Boston Send-off Party & Spring Social
2012-04-11 Wednesday, 6:30-9:00pm
Location: Six Paupers – Hockessin DE

Meet your fellow members!

Join us as we wish our fellow PCVRC Boston marathoners a safe and successful marathon. Various appetizers/finger food will be served, compliments of the club. Drinks will be available from the bar.

Although an RSVP is not necessary for this event it is always helpful if you can us know if you plan to attend to ensure that we have enough food for everyone.
Contact: Rachel Bleacher
Email:

Caesar Rodney & USATF Series Status
The Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon had 30 Pike Creek Valley Running Club participants. The 49th edition of this Wilmington running tradition brought out a good group of club members to run with over 1,400 other runners in the event and the accompanying 5K. The club was also participating in the event as part of the Mid-Atlantic USATF series and the top five team scorers accumulated 388.336 points in the race. After two events, PCVRC stands in fourth place in the club competition. Below, in Race Results, are listed all the club members I found. Please notify me if I missed your time.

From Ed Maher of MA-USATF:
The next Grand Prix race is the Valley Forge Revolutionary Run Five Mile Run on Sunday April 22 at 8:30am. The LDR Committee will have a table onsite at this race to display Grand Prix Circuit standings. However, due to National Park regulations no money can be exchanged on park grounds so we will not be able to accept membership fees. If anyone needs to join or renew their membership with USATF before this race, they should do so online as far in advance of the race date as possible; https://www.usatf.org/membership/application/

The Valley Forge Revolutionary Run online registration includes a separate registration category for USATF Mid-Atlantic members which enables us to enter our USATF membership number to take advantage of the $2 Grand Prix discount. For the Scott Coffee Moorestown Rotary 5 Miler online registration, there is also a place for our members to enter their USATF membership number to receive the $2 discount.

Hall of Fame From Tom Fort:
The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame 2012 Banquet will be held on Thursday May 17th at the Chase Center on the Wilmington Riverfront, doors opening at 5:30PM for a social hour and the dinner beginning at 6:45PM.
To purchase banquet tickets to this grand night celebrating the best in Delaware sports, e-mail Sue Holloway at

Banquet tickets are $60 each. Tables for 10 are available. Phone (302) 992 – 0550. Checks payable to: “DSMHOF” can be mailed to:

DSMHOF, 801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington, DE 19801. TICKETS CAN BE PAID BY VISA OR MASTER CARD BY CALLING (302) 425 – 3263.

Inductees include Terry Dendy, Jim Fischer and Ukee Washington for Track & Field and Mike Clark for Triathlon. The Delaware Distance Classic has given a portion of its funds for several years to the Mike Clark Foundation or the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware in Mike Clark’s name.

Adrenaline 5K Recap – From Jay Coughenour
(Received too late for last week’s Bulletin)
I’m at the starting line, and it is really crowded with everyone squished together. I can’t see Steenkamer or anyone else that I know and I figure they must be up-front as I’m about three-four people deep off the starting line.

The gun goes off and it’s immediately very fast. The pace feels too quick, and I’m dancing over potholes on Main St! I hit the mile in 5:32 and there is a girl who looks no older than 12 just ahead of me – this makes me feel old and slow. After one mile the field starts to thin out a bit. At about 1.5 miles I’m suddenly going down a big hill. Crap – I thought this was a flat course! Sure enough, just before the 2nd mile I find myself going up a hill. Steenkamer told me this was a “fast course” – that darn liar! Where is Steenkamer? I didn’t pass him – so he must still be up ahead kickin’ my ass.

I get to the top of the hill at the 2nd mile mark and finally pass that 12 year old girl – damn she’s tough! I better keep my act together or she’s gonna drop me like a bad habit in the last 400m. I look at my watch and realize that I slowed down the second mile. Crap. The race takes a final turn onto Main Street where I pass an old guy I recognize from one of the other teams. I think I better pick up the pace or he’ll still beat me on that dreaded ‘age score.’ Speaking of old timers, where is Steenkamer???

I come over a final rise on Main Street, dodging pot holes, and finally see the finish line. I try to speed up, but my legs feel detached from my brain and they fail to respond to the “go faster” command. Some guy on a megaphone is yelling at all the runners to “kick it in”. Some do just that and fly right by me like I’m standin’ still.

