Three Club Challenge 5K
2012-02-19 Sunday Feb 19 at 2:00pm
Location: White Clay Creek State Park

5K trail race team competition between PCVRC, Delaware Running Club and Middletown Athletic Club will be held at White Clay Creek State Park’s 5k XC on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2pm. There is no park entry fee nor will there be a race entry fee. Afterwards, we can all head to the Deer Park for drinks, food, etc…

If you haven’t done a trail race, this would be a good way to check it out since course is not technical. It will be age graded and all are invited to participate. Come out to run or to just support our team.

As “official sponsor” of this “unofficial race”, NOVA will be providing chip timing (laced into shoes)! You don’t have to be “fast” to support our team. If you expect to run, please email both Rich and Tom with your age so that the age-grading will be easier:

Scoring will be as follows…
Seven runners score.
One runner under 30
Two runners over 50
Two females
An under 30 female would count as two requirements, as an example.

Meet at Carpenter Recreation Area parking lots at White Clay Park (see map at http://www.destateparks.com/downloads/maps/white-clay-creek/carpenter.pdf) Entrance is on New London Road (896).

Runners should arrive by 1:30 to get organized. Meeting area at the Pavilion for:
Brief course orientation for anyone who is not familiar with the layout.
Distribute chips for timing,
Process any day-of registration.

Bring a second pair of shoes and socks if you are joining us afterward at the Deer Park.

The Broad Street Ten Miler registration closed out in six hours yesterday. Those USATF members who still wish to register should e-mail Ed Maher at . He will provide each person with a unique code to enter on a website that will allow you to register. But you only have until the beginning of next week, so act ASAP.

Dues Due
Does anyone still need to pay their dues? Yes! Remember – $25 and mail to PCVRC, P.O.box 3259, Wilmington, DE 19804.

Have all who intend to go to the banquet filled out their forms and sent them to Rachel yet? No! Rather than print the form here, go to: http://www.pcvrc.com/eventlistitem.php?id=57.

The Ugly Mudder Seven Miler, the first event in the MA-USATF Off-Road series for 2012, will be Sunday, February 26. Those interested in participating, who still haven’t registered for the event, can do so here:

http://www.pretzelcitytiming.com/uglymudder.html. For those who are not yet members of USATF who wish to participate, you should know that a USATF representative is available at each event in either series for you to sign up in advance of the race.

Running Into Yoga: Free Yoga Sessions for members continue 2/22
Club member Caitlin Reilly is getting certified as a Yoga instructor and has offered to lead free sessions for members. She’ll lead one after each of our coming Wednesday 6pm group runs, starting at 7pm at Ray’s house (short walk from Delcastle parking). 2630 Crossgates Dr., Wilmington, 19808

Additional sessions may be available…
The 1/2 hour workshop isn’t too fancy or serious — just a good cap on the run. For those with sore joints or muscles, they may prevent the “ow” with some “om!” It would include:
– stretching
– strengthening (including core work)
– a cool down

Participants should bring:
– water
– layers (preferably exercise pants or long sleeve shirts with shorts or t-shirts underneath)
– an exercise mat
– (optional) yoga blocks or stretching rope
Please RSVP to Caitlin at

Caesar Rodney Team Discount
I’ll (Ray) again arrange teams for CR (3/25) for potential discount and potential medals. Club members or non-club members, doesn’t matter.

If you have not yet signed up, current price is $60 but team competition info is below. Each member runs the entire 13.1. Team cost is $250, so cost is
5 runners = $50 ea
6 runners = $42 ea
7 runners = $36 ea (we’ve ended up with 6-7 per team every time so far)

If you can commit to a team entry, email me () just your name / sex / age by Feb 21.
Team registration is online only this year, so at that time, we’ll determine team composition(s) to try to cover as many categories as possible such as Female Open, Male Masters, etc. Then one person from each team will register and pay as team captain and the other members will complete their info online and sign a waiver. No guarantees which category you’ll be in.
So send me your info if you’re in, and pass this message to friends who wish to represent Delaware.
CR website: http://action.lungusa.org/site/TR?fr_id=5030&pg=entry

Three Club Challenge 5K
2012-02-19 Sunday Feb 19 at 2:00pm

Location: White Clay Creek State Park
5K trail race team competition between PCVRC, Delaware Running Club and Middletown Athletic Club will be held at White Clay Creek State Park’s 5k XC on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2pm. There is no park entry fee nor will there be a race entry fee. Afterwards, we can all head to the Deer Park for drinks, food, etc…

If you haven’t done a trail race, this would be a good way to check it out since course is not technical. It will be age graded and all are invited to participate. Come out to run or to just support our team.

