again. Wetsuit off, shoes shoved on my feet and off to cross the matt and get to the transition area for the bike!

The Bike:
Transition area ~ Rebel sightings!! It was great! Inside the transition tent I saw Darlise! Then I changed, put on bike shoes, helmet and shoving a sandwich in my mouth, ran to get on my bike for a quick 112 mile bike ride! I saw my Mom and sister as I was biking out of the area..yah! Bike plan was to be comfortable the whole time, if I felt like I was working too hard, I would shift to an easier gear or even get into the small ring if needed. But I could not leave it all out there on the bike and not have anything left for the run. The severe cramp I got in my leg added some new stress for me on the bike. I, of course, figured it was from dehydration (still really don¡¦t know why this happened when I took in extra potassium and liquids all week) so the plan was to drink as much liquid on the bike as I could and massage my calf as often as I could. I couldn¡¦t even stand up on the bike until at least mile 40ish but knowing I that I could stand up without it cramping, meant that guzzling all that fluids was working. This also meant I had to get off my bike twice to use the bathroom¡K.which I was hoping to avoid. Bike was boooorrrinnnngggg !! And you can¡¦t really talk to other bikers except to say ¡§on your left¡¨ so, for someone like me that made it really tough. Leg turnover was good, felt better about my calf and just settling in and getting it done when a car pulls up beside me and it¡¦s Rich, my sister and Mom!! That was awesome!! Then I saw them again and again and again! They found me all over the course and at least one time, they were out of the car on the side of the road at one of the water hand off stations!! Wind was definitely out there on the course..booo¡Kbut it was expected and I was just waiting for the part when it was at my back. I don¡¦t recall that happening!! By mile 90 some, I was ready to be off the bike. We finished at the convention center, as I was riding into the finish chute, I saw my family again! Dismounted the bike, gave it to a volunteer and off to transition two to get ready for the run.

The Run:
Darlise and I again were together in transition ¡V this was so GREAT! By this time, I was suffering from all that Heed (like Gatorade), Cliff Bars (swear I¡¦m not eating another until next year!), etc., and I just hung out for a bit trying to get my stomach settled and rethinking my original plan to run and walk through all water stops to change to walk and run through water stops. Nonetheless, I did head out running to cheers from my family and the rebels! Since I read that the water stops were 1 mile apart (and my plan to walk them), I was super excited to hit the first one so early ..that mile went by super fast. Well, the first stop was definitely NOT 1 mile (darn it!), but the 26.2 trek had begun. I was searching for something to settle my stomach (now that I think back on it, I just needed REAL food!) so I took in flat coke and broth at the stops and several salt tablets and Advil. My legs were feeling just fine (how scary is that!) but couldn¡¦t get my stomach to get in synch w/ my legs. However, the longer I ran, the better I started to feel and as I closed in on mile 13, I was feeling much better. Rich popped up on the course (he was riding his bike) and it was a delight to come out of a Port a Potty stop and he was there. He rode along beside me quite a bit and we chatted and he can attest to the fact I was kinda cheery¡Knot miserable at all!! He has video of this..it¡¦s true!! It was so nice to finally TALK to people at this point and it was a looped course (too many inner loops within the big loops!!) so you got to see lots of people and I saw Dar so many times on the course.