The finish line is pretty with a big blue banner. I finish, and feel like a winner of some sort because a dude immediately hands me a medal. I thought they only gave finishing medals for long races, but I don’t complain. I turn around and see that young girl finish, but unlike me, she looks really relaxed, as if in the middle of an easy workout. Where are the bagels? Where is Steenkamer?

Postscript – I checked the results, and the girl I mention above must been Briana Gess, a 13 year old who ran 17:27!

Jay has another tale about the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, along with one from Theresa. It shouldn’t be difficult to pick out the person who is the common denominator in these recollections.

Jay Coughenour’s CR Half-marathon:

It’s chilly, with a bit of a breeze and a few drops of rain at the starting line. I’m about three-four people deep off the starting line, squished tight, waiting with Andy Jakubowitch for the start. Andy is a running buddy on weekly PCVRC runs from Newark’s Panera Bread on Sunday mornings.

Senator Carper says a few words that I don’t really hear, and then we all stand in the cold just a bit longer for the National Anthem. Finally, a cannon bursts and it seems like EVERYONE is flying down the hill toward the Wilmington waterfront. I thought Andy and I agreed to run 6:00 pace, but he is darting ahead with a big wave of humanity. I catch Andy just before the mile, which we hit in 5:40. Thanks a lot Andy!! We slow down, yet still pass a lot of runners who must have inadvertently thought this was a 5K.

The waterfront area is the same as usual, but slippery in spots. A few spectators cheer for loved ones, and a coach yells words of encouragement to his runners. Where is our PCVRC coach? Andy and I hit the three-mile split in 17:51, only three seconds/mile too fast, which isn’t bad. We settle into a good pace and I feel better. As we make our way up the boardwalk, we are now running into the teeth of the wind, which seems stronger than it did on the starting line. We catch a group of four-five runners and let them break the wind for us. I can’t recall our cumulative five-mile split, but I do remember Andy yelling out “5:51” for our 5th mile. This is NOT GOOD – as I doubt my ability to handle that pace for eight more miles. Crap! On Tuesday, Coach Fischer told me not to push it much faster than 6:00 pace, but I decide to hang within the perceived safety of our little pack, as dropping back and running alone would seem demoralizing.

We hit Walnut St and pass many people yelling out encouragement, which is wonderful! A few people I can’t see yell ‘Go Jay’ which I really appreciate! Everyone seems to know Andy along the way – Mr. Popularity! I notice more coaches yelling out splits and encouragement to runners on the other teams! Where is Rich? Is he our coach?

We turn onto Park Drive and head up the hills. The hills seem longer and steeper than I recall. My legs feel heavy, probably from last week’s Adrenaline 5K. Our group strings out on the hill and Andy gaps me by a few meters before the Museum – some runnin’ buddy, eh? We finally round the Rockford Tower. Josh Loren gives out a shout of encouragement, and we give Mike Monigle and his daughter a high-five as they cheer us on! Andy hits the 10-mile split in 60:03 and I follow in 60:11 – eleven seconds behind schedule – crap!

As we head back down the hills we now pass large crowds of runners making their way up to the museum. Now I see Rich! Rich is jogging up the hill laughing and having a great ol’ time. It reminds me that this is supposed to be a fun way to spend a Sunday morning! The downhill back into Wilmington is painful. I can’t understand how downhills can actually hurt?! Tom Steenkamer gives out a cheer at the hospital with about 1/2 mile to go. Thanks Tom!

My legs feel seriously heavy as I make the final turn up the last nasty hill to the finish. Why do they route the course this way? Race directors can be evil! I don’t know about the rest of you, but on that hill my legs were churning, but I felt like I was standing still. I look up and see Andy finishing in the mid 1:18’s! I try to put together a ‘sprint’ to the finish, which must have looked pathetic. Break 1:19? Nope, I clock in at 1:19:01 – damn that last hill! We get handed a medal by a nice volunteer. It feels good to finish and congratulate the other runners.

All in, it was a very good day except for a bit of a headwind. The roads were in good shape most of the way. The temperature was great, and rains never arrived. After finishing I quickly forget the pain – it truly is temporary. It was fun, and I hope to be out there again soon!