As ‘official sponsor’ of this ‘unofficial race’, NOVA will be providing chip timing (laced into shoes)! You don’t have to be “fast” to support our team. If you expect to run, please email both Rich and Tom with your age so that the age-grading will be easier:

Scoring will be as follows…
Seven runners score.
One runner under 30
Two runners over 50
Two females
An under 30 female would count as two requirements, as an example.

RSVP to Rich with your name/age as far in advance as possible:
— and thank-you to Rich for organizing!

I’m not sure whether you want to do the following run if you plan to race in the Three Club Challenge, but I’m posting it again for those who are interested:

Tower Hill Fun Run 2/18
Delaware Running Club invites PCVRC members to join them on Feb 18th for a 10 Mile marathon-paced run. Tower Hill – 7 AM. Each mile is marked for an out and back run(up to seven miles on RT. 52 for those who want to do a 14-miler).

Everyone goes off in 5 minute increments based on goal time. Starting at 85 minutes (for 10 miles) then the 80 minute group and so forth. OPEN to EVERYONE! No cost to anyone. Hot Chocolate and Coffee available at the finish (unless it is pouring rain).

Awards Banquet
The form for the banquet is attached at the bottom of this bulletin. Please that the following people have been added to the previous list of Notable Achievers: Jay Cougenour, Lori Culnane, darlise diMatteo, Carole feole, Karin Pszczola and Mark Vilardo.

Dues! Dues! Dues! We received six renewals this week, but there are more to go. You know who you are, but if you don’t, look in your check register to make sure you’ve written a check to the club in 2012. Please renew your dues or otherwise let us know your intentions about belonging to the club. $25 to PCVRC, P.O.Box 3259, Wilmington, DE 19804. You can add the money for your dues in with the money for banquet reservations.

Running Into Yoga: Free Yoga Sessions for members start 2/15
Club member Caitlin Reilly is getting certified as a Yoga instructor and has offered to lead free sessions for members. She’ll lead one after each of our coming Wednesday 6pm group runs, starting at 7pm at Ray’s house (short walk from Delcastle parking). 2630 Crossgates Dr., Wilmington, 19808

Additional sessions may be available…

The 1/2 hour workshop isn’t too fancy or serious — just a good cap on the run. For those with sore joints or muscles, they may prevent the “ow” with some “om!” It would include:
– stretching
– strengthening (including core work)
– a cool down

Participants should bring:
– water
– layers (preferably exercise pants or long sleeve shirts with shorts or t-shirts underneath)
– an exercise mat
– (optional) yoga blocks or stretching rope
Please RSVP to Caitlin at

Caesar Rodney Team Discount
I’ll (Ray) again arrange teams for CR (3/25) for potential discount and potential medals. Club members or non-club members, doesn�t matter.
If you have not yet signed up, current price is $60 but team competition info is below. Each member runs the entire 13.1. Team cost is $250, so cost is
5 runners = $50 ea
6 runners = $42 ea
7 runners = $36 ea (we’ve ended up with 6-7 per team every time so far)
If you can commit to a team entry, email me () just your name / sex / age by Feb 21.

Team registration is online only this year, so at that time, we�ll determine team composition(s) to try to cover as many categories as possible such as Female Open, Male Masters, etc. Then one person from each team will register and pay as team captain and the other members will complete their info online and sign a waiver. No guarantees which category you’ll be in.
So send me your info if you�re in, and pass this message to friends who wish to represent Delaware.
CR website: http://action.lungusa.org/site/TR?fr_id=5030&pg=entry

PCVRC Board Chooses Members to Receive Awards at Banquet
After careful consideration, the board chose an expanded group of people to receive award for their 2011 running achievements. The following will receive awards at the Banquet to be held at White Clay Country Club on Saturday, March 3. See the banquet form at the very bottom of this E-Bulletin:

Hall of Fame inductees: Gerald Herman and John Schultz
Member of the Year: Ray Christensen
Major Awards: Epi Camacho, Greg Cauller, Matt Cutrona, Sheri Herrmann, Fred Shufflebarger, Dan Suher, Dan Weintraub and Vic Zwolak.

Notable Achievers: Denise Boyle, Deborah Compton, Dave Farren, Jordan Fridman, Chris James, Lynn Knothe, Josh Loren, Carolyn McCorquodale, Claire Neilan, Ryan Perkowski, Nina Smeltzer, Wes Stafford and Tom Steenkamer.