There were a few inspirational markings and signs along the way¡K..a couple of my favorites ¡§just breathe¡¨ and ¡§the body will do what the mind wants¡¨ ƒº The best pick me up was pizza at about mile 16 which was right next to the folks hanging out on bleachers in front of a bar. Ok..so you know what¡¦s coming next¡K.YES, I did ask for and get a BEER! I have to tell you that after the pizza and beer, I felt 100% GREAT! And it was a short time after this that I got to grab my glow stick necklace (um¡Kyeh..it was getting dark!), and started to actually give some thought to my finishing time. Now, I had a goal of 13:00 hours but I knew everything had to be perfect and the stars all aligned to actually achieve this time. I did not set my watch, but because it was a mass start, 7:30 was the start time so kind of easy to figure out time from there. So, I look at my watch and thought..oh my gosh, I may actually finish around my goal time!! Wow .. A FIRST for me!! And¡Kas the miles were ticking by and I was feeling better and better, I started thinking, I could probably finish close to 13:00 hours ..I would be ecstatic to finish in 13:00 hours and some change; and figured I might as well push hard to come as close to 13:00 as I could. So the last 4 miles I skipped water stops completely (and even passed up the beer stop again! I had told them that I would be back for a beer on the way to finish but I just kept cruisin¡¦!) and just kept running. As I turned down the final hill and into town, I glanced at my watch and thought¡Koh my gosh, I¡¦m going to do this in 13:00 hours¡Kand that¡¦s when emotion started to hit me and I felt the tears coming. But, then I thought ..oh no, no tears, I have no extra fluids left, I cannot cry ! Then, imagine this (cripe, I¡¦m starting to cry now ¡K..), I am closing in, I hear the crowd screaming, I hear my name being shouted from my family and friends, and what I hear very loud and very clear from the announcer is¡K..YOU HAVE 20 SECONDS TO GET IN UNDER 13:00 HOURS!! And then I see the clock, and I sprinted (um..maybe I flew?? Someone can verify that!) to finish 140.6 miles in¡K¡K12:59:59. I AM AN IRONMAN.

The Rest:
I don¡¦t think it truly has sunk in yet. Could someone like me do this ~ and the answer is yes. How? you ask…

Duncan ¡V my tri coach ¡V thank you for helping me prepare for the greatest athletic event in my life! Thank you for creating a training plan that made it ok when I could only get my workouts in on the weekend and still let me know ..it would be OK..I could still get this done! Thank you!

Kelly Reph ¡V my personal trainer ¡V one of aces for sure! I had no idea you could make me so strong! Thank you for always working around my travel schedule every week to train me. I am a now a huge believer in strength training¡K.I ran 2 days a week (yes, I know I cross trained with swimming and biking) but yet felt very, very comfortable running 26.2 and anytime I had doubts, I would say, I¡¦m strong, my core is strong, I CAN do this. I used to have pain in my lower back when I swam, biked or ran for any distance but that was BEFORE and the AFTER was a strong ME ~ both mentally and physically ..for that ..THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

My training buddy ~ Dar ..ok Andy..you too! Wow, no way I would/could have done all those very long weekend rides and running without you. I LOVED our popsicle and soda stops! The caramel creme treats, the hanging out in your living room stretching and talking while I recovered from what I was sure was a slow death at times! Love you guys!

And lastly, but certainly not least, my wonderful, amazing supportive husband Rich! The amount of love and support you gave me is beyond what I could write or articulate. I love you to the moon and back and continue to be blessed to have you in my life.

My Mom who as soon as she heard I was going to do an Ironman wanted to come, but never thought it was possible. She was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in the spring and went through Chemo at the age of 79 (for the second time). Even before this diagnosis, an 8 hour drive and then spectating for 12+ hours didn¡¦t seem possible. But, she was there, along with my sister, Tina! As soon as Rich knew Mom wanted to come, he told me that he would take care of it and that he did. She LOVED being there and I LOVED seeing her and having her out there.

Sorry for the long report, but then again, when compared to a 12:59:59 day, um…..not so much!!

Race Results:

Monster Mash Marathon:
7:10:43, John Schultz, 1st 80+

Wag -n- Walk and 5K Run:
19:23 John Costello, 1st Finisher with a dog, 2nd Overall

PPD Beach to Battleship Full and Half Ironman Triathlon:
I’ve copied results from an e-mail sent by Barbara Chelpaty. Participants are: Darlise DiMatteo, Tricia Syzmanski, Andy Jacubowicz, Gelsomina Paolini, Andrea Ladany, Kelly Reph-Jones, Jordan Fridman, Mike Reph, Lori Culnane, Karl Kalbacher, Jen O’Sullivan(non in PCVRC), and Claire Neilan. Names on teams are in order of which leg they did. Claire did both bike and run.

Caffe Gelato Ten Miler:
Trust me, no one wants to see the pictures April took of Bruce Hubbard after the race: two banged up knees with blood running down to his ankles.