2012 Caesar Rodney -some reflections from Theresa Kauffman:
I shared a touching moment with a fellow club member at the finish area of Caesar Rodney this past Sunday that I feel compelled to share with the PCVRC. I had to dig deep to get through this CR. I looked for some external motivation as Sunday neared.

I noticed in the old results I had run CR in 1987 – at age 24 and placed 3rd. I found some comfort that I’m still running after 25 years. I thought about how many CR’s I have run and it is at least ten( I don’t keep track) Ok, a bit more comfort. I’m 49 and it’s the 49th CR. I was searching….

I had my fears, my concerns as for the first time during my running years, I have a heel condition/ injury that doesn’t “sustain” treatments. For the last eight months I have managed this condition to continue running at a slower pace with cross-training, PT and determination. Running has not been enjoyable to me, but I don’t want to stop. I think it is a common condition we all share. We all want to run fast… to feel good!

We get upset if our races are off by seconds….let alone dropping by minutes! So, as I finished CR on Sunday, I was relieved I ran pretty pain-free thanks to Dr. Feehery and a special padded sock that relieved pressure. However; when I looked to the clock, I had run my slowest time in a half-marathon..by over ten minutes. I know I told myself not to focus on time, but my heart sank.

As I saw some friends, I smiled, and looked around. I saw Rich Szymanksi finish the race. I had to go over to him for some reason and just hug! He made me forget everything about finishing slower. He had tears in his eyes. He looked awesome. I know the fight he has faced this past year and he has won! He is still running…. I had tears in my eyes now…. It hasn’t been “fun” to run this past year…. It has hurt…. But Rich faced a far greater battle and he crossed the finish line. He was just thankful to be able to run and at that moment I was happy too….

My heel will be fixed with surgery after I get through Boston, but because of Rich, I will be happy to just see the FINISH BANNER!

Results:

Caesar Rodney 5K:
17:58 Greg Cauller, 3rd Overall, 1st Master

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon:
MA-USATF participants:
1:19:01 Jay Coughenour 81.945
1:24:26 John Costello 79.984
1:30:52 Lee Kauffman 76.284 2nd 55-59
1:49:15 Beth Howlett 75.744
1:28:36 Sara Rusk 74.379 2nd 30-34
1:42:27 Dan Simmons 74.215
1:40:08 David James 73.103
1:47:41 Lorri Fencer 70.113
1:38:01 Dirk Sweigart 69.495
1:41:10 Sheri Herrmann 68.138
1:39:54 Ray Christensen 67.017
1:59:54 Dave McCorquodale 65.318
1:46:32 Claire Neilan 63.157
1:55:03 Rich Szymanski 56.743
2:20:46 Jerry Herman 56.192
3:07:16 John Schultz 49.751

Other PCVRC participants:
1:18:40 Andy Jacubowitch
1:24:22 Matt Sargant
1:38:31 Adam Shilling
1:42:39 Dave Farren
1:51:45 Theresa Kauffman
1:56:47 John Hand
2:02:47 Darlise DiMatteo
2:02:48 Andrea Landany
2:04:36 Tricia Szymanski
2:06:23 Frank Cebula
2:19:10 Rudy Antonini
2:45:36 Rachel Bleacher
2:45:37 Ryan Perkowski

Boston Send-off / Spring Party
Boston Send-off Party & Spring Social
Wednesday Apr 11, 6:30-9:00pm
Location: Six Paupers – Hockessin DE

Meet your fellow members!
Join us as we wish our fellow PCVRC Boston marathoners a safe and successful marathon. Various appetizers/finger food will be served, compliments of the club. Drinks will be available from the bar.

Although an RSVP is not necessary for this event it is always helpful if you can us know if you plan to attend to ensure that we have enough food for everyone.
Contact: Rachel Bleacher
Email:

From President Ray:
RRCA National Convention 2012 in Memphis, TN
See photos/comments at http://www.facebook.com/Roadrunnersclubofamerica

The Road Runners Club of America national convention is hosted by a different member club each year, in cities across the nation. They are scheduled to coincide with a prominent local race, usually a 10K or half marathon. This was the second convention that I attended as Delaware State Representative. Last year’s was in Fredericksburg, VA, and I had also hit the 2007 event in Chicago when PCVRC joined the organization.