Dues! Dues! Dues! Lots of club members have yet to renew. Please renew your dues or otherwise let us know your intentions about belonging to the club. $25 to PCVRC, P.O.Box 3259, Wilmington, DE 19804. You can add the money for your dues in with the money for banquet reservations.

The Winter Fun Run at Can-Do Park introduced some of us Pike Creekers to the some of the Greenway Trail on the north side of Wilmington. From that site one could run into Wilmington, out to Brandywine Creek St. Pk., or all the way out to Fox Point St. Park on the Delaware River. Even though I only run about six and a half miles, my quads paid for the hills. About a dozen came to the brunch afterward at Kid Shelleen’s and a quorum of the board even made a decision on an award at the meal was ending.

Broad Street Run – From Ed Maher of USATF:
Following is information regarding Broad Street Run registration that was discussed during our “Club Call” phone conference yesterday evening.

The Broad Street Run opens for registration on Wednesday Feb. 15, 2012 at 10:00am. his race has reached its entry limit of 30,000 runners in increasingly shorter timeframes in the past few years. In 2011 the race sold out within five days. If the race sells out in an even shorter timeframe this year, we realize it’s possible some USATF Mid-Atlantic members may be unsuccessful in registering.

To address this possibility, the Mid-Atlantic LDR Committee, in cooperation with the Broad Street Run race organizers, have established the following process:

1. This process only applies to 2012 USATF Mid-Atlantic members of record as of Feb. 14, 2012. i.e. the day prior to Broad Street opening for registration. Not sure if you are a member? You can check your membership via the National USATF web site here: Membership Number Lookup We will also periodically update the “2012 USATF Mid-Atlantic Members” link on the Long Distance Running page on the Mid-Atlantic web site. It currently reflects Mid-Atlantic members as of 1/12/12.

2. USATF Mid-Atlantic 2012 members who are unsuccessful in registering for the race before registration closes due to the race reaching its entry limit should immediately notify our Grand Prix coordinator, Ed Maher, by email at:

3. Our Grand Prix coordinator will verify the individual’s membership (USATF membership record as of midnight Feb. 14, 2012) and provide the member with a code, specific to that member, which will enable them to register for the race within five days after the race closes due to reaching its entry limit.

Please pass this information along to your Mid-Atlantic club members. This information will also be posted on the Grand Prix page on the USATF Mid-Atlantic web site and distributed by email to members of record by email similar to the distribution of the mid-Atlantic Newsletter. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of individuals ensuring their 2012 Mid-Atlantic membership is current by Feb. 14, 2012 in order to be accommodated with this process.

___________________________

Three Club Challenge 5K
2012-02-19 Sunday Feb 19 at 2:00pm
Location: White Clay Creek State Park

5K trail race team competition between PCVRC, Delaware Running Club and Middletown Athletic Club will be held at White Clay Creek State Park’s 5k XC on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2pm. There is no park entry fee nor will there be a race entry fee. Afterwards, we can all head to the Deer Park for drinks, food, etc…

If you haven’t done a trail race, this would be a good way to check it out since course is not technical. It will be age graded and all are invited to participate. Come out to run or to just support our team.

Scoring will be as follows…
Seven runners score.
One runner under 30
Two runners over 50
Two females
An under 30 female would count as two requirements, as an example.

We may even have professional timing done by NOVA!

RSVP to Rich with your name/age as far in advance as possible:
— and thank-you to Rich for organizing!

Winter Run 1/29 10am: RSVP to Dirk
We’re planning a 5K fun run along the Delaware Greenway Trail for Sunday morning, Jan 29 to be followed by socializing over lunch or brunch at Kid Shelleen’s.

This is an out-and-back run so people can go as far as they like. It is a 4.5 mile mostly-paved path with occasional road crossings in one direction (to Bellevue Park) and a hilly trail run (through Alopocas) in the other direction – so runners can choose their terrain. We’ll start together at 10:10, so try to be on time. This is a free event for members AND non-members, so bring friends. Location, directions at www.pcvrc.com/eventlist.php

Contact Dirk Sweigart at to give us an idea of number or especially if you can assist in any way.

Club Awards Banquet 3/3 6pm at White Clay Creek Country Club
Please mark the date on your calendar to attend our annual club banquet on March 3. Menu items and keynote speaker info coming soon. Plan to attend to celebrate a new year of running, honor our award winners, vote for club officers and enjoy good food with good people. Last chance to submit nominees for club awards (by 1/23).