58:40 Mike Digennaro, 2nd 30-34
59:44 Mudhillun Muqaribu, 3rd 30-34
1:01:17 Jay Coughenour, 2nd 45-49
1:05:18 Tom Steenkamer, 1st 50-54
1:07:09 John Costello, 2nd 50-54
1:09:08 Chris James
1:09:28 Mike Brown
1:10:47 Dirk Sweigart
1:12:35 David Baca
1:12:39 Ryan German (Thanks, Ryan!)
1:14:03 Dan Simmons, 1st 65-69
1:15:50 Sheri Herrmann, 1st 40-44
1:19:51 Jack Horowitz
1:28:07 Bruce Hubbard, 3rd 65-69
1:28:36 Jim Steele
1:29:22 Connie Montana
1:31:55 Dave McCorquodale
1:36:15 Bob Bennett, 1st 70+

Waffle Cone Ten Miler
On Sunday, October 21, club member Ryan German’s Caffe Gelato will have its annual Waffle Cone Ten Miler. Registration is at the restaurant, 90 E. Main St., Newark. The race starts on N. College Ave., goes out Creek Rd. into White Clay Creek State Park and back, featuring a mixture of asphalt, gravel and trail surfaces. There’s a pancake breakfast waiting when you finish, topped off with a waffle cone and light beer (well, maybe not both at the same time). Top age-group finishers win gift certificates to Caffe Gelato. With the tech shirt on top of all this, you definitely get your $$ worth. For more info, see: http://races2run.com/2012/2012Details/10-2012details.htm#102112-Gelato
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The Hartford Marathon
President Ray and I traveled up to Hartford, Connecticut last Friday to run the Hartford Marathon. It couldn’t have been a better day to run, but the more memorable part of the weekend, for me, was visiting with Ray’s friends and family.

First, the nuts and bolts of the event: The race organization works like a well-oiled machine as this event has been going on for a number of years. Over the entire festival of races (marathon, half, relay and 5K), about 15,000 participate with thousands more volunteering. The marathon had 2,530 finishers.

Getting into town on Friday for the expo was easy. A parking garage was located right across the street and we were in and out within a half hour. We took time to locate Bushnell Park, where the events are staged and which would have the post-race activities.

On Saturday we arose around 5:30 and got into town around 7:00. We found street parking within a couple blocks of the park. The only problem was that it was pretty cold for mid-October: 31 degrees. Fortunately the blustery wind of the previous day had lessened. With not a cloud in the sky, it was going to be sunny. Ray and I both wore throwaway shirts over our official running outfits. Ray ditched his at the start, while I kept mine on for over five miles until my almost numb hands had warmed.

At the start in front of the state capitol, the marathoners, half-marathoners and relay runners all mingled together. Ray and I shook hands and he went up nearer to the front, figuring to attempt something under 3:30. Having passed a 4:20 pacer in my last marathon, only to get re-passed and to finish in almost 4:35, I figured it would be wise to run with the 4:25 pacer. When the pacers went to position themselves, I followed the young woman who had on the 4:25 shirt. But I noticed the pacers for the 4:10 and 4:20 groups were behind me.

It was crowded and the start featured several right turns. So, for me, back in the pack, there were several minutes of halting running before things spread out enough to develop an even pace. But right away it felt like the 4:25 pacer was running too fast. I hung within yards of her and thought I was having a bad day, until I finally saw the three mile marker (the first I spotted). I was 17 seconds a mile under a ten minute pace, instead of five seconds over a ten minute pace. Soon the woman picked up her pace even more and I realized she had abandoned her role, apparently thinking that no one was with her. I settled into my own pace, which, for the most part stayed under ten minute pace, up to mile 20.

The course was a fairly easy, moderately rolling course. The hills were mainly the bridges, but the last one was at mile 25. After three miles of street, there were about six miles of running through parks along the river. Then it was out and back on a more rural road line with houses, before the last two miles in town. The scenery was not exceptional, but it also did not go through any decrepit areas either.