“The mission of the RRCA is to promote the sport of running through the development and growth of running clubs and running events throughout the country. The RRCA supports the common interests of runners of all abilities during all stages of life by providing education and leadership opportunities along with programs and services that benefit all runners.” With steady growth over the past few years, there are now over 1,500 member clubs. The convention is designed for members to share information, learn about programs such as insurance, Kids Run the Nation, Runner Friendly Communities and to learn how promote clubs to help runners achieve their goals.

After my Thursday 3/15 flight through Chicago to Memphis, a shuttle brought me to the beautiful 25 story Hilton Hotel in an affluent suburb of the city. For the 2nd year in a row, I roomed with the Maine State Rep, who’d get on local TV to support a charity run he’s doing: http://www.rrca.org/services/news-entry/rrca-maine-state-rep-featured-on-memphis-new-channel

The State Rep Meeting was all afternoon on Thursday. We introduced ourselves to the group, got a “2012 Objectives” briefing from Executive Director Jean Knaack, and discussed topics such as:

Championship events (national, regional, state). These are meant to publicize RRCA while supporting events such as CR Half & DE Marathon.

Social Networking – use of Facebook and Twitter to help RRCA and individual clubs maintain contact with members, recruit, and share photos and event updates.

A Welcome Reception was held and at each meal throughout the weekend, we were encouraged to sit at different tables to meet as many of the approx 240 attendees as possible. Just about all states were represented.

Group runs were held at 615am on both Friday and Saturday morning and we ran about 10k through the local neighborhood of small and large mansions as the sun rose. The formal Convention Kickoff included a presentation on the insurance program, ideas on reducing risk during events, and best practices. We then broke into separate regional meetings (4 groups) to discuss local progress.

During lunch, guest speaker Dave Wottle recounted his amazing victory in the 1972 Olympic 800 meter event and shared how running has continued to inspire him to encourage others to get involved.

We then opted for our first choice of Breakout Sessions. I attended “New Revenue Sources for Clubs”, which focused on selling club merchandise, and photographing races to sell photos online. Any such initiatives rely on dedicated volunteers, who should always be recognized for their help. Other offered sessions included USATF Course Certification, putting on a mega-event, conflict resolution within clubs, running for seniors, and chocolate milk as a recovery drink.

Friday afternoon was also the official Annual Membership Meeting, where officers were elected and a recap of RRCA’s initiatives & financial status were presented. That evening, we bussed to downtown Memphis for a private ribs dinner at Rendezvous, followed by some time wandering around famous Beale Street – the party side of town.

After the Saturday group run, I grabbed my bib for Sunday’s half marathon at the mini-expo at our hotel. My morning session was “Beginner Runners Programs” where leaders of the Memphis Runners Track Club explained how they organize a 10 week training program each summer for adults, as well as 2 4-week children’s programs each year. Participants aren’t required to join the club. They gave us plenty of advice & helpful tips on how to successfully stage these beneficial events for a very nominal fee through sponsorships and dedicated volunteers. Each of these programs culminates in a race and serves as “graduation”. The Memphis Runners Track Club (www.memphisrunners.com) has over 2,500 member families (3600 runners)!

I then hit the session on “Nutrition and how it affects your body as you age”. Eat your veggies and hydrate! Our lunch speaker was Chris McDougall, author of author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (I had run right behind him that morning without recognizing him.).

My afternoon session was “Preventing and Overcoming Running Injuries”, always quite popular! A Physical Therapist demonstrated and explained recommended warm-ups, cool-downs, proper form, and commented on minimalist running shoes.

During our evening reception in the ballroom, a silent auction and live auction were held to raise money for RRCA programs. Items such as signed sports memorabilia, marathon entry packages, wine baskets and tech shirts were auctioned. The Awards Banquet featured:
RRCA Hall of Fame:
Joe Vigil (coach of Deena Kastor & Meb Keflizighi)
Abdi Abdirahman, 2012 Olympic Marathoner (spoke with us via Skype)
Linda Somers-Smith, holder of several age-group records, qualified for 7 US Olympic Marathon trials. She’d take 2nd place in Sundays Half.