Tower Hill Fun Run 2/18
Delaware Running Club invites PCVRC members to join them on Feb 18th for a 10 Mile marathon-paced run. Tower Hill – 7 AM. Each mile is marked for an out and back run(up to seven miles on RT. 52 for those who want to do a 14-miler).

Everyone goes off in 5 minute increments based on goal time. Starting at 85 minutes (for 10 miles) then the 80 minute group and so forth. OPEN to EVERYONE! No cost to anyone. Hot Chocolate and Coffee available at the finish (unless it is pouring rain).

Club Membership Reminder
Please mail in your 2012 $25 member dues if you haven’t already (unless you ran at least 4 USATF events as a USATF member last year). PCVRC has renewed its club memberships with both RRCA and USATF for 2012.

Icicle Run Recap
Below are the results of the Icicle Run 10-Miler. This race is always in mid-January and provides a welcome venue for those runners who long to compete at distances longer than a 5K. This race provides a good mid-point from some early December races to the Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon in March. In particular runners get to gage their fitness on a course which closely resembles that of CR.

PCVRC had 25 runners participate in the event and several other members volunteered, ran a few miles with one of the participants or hung out at the post-race party at Washington St. Ale House. Personally this is the only race in which I have run every year since I started racing, making 18 straight now. Of course, club member Bruce Hubbard has done something over 30 straight.

The day was crisp and cold, about right for mid-January, but with the mild winter, probably many were probably not used to dealing with the conditions. Nevertheless, most runners had on layers and had more of their head and face covered than usual. Still with a good northwesterly breeze, it made warming up difficult until one turned around and began heading back in Pennslyvania Ave. With no ice on the course, as has happened a few times in the recent past, most people seemed fairly pleased with their times.

Results:
Icicle Run 10 Miler (chip times):

  53:15 Mike DiGennaro, 2nd Overall, 1st 30-34
1:01:36 Herv DaCosta, 1st 45-49
1:02:51 Greg Cauller, 1st 50-54
1:05:00 Keith Crispin
1:08:04 Epi Camacho, 2nd 55-59
1:08:40 Tom Steemkamer
1:10:41 Chris James
1:11:06 Adam Shilling
1:12:34 Dirk Sweigart
1:12:44 Lynn Knothe, 3rd 30-34
1:15:26 Dave Baca
1:15:59 Ray Christensen
1:16:44 Sheri Herrmann, 1st 40-44
1:23:56 Jim Steele
1:28:10 Jack Horowitz
1:28:53 Elena Kupchik
1:30:42 Bruce Hubbard, 3rd 65-69
1:31:17 Dave McCorquodale
1:35:00 Andrea Landany
1:35:00 Darlise DiMatteo
1:37:40 Tricia Szymanski
1:50:35 Stacey Schiller
1:50:35 Joel Schiller
2:03:26 John Schultz, 2nd 70+
2:06:51 Ralph McKinney

Rehoboth Half-Marathon
2:21:28 John Patrick Bradley

Dues! Dues! Dues!
Lots of club members have yet to renew. Please renew your dues or otherwise let us know your intentions about belonging to the club.

2012 PCVRC Annual Awards Banquet 3/3/12
White Clay Creek Country Club At Delaware Park
Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 6:00pm

Please join us as we celebrate accomplishments of the 2011 running season.
This year we are privileged to have founding members of the club speak about the history and the reasons for starting PCVRC.

The meal selections are as follows:
– Macadamia crusted Mahi Mahi w/ roasted poblano pepper & caramelized pineapple relish
– Pork Tenderloin Calvados w/apple brandy sauce & spiced apples
– Pan seared chicken
– Vegetable pasta primavera (vegetarian option)
*All entrees come with a side of seasonal vegetables, red bliss potatoes, and black forest cheesecake for desert.

Enclose form (on Events page) + $35 per member guest or $45 per non-member guest, check payable to PCVRC. (Form is also attached to this bulletin.) You may include $25 club dues for 2012 if not yet paid.

RSVP to Rachel by Friday, February 24.
Any questions about this event please feel free to contact Rachel Bleacher at .

Share Your Accomplishments
Did you have a running related notable achievement in 2011 that hasn’t been reported in this eBulletin? (first Half or Marathon, PR at one or more distance, volunteer at one or more races, etc.). We’d like to know about it so please reply to this message with details.

Winter Run 1/29 10am: RSVP to Dirk
Come to our 5K fun run along the Delaware Greenway Trail for Sunday morning, Jan 29 to be followed by socializing over lunch or brunch at Kid Shelleen’s.