Ray finished under 3:25 and I got under 4:23, my best effort in two years (although still over nine minutes slower). The finish area offered a fair selection of food and a tag on the bib allowed for one Harpoon beer. I was a somewhat bummed that the Octoberfest was gone by the time I got a beer. Recommendation: Not a destination event, but on a cool day, it’s a good course for run a good time.

The more memorable part of the trip for me was visiting Ray’s friends and his mother. We stayed the night before the race at Pete Lafontaine’s home, about 20 miles east of Hartford and went back afterward to clean up. Pete, a classmate of Ray’s at Kings Point College, was an avid runner himself. He was disappointed that he had tweaked his hamstring and couldn’t run in the 5K. Afterward, he perused the results, declaring he would have been second in the 50-54 age group. His wife Judy is a cross-country coach and his sons are both cross-country runners. I slept in the bedroom of the son who is a plebe at West Point. The walls were decorated with pictures of Steve Prefontaine, Alan Webb and more recent well-known runners.

After cleaning up, we traveled west and stopped at the home of Brian Foy, another former classmate of Ray, having pizza and talking about running. His son is a freshman XC high school runner. Ray was about maxed out on hearing about XC running. Then we headed about Connecticut, into New York, arriving at the farm of Ray’s mother in the Catskills at nine p.m.. Ray’s parents, who lived in Queens, bought it the year Ray was born. The entire family would go out on weekends and work on it.

Those of you, who think of Ray as mainly a website designer, have no idea about this other part of his life. The farm is 62 acres, with fields, newly planted forest and old growth forest. Two ponds (one being cleaned up), a spring which flows at several gallons per minute (all of which but the small amount taken by the family goes into the New York City reservoir which is down the hill from the farm), and three “hermitages”. Yes, there are some one-room buildings in a stand of evergreen trees which nuns use for retreats. Ray drove me to the land up the road where Ray and his brothers mill lumber and he showed me the lines running from maple trees on another property for collecting the sap in late winter from which they make maple syrup.

On Sunday morning, I earned the breakfast and lunch Ray’s mother provided by helping Ray stock the porch with a two-week supply of firewood and helping to clear some brush. Good exercise for flushing out the lactic acid in the legs. If you ever get a chance to travel to a race with Ray and to spend some at this farm, take it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ray even noted that with a long pond, sparsely traveled roads, and an 18 miles rolling loop around the NYC reservoir, it would be possible to put on an informal triathlon based at the farm.

Race Results:
Delaware Distance Classic 15K:
My apologies for missing the following club members when I listed DDC participants last week. This bring the total of club runners in the race to 35.

1:03:48 Mike Brown
1:12:55 Ron Kwasnieski
1:31:18 Lenora Wagner
2:49:08 Mark Denio

Colonial 5K:
21:03 Matt Cutrona, 1st Master (race held up by train crossing)

Joy-Hope Foundation 10K:
39:35 Sarah Rusk, 2nd Overall Female
42:10 Kelly Horowitz, 3rd Overall Female

Hartford Marathon:
3:24:36 Ray Christensen, Boston Qualifier
4:22:56 Dave McCorquodale

Officer Chad Spicer Memorial 5K:
17:44 Enos Benbow

Delaware Distance Classic 30th Anniversary:
For the 30th anniversary of the running of the Delaware Distance Classic, the race committee thought big. It added a 5K, which hadn’t been run in conjunction with the 15K in several decades. It had an improved 15K course, which went to the Peterson Natural Area, re-certified for another ten years and had the 5K course certified as well. It went after more sponsorships and got them.

The good news is that the funds brought in by the sponsorships and the registrations, will allow the club to not only contribute to more charitable organizations, but will put Pike Creek Valley Running Club on solid financial footing for another year. PCVRC especially thanks title sponsor New Balance – Brandywine and Christiana as well as presenting sponsors M & T Bank (15K) and Tap Scene B+ Race Foundation Team (5K). Other sponsors were Foot Care Group, Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, Harvest Market, Cheskin Chiropractic, Perpetual Motion Sport, Party Pizza, Hockessin Athletic Club, Dan Weintraub, Access Labor Service, Primier Wine & Spirits and Caffe Gelato. The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation and the Mike Clark Legacy Foundation as well as other charities will receive funds.