Runners of the Year included Ryan Hall and Terry McCluskey (age 64) who easily won his AG in the Half. Even the Mayor of Memphis echoed the general theme of many of the convention speakers & award winners: Running as a healthy exercise that can increase the fitness and decrease health costs in the USA.

Sunday’s 14th Annual Germantown Half Marathon is similar in size to CR, with around 1,400 finishers. It was a bit warm, but the course had just gentle rolling hills and my time was right around what I’d hoped for, since I really haven’t gotten serious mileage in. 1:43:30 for 14th of 50 in my AG. My roommate Blaine won his 30-34 AG…sometimes you just need to be satisfied to hang out with fast runners!

As we all know, runners tend to be some of the best people around, so the convention is a chance to socialize with each other while learning how to increase participation in our local communities. Hopefully we can increase enjoyment of runners and to make the world a better place. Each member of an RRCA club is a member of the overall association. Find out more at www.RRCA.org or contact me with questions.
Ray 302-633-1482…………………………………

Summary of the Adrenaline 5K from Tom Steenkamer
The 2012 Mid Atlantic USATF Grand Prix racing season opened this past Saturday with the Adrenaline 5k in Haddonfield NJ. A fine St. Patrick’s day morning greeted the 900+ competitors with temperatures approaching 50 degrees by race time. PCVRC was well represented with 14 members toeing the line in what has historically been one of the fasted 5k courses in the region. Once again the competition reinforced the intensity of this appropriately named race with 24 competitors finishing in under 16 minutes and a winning time of 14:51.

PCVR’s own Mike Digennaro led the team finishing 3rd overall in 15:11. John Costello, a recent addition to the race team, also ran well putting down one of his best 5k times in a couple of years. There were also several age group award winners from the club. (Contact Rich for your hardware.) Race times for the USATF age grade scoring are based on chip times (thankfully – see below) and PCVRC garnered 411.392 points for 5th place in the club standings. It appears to be the start of another highly competitive racing season with only 8.26 points separating the 2nd through 5th place teams. It’s notable that perennial powerhouse SJ Athletic Club is currently sitting in 4th place and last year’s runner up club, Athena, did not have enough runners to score.

On a personal note I managed to become the casualty of my own pre-race routine. Running a few minutes behind all morning I found the clock approaching the 9AM start time. Gathering myself I broke into a quick jog to the starting line only to hear the sound of the starter’s horn while still 100 meters away. Navigating through the field for the first 800 meters I finally managed to find room to race. The finish line clock time did not look to be in my favor but I knew that the chip time would be the deciding factor. Later that day the official results showed that I had spotted the field 46 seconds. I hope that doesn’t happen again!

Thanks to all who competed. The next race in the series is this Sunday in Wilmington at the Caesar Rodney half marathon. Cannon time – 9:30 AM. We are expecting large club participation so come out and cheer on your friends. Club members Chip Bixler and Bruce Hubbard will be continuing their consecutive race appearances with number 27.

USATF GrandPrix team standings
Bryn Mawr Running Club – 426.542

Greater Philadelphia Track Club – 419.678

Downingtown Running Club – 414.069

South Jersey Athletic Club – 411.662

Pike Creek Valley Running Club – 411.392

Mike Digennaro – 3
15 10 86.044

John Costello – 65
17 39 84.230

Jay Coughenour – 56
17 16 82.722

Thomas Steenkamer – 128
18 26 82.007

Daniel Suher – 33
16 26 78.499

Carole Feole – 318
22 48 76.389 . . . . . . . 411.392
William Lee Kauffman – 169
20 2 76.040

Dirk Sweigart – 164
19 53 75.356

Daniel Simmons – 284
22 5 75.245

Sheri Herrmann – 250
21 21 72.600

Richard Szymanski – 346
23 16 61.891

Gerald Herman – 686
29 9 59.177

John Schultz – 876
35 50 57.302

Ralph McKinney – 840
33 47 50.567

Coach Fischer News Journal Article
A good article about Jim Fischer by Kevin Tresolini was printed in the News-Journal a couple days ago. Unfortunately what the University of Delaware is doing to him isn’t so nice. It seems the school values him about as much as it values the cancelled men’s running programs. Anyway, here’s the link: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120313/SPORTS07/120313004/Fischer-devotes-life-shaping-runners?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|s

Banquet Photos
Pictures from Pike Creek Valley Running Club’s banquet on March 3, taken by Kim Riccio, are now posted on our website’s home page: www.pcvrc.com.