This is an out-and-back run so people can go as far as they like. It is a 4.5 mile mostly-paved path with occasional road crossings in one direction (to Bellevue Park) and a hilly trail run (through Alapocas) in the other direction – so runners can choose their terrain. We’ll start together at 10:10, so try to be on time. This is a free event for members AND non-members, so bring friends. Location, directions at Events page.

Contact Dirk Sweigart at to give us an idea of number or especially if you can assist in any way.

Mark Vilardo Departing
To PCVRC members,
As you know we are moving to Chicago very soon. We’d like to have a get together before we leave for next week. How about meeting at the Wilmington Iron Hill on Friday around 6:30?

Broad Street Run – From Ed Maher of USATF:
Following is information regarding Broad Street Run registration that was discussed during our “Club Call” phone conference yesterday evening.

The Broad Street Run opens for registration on Wednesday Feb. 15, 2012 at 10:00am. his race has reached its entry limit of 30,000 runners in increasingly shorter timeframes in the past few years. In 2011 the race sold out within five days. If the race sells out in an even shorter timeframe this year, we realize it’s possible some USATF Mid-Atlantic members may be unsuccessful in registering.

To address this possibility, the Mid-Atlantic LDR Committee, in cooperation with the Broad Street Run race organizers, have established the following process:

1. This process only applies to 2012 USATF Mid-Atlantic members of record as of Feb. 14, 2012. i.e. the day prior to Broad Street opening for registration. Not sure if you are a member? You can check your membership via the National USATF web site here: Membership Number Lookup We will also periodically update the “2012 USATF Mid-Atlantic Members” link on the Long Distance Running page on the Mid-Atlantic web site. It currently reflects Mid-Atlantic members as of 1/12/12.

2. USATF Mid-Atlantic 2012 members who are unsuccessful in registering for the race before registration closes due to the race reaching its entry limit should immediately notify our Grand Prix coordinator, Ed Maher, by email at:

3. Our Grand Prix coordinator will verify the individual’s membership (USATF membership record as of midnight Feb. 14, 2012) and provide the member with a code, specific to that member, which will enable them to register for the race within five days after the race closes due to reaching its entry limit.

Please pass this information along to your Mid-Atlantic club members. This information will also be posted on the Grand Prix page on the USATF Mid-Atlantic web site and distributed by email to members of record by email similar to the distribution of the mid-Atlantic Newsletter. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of individuals ensuring their 2012 Mid-Atlantic membership is current by Feb. 14, 2012 in order to be accommodated with this process.

Three Club Challenge 5K
2012-02-19 Sunday Feb 19 at 2:00pm

Location: White Clay Creek State Park

5K trail race team competition between PCVRC, Delaware Running Club and Middletown Athletic Club will be held at White Clay Creek State Park’s 5k XC on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2pm. There is no park entry fee nor will there be a race entry fee. Afterwards, we can all head to the Deer Park for drinks, food, etc…

If you haven’t done a trail race, this would be a good way to check it out since course is not technical. It will be age graded and all are invited to participate. Come out to run or to just support our team.

Scoring will be as follows…
Seven runners score.
One runner under 30
Two runners over 50
Two females
An under 30 female would count as two requirements, as an example.

We may even have professional timing done by NOVA!

RSVP to Rich with your name/age as far in advance as possible:
— and thank-you to Rich Szymanski for organizing!

For this first-time event, there’s no prize structure other than bragging rights. A mobile trophy will be incorporated if this event sticks. Each year another club will pick the venue (maybe incorporate winning team hosts?). We’ll consider incorporating a road version of this as well.

Race Results:

Road to the Super Bowl 5K:
(Wayne Kursh reported that the course, which was changed due to ice, was about 3.15 miles long.)
18:31 Greg Cauller, 2nd Overall & first master

Run With the Hawks 5K: The wisdom of trying to run a cross-country 5K in January needs to be questioned. Then event at St. George’s Vo. Tech. H.S. brought out only 38 people to attempt the slough through two inches of crusty snow. The winner was a 61 year-old man who only lost about two minutes off his typical 5K. He was the exception as the second place guy about 39 seconds behind was about six minutes off his typical time. This writer was also about six minutes off his typical 5K time, setting a Personal Worst of 31:08. I also lost the traction devices I had on my shoes and my quads took several days to recover from having to lift my legs more than I am used to. But I’m pretty sure that no more than a half dozen people north of the canal have the race shirt.