Not such good news was that the 5K had smaller attendance than hoped with 63 finishers. The threat of rainy weather was probably a factor. The committee felt the race was large enough to try it again and to work on growing it. The 15K had slight growth in registrations and finishers (356; 344 in 2011). We had hoped for 400, but it’s a positive.

The only negative comments from the participants were that some of the mile marks for the 15K appeared to be off. That will be checked and corrected. The presence of a regatta, which stretched from one end of the riverwalk to the other, created unanticipated problems. Two vehicles had to be moved where the riverwalk ended at East Poplar St. so that the runners could get off the walkway and onto the street. An industrial area, which is normally deserted, was packed with parked cars. Fortunately no vehicle was attempting to move while the race was going on, but that could be a problem. The race committee will be checking on dates in the future to avoid such a conflict.

On the positive side: Some runners appreciated the unexpected presence of spectators. Additionally, many finishers liked the availability of beer after the event. The pizza was good and didn’t run out. The tech shirt for the 15K featured a re-designed logo (the appearance of which took up way too much time in committee meetings) on a black shirt. A few requested sizes ran out and the committee will tweak the amounts of each size to try to approximate the demand for various sizes.

The race committee feels that PCVRC members need to understand how vital this race is to the health of the club. We definitely lacked enough volunteers to be course marshals and to help at the finish area with tags, water, food and refreshments. A few club members were recruited on the spot (mostly those who had been in the 5K). We hope other club members consider volunteering to be on the DDC committee for next year. The race committee appreciates the great job done by our volunteers!

(Personal observation: After Dave Farren’s ten year run as race director, last year the direction was provided by basically three people, one of whom was club president Ray Christensen. This year even more responsibility fell onto Ray’s shoulders. The club president should not also have to be the main person on the DDC committee and Ray has already stated he won’t be. Other club members need to step up.)

While the threat of weather may have kept participants down, any actual rain held off until the races had finished. Even then it only slightly dampened the post-race awards and festivities. The day was good for running well and the best of those who ran well were as follows:

Overall Male 15K winners: Darryl Brown, 1st, 48:43; Steve Sinko, 2nd, 50:45; and Matthew Szymascek, 3rd, 51:38. Overall Female 15K Winners: Tina Muir, 1st, 53:36; Emily Shertzer, 2nd, 55:11; and Linda Hawke, 3rd, 57:47. Top male Master was Scott Lebo, 51:47 and top female Master was Linda Hawke, 57:47

Overall 5K Winners were Mark Hannagan, 26:50 and Kristen Belair, 19:25. Top Masters were PCVRC members Matt Cutrona, 17:33 and Theresa Cannon, 24:06

The oldest participant in the 15K, 81 year-old club member Don Monagle, broke his state age-group record set last year with this year’s time of 2:31:33.

At the awards ceremony the recent achievement of 88 year-old club member Hugh Campbell was recognized. On the previous Sunday, Hugh ran in the National Masters Championship 5K in Syracuse, N.Y. and set an age-group(85-89) world record by running 26:45. Both PCVRC and MA-USATF presented Hugh with some small mementos.

The DDC 15K also was part of the MA-USATF Grand Prix Series. In all 75 MA-USATF members participated in the event and seven teams met the requirements to post a score.

To see complete results and pictures, go to: http://www.pcvrc.com/ddc.php
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On Sunday, October 21, club member Ryan German’s Caffe Gelato will have its annual Waffle Cone Ten Miler. Registration is at the restaurant, 90 E. Main St., Newark. The race starts on N. College Ave., goes out Creek Rd. into White Clay Creek State Park and back, featuring a mixture of asphalt, gravel and trail surfaces. There’s a pancake breakfast waiting when you finish, topped off with a waffle cone and light beer (well, maybe not both at the same time). Top age-group finishers win gift certificates to Caffe Gelato. With the tech shirt on top of all this, you definitely get your $$ worth. For more info, see: http://races2run.com/2012/2012Details/10-2012details.htm#102112-Gelato
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The next event in the MA-USATF Grand Prix series is the Radnor Run Five Miler on Sunday, Oct. 28. For more info, see: http://action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=5920&pg=entry.
The next event in the Off-Road Series is the Evansburg Challenge Ten Mile Trail Race also Oct. 28. For more info, see: http://www.pretzelcitytiming.com/othertrailapps.html and open the specific PDF file.