Pre-CR Pasta Dinner
Ray is hosting his 9th annual pre-CR pasta dinner in “The Beer Room” Saturday 3/24 at 6pm. Not required to bring anything, but let him know if you’d like to bring one of either: a couple folding chairs, a salad/side (specify), italian bread, dessert, a six pack of soft drinks or beer. Please RSVP by Thurs 3/22 to or 302-633-1482. Location is on corner of McKennans Church Road at 2630 Crossgates Dr. Wilmington 19808.

Columbia (South Carolina) Marathon
A lot of our members know Scott Hodukavich, who relocated to Columbia, S.C. about two years ago. He still makes appearances around here. Over a year ago, Scott had e-mailed me, knowing that I had relatives in Columbia, about a new marathon which was being created for the city. This past fall I made the decision to do the inaugural event since I hadn’t seen my sister in 13 years. As a plus, my niece, who is a critical care pediatric physician, offered to let me stay at her home, which is right across the street from the Governor’s mansion and less than a mile from the race venue and start.

My sister Pris had gotten into the spirit by volunteering for the race, which she had never done before. Her only request was that she be placed near the end of the race so that she could see me finish. The organization agreed to use her at the 13th fluid stop, which was just at the start of the second loop of the two-loop course and less than a hundred years from the finish. That way everyone would be through that aid station long before I finished.

Unfortunately, several days before my departure, Pris had stubbed her small toe on her right foot and broke it. As her foot took on various shades of purple, she doubted she would be able to fit into a pair of shoes, much less stand for hours. But as the week went by, the swelling subsided enough for her to eventually get on a pair of tennis shoes. Dealing with the discomfort, she did participate at the aid station. By the time I went past, she really looked into it, being the lead person on one side of the road passing out drinks. Apparently the experience meant a lot to her. She came away pleasantly surprised by all the remarks of thanks from the runners.

Some of you may recall I had traveled to Myrtle Beach two years ago, only to have the race cancelled for fear that four inches of snow inland from the beach would present too much of a hazard for the volunteers to travel the event. So the Columbia Marathon was my chance to finally get in a South Carolina marathon. I knew in advance that the course was hilly. In fact Scott wrote that it looked like the director went out and found every hill in Columbia. My sister confirmed that idea when she said that Columbia really wasn’t that hilly. Nevertheless this course was.

When the races (half and full marathons together) started, we went down several nice flat blocks, but as soon as we turned a corner, there was a steep hill up ahead. For the first five miles, every mile had a hill. Then up to mile eight it was flatter before a rather continuous two mile uphill. Most of it was a mild climb. At about mile 9.8, there was an unofficial fluid stop, organized by the local hashers. Scott had brought this concept from Delaware, where the hashers will man the stop near the Delaware Art Museum on the Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon course. As I passed by, Scott saw me and rushed to grab a special barley and hops charged energy drink, but I said “Next time” and went on. This was where the two mile hill got steeper for three tenths of a mile.

At the top we turned and were now running along a street which had traffic. But enough of the road was dedicated to runners for the traffic to not be a problem. Heading toward the halfway point, there were still two more steep hills to climb. Approaching the aid station where my sister was working, I threw aside the long sleeve tech shirt I had on at the beginning when the temperature was in the low 40s. By then it was in the 50s and sunny. More or less perfect weather.

Then it was time to repeat all those hills again. Having approached the entire event with caution because of all the hills, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did not slow down that much on the second loop (and actually ran the marathon over a minute faster than any of the ones I did in 2011). Finally I got to the hashers’ stop and this time Scott handed me half a cup of green-tinged barley soda (they had a St. Patrick’s Day theme). I took most of it, turned around for a picture with Scott (which is viewable on my Facebook page), and turned to face the steeper part of the hill. Scott jogged halfway up with me, giving words of encouragement.