(Personal comment: Why MA-USATF decided to schedule a road event and an off-road event on the same day is beyond me. I spent time trying to convince them to adopt the Caffe Gelato Race (a week earlier) for their ten miler. That would have avoided the conflict. IMO, anyone torn between the two events should choose the Evansburg race. The club already has six team Grand Prix scores and only seven are necessary with three events to go(and possibly three scoring teams on the last event). The Radnor Run is definitely the toughest event with the lowest age-grades. So skip it.)
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Punks vs. Geezers race
Here are the details of a little event being put together by Andy Shearer of Middletown Athletic Club:

When: Sunday, December 2, 2012 – race @ 2pm, picnic afterwards (weather permitting)
Where: Lum’s Pond Area 1 – after December 1, there is no fee to enter Lum’s Pond
Event: 5k Cross Country race; team event pitting college age and younger versus ‘seasoned’ runners, using traditional xc scoring. You do NOT need to be on a team to compete. There is both a male & female competition.

Registration: $5.00 per runner for non-club members, or just join the darned club for 2013 and get your race fee waived! Club apps will be available on race day or at www.macrunning,com. Contact for details. Registration fee is $0 for current MAC members. (zip, zilch, nada, none, free)

Awards: Bragging rights and maybe those sweet cookie medals for the top finishers. Otherwise, none.

Amenities: The bathrooms SHOULD be open in area 5. Lots of grass and mud in your teeth. Post-race tailgate party if the weather allows (bring your own picnic basket). This is truly a no-frills race! Heck we might even time it.

Race Results:
Delaware Distance Classic 15K:
31 club participants, 20 in USATF

Age Grade – Time
76.819 54:05 Mike Digennaro, 2nd 30-34
75.584 54:08 Andy Jacubowitch
82.050 55:38 Jay Coughenour, 1st 45-49
83.184 57:42 Tom Steenkamer, 3rd 50-54
81.486 57:54 John Costello
75.264 1:01:27 Sarah Rusk, 1st 30-34
68.528 1:02:09 Chris James, 3rd 35-39
74.362 1:03:58 Dirk Sweigart
71.440 1:05:19 Lynn Knothe, 1st 35-39
70.910 1:06:32 Dava Baca
80.055 1:06:47 Dan Simmons, 1st 65-69
—– 1:06:46 Michael Peyton
—– 1:08:03 Karl Kalbacher
80.287 1:08:34 Carol Giampietro, 3rd 50-54
70.170 1:09:28 Sheri Herrmann, 3rd 40-44
75.222 1:13:12 Carole Feole
63.486 1:14:47 Elena Kupchik
77.140 1:16:21 Beth Howlett, 1st 55-59
52.247 1:19:00 Josh Loren
—– 1:19:54 Bruce Hubbard, 3rd 65-69
—– 1:21:17 Andrea Ladany
—– 1:21:33 Tricia Szymanski
55.935 1:21:36 Rich Szymanski
1:22:05 Connie Montana
1:23:39 Adrienne Kalbacher
1:31:26 Lori Culnane
58.716 1:33:43 Jerry Herman
1:33:46 Rudy Antonini
1:34:21 Stacy Schiller
1:34:23 Joel Schiller
46.337 2:31:33 Don Monagle, 3rd 75+, New State Record – M80-84

Delaware Distance Classic 5K: –
Six club participants

17:33 Matt Cutrona, 2nd Overall, 1st Master
24:06 Theresa Cannon, 1st Female Master

Chicago Marathon

2:39:29 Austin Gee, Boston Qualifier
3:07:11 Keith Crispin, Boston Qualifier