I didn’t mention that at the start of the event, I had lined up with the 4:30 pace group. But I found after a mile or two that the pacer seemed to be going a little slow for my taste because I knew from experience that I always slow down in the latter miles. So I had to go a bit faster in the beginning. I told the pacer that I was with him, but I was moving ahead. Now, as I got near the top of the steep hill the pacer chugged past me, being stronger on the uphills. However, there was nobody else with him. After cresting the hill, I used him as a marker and on a downhill, I caught up to him. I reminded him of what I said earlier. He told me I had 16 minutes to go 1.4 miles. That was good, because I still had to deal with the two steep hills, but I made it in 4:28:38 (chip).

Recommendation: This is NOT a fast course. But it is scenic. There is a Sheraton hotel less than 50 yards from the race start, but it’s probably pricey. This area, where both the expo is located and the race starts and finishes, has a myriad of bars and restaurants, being near the University of South Carolina campus & an urban renewal area – think Main Street Newark meets the Wilmington Riverfront area. There was even a place, which I was intrigued to go in, but never got to, named The World of Beer. I was probably extremely lucky with the weather, as there was a day the week before when the temperature had reached 80. Remember the women’s Olympic Trials Marathon was held in Columbia in 2000 and most of the participants had trouble with a day in the upper 60s with high humidity(and that was several weeks earlier in the year). So go to make it a destination spot, not for a PR. BTW, the local zoo is considered to be a pretty good one and I went through it with my niece in the afternoon after the events.

Note on race stories: The E-Bulletin is not my personal blog. I write about my experiences because I like to write. But I’d love it if other club members would share their stories. Please e-mail anything you’d like to include about your running experiences.

Breaking News: Newest Club Members!
The club congratulates Dr. Jack & Kelly Horowitz on the birth of their twin sons, Max and Miles [seriously]. They weighed in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. Ironically, the babies were born just two days after Jack attended the banquet where we honored some of our oldest club members.

Rich Szymanski started spreading the word and has already registered them to run on our USATF teams. Rumor has it that he is campaigning for USATF to create an under 5 age-group. 😉

70 Attend 30th Annual Banquet
On Saturday March 3 almost 70 people gathered for the Pike Creek Valley Running Club’s annual banquet at White Clay Country Club outside of Stanton, De. This gathering was special because the 30th anniversary of the founding of the club had just passed. So on this occasion for the guest speaker, the four original founders of the club were invited to speak. A good number of former club members, who are in the club’s Hall of Fame, also attended. There was a lot of catching up with people who hadn’t been in touch in more than a decade as well as an introduction for some of the newer club members to those who had been there in the beginning.

First club president Dave Pie spoke the longest and recounted how the early members had felt left out when the newspaper listed out of town race results and they were always listed as “unaffiliated”. That planted the idea of starting a running club in the Pike Creek area. The idea was spurred on when one Christmas they all received from their wives patches which said “Pike Creek Valley Running Club”. So after they drew up bylaws and after a few sparsely attended meetings, the interest in being in a running club in the Pike Creek area blossomed. At one point there were monthly meetings with well over 100 in attendance.

In addition to the nostalgic remembrances, the club presented numerous major and minor awards for individual running achievements in 2011. Two members, three-time President Jerry Herman and 79 year-old, still active runner John Schultz, were inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. Other major award winners were: Ray Christensen, Member of the Year; Dan Suher, Rookie of the Year; Dan Weintraub, Spirit Award; and Epi Camacho, Greg Cauller, Matt Cutrona, Sherri Herrmann, Fred Shufflebarger and Vic Zwolak, Outstanding Achievement.

See link to Photos on home page

Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K
From Ed Maher of MA-USATF:
Just a reminder, the first 2012 Grand Prix race, the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K is now less than two weeks away – Saturday March 17. A current newsletter from the sponsoring organization indicates 200 spots are left of the original 1,000 spot entry limit. Entry fee is still $25 for approximately the next week.

Online registration for our first 2012 Grand Prix race, the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K, is now open at: Run Sign Up for Adrenaline.

USATF members for 2012 can utilize the $2 Grand Prix discount by entering “usatf” in the coupon code field.

Club contacts please get this information out to your USATF Mid-Atlantic members along with encouraging them to renew their USATF membership for 2012 where applicable.

Race Results:
Snowball Five Miler:
29:41 Matt Cutrona, 3rd Overall, 1st Master
32:11 Sara Rusk, Overall Female Winner
35:44 Sherri Herrmann, 2st Female Master

Annual Awards Banquet Reminder
Saturday, 6:00 – 9:00 P.M. at White Clay Country Club. See Events page for directions.

From Ed Hartwell of Nova Timing:
Hi everyone,
A big THANK YOU from NOVA Timing Systems for inviting us to be part of your first team challenge event. You all are what keeps the running community strong and thriving in Delaware year after year. We were happy to donate our timing services to give back and show you our gratitude for all the times you participated in our events. We hope to take part in many more club challenges in the future.

I want to quickly explain what happened with us missing the times of some finishers. February is the only month of the year we don’t do any races so we send our equipment out for maintenance. All of our primary timing equipment (the big silver boxes you see at our finish lines) were getting serviced so we only had a “split” timing box to use. It is not designed to be the primary timing device but it was all that we had. Unfortunately, it did not work properly for a short span of time, and, as you know, we missed a few finishers. And, with no bibs to tear, we had no back up in place. After alerting the club captains, most of the missed finishers were found and they gave us their information. We were able to fill in most of the missing data and get the results calculated. We captured 66 of the 72 finishers that day. We know there were 72 finishers because we counted the chips that were returned (only one chip was lost). A few people sent their finish times in by email and were added to bring the total to 69.
Here is the link to view the results:
http://www.novatimingsystems.com/results/agegradedresults.htm
Please forward us the information of the finishers who are missing if they can be identified.

As most of you know, we time all the Races2Run events and many others around the area. Please come over to the timing tent and say ‘Hi’ if you are at our events. And, if you know of any events that are in need of timing, please let me know. And….yes….we promise to have our primary equipment at all future events! : )

Please visit our website: www.novatimingsystems.com to see the other events we will be timing. Will I see any of you up at the Boston Marathon in April? If so, I will be there timing the 40K split. Make sure you wave to me!

Thanks everyone. Have a great 2012! We will see you out at the races!
Ed Hartwell
President, NOVA Timing Systems
www.novatimingsystems.com 302.530.4181

Ugly Mudder results – from Tom Steenkamer
The MidAtlantic USATF off-road season kicked off last Sunday in Reading, PA with the famed Ugly Mudder 7.25 mile race. PCVRC was well represented with 12 participants in a race that has a history of providing a challenging course and conditions. For those who recall the ice storm of 2008 or the 2.5 ft. of snow in 2010 this year was a treat with temperatures approaching 40 degrees at race time. The race was been added to the La Sportiva Mountain Cup series this year and with the warm weather race participation jumped to close to 900.

This year the course was modified to eliminate some sections of Mt. Penn where the trails have been closed, but race director Ron Horn still managed to find plenty of single track, hills, rocks and roots for the runners to navigate. Heck some sections were even runnable. When the mud settled PCVRC came home with a bit of hardware, and more importantly no injuries.

USATF individual standings:
Keith Crispin – 1st AG
Fred Shuffleberger – 1st AG
Lisa Jalot – 3rd AG
Beth Howlett – 2nd AG
Carol Giampietro – 3rd AG

PCVRC stands in 3rd place after the first race of the USATF off road season with 281.75 points. We’re looking forward to the next race at Tyler Arboretum on March 31st. The Tyler race has reached its entry limit of 400 and is now closed. Please contact Rich or me this week if you got shut out.

Results from the Ugly Mudder 7.25 Mile Trail Run:
Time – Age Grade
1:09:48 57.72 Fred Shufflebarger
1:04:20 57.39 Tom Steemkamer
1:06:26 57.01 Epi Camacho
1:00:53 56.84 Keith Crispin
1:24:47 52.79 Beth Howlett
1:19:44 52.53 Carol Giampetro
1:10:10 52.43 Lisa Jalot
1:10:59 51.16 Dirk Sweigart
1:08:06 47.82 Chris James
1:18:54 47.25 Sheri Herrmann
1:26:02 41.87 Mike Piorkowsky
1:32:28 38.02 Rich Szymanski