News | Pike Creek Valley Running Club of Delaware

6/7/11: Free Shoes, Fun Runs, Moorestown Results, Dover Half

From the President:
Get Free Running Shoes
We were contacted by Sketchers, which makes walking shoes but is trying to enter the running shoe market. They seek shoe testers who run consistently at least 20-30 miles/week. See message below and contact Ashley if interested at I spoke with her to get more info:

Warning: For now, they do not make a “stability” shoe, so you’d have to be prepared to wear “neutral” shoes if you would like to get a FREE pair of shoes by submitting your feedback on a weekly basis. If questions, contact me first, but if you’d like to go for it, email her (but copy me at ).
I’m going to try it even though I wear stability shoes, so I should have them in a couple weeks.

From: Ashley Ramos [mailto:]
Subject: RUNNING SHOES!
Hi, My name is Ashley and I work for Skechers USA . We are currently testing our new running products and are looking for people to participate in these trials.
I saw your club running website and wanted to reach out to see if you know people who would be willing to test some new running shoes?

We are looking for people who train and participate regularly in various local races, marathons or triathlons. We provide shoes and gear but ask that the people fill out feedback forms about the shoes and wear them regularly during this time.

Thank you!!
Ashley Ramos

SKECHERS, USA http://www.skechers.com
Visual Merchandising Coordinator

From Chris James:
(Respond quickly if interested)
Ryan German from Caffe Gelato has graciously agreed to help me with fundraising for Team In Training. There is an awesome dinner next Sunday (see description and flyer below) and proceeds would benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I know it’s rather short notice but please let me know if you’d be interested in attending.
Tickets are $65 . Its the History of Rock wine dinner with wines that rock: Rolling Stones ‘40 Licks’ Merlot,The Police ‘Synchroncity’ Red Blend, Pink Floyd 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and Woodstock ‘3 Days of Peace and Music’ Chardonnay

Here’s the menu…
http://www.caffegelato.net/library/pdf/events/History_of_rock_2011-0612.pdf
RSVP to me () if interested and I will coordinate from there. Please feel free to forward to anyone you think would be interested.

From Jim Steele: 5K Fun Run at Lums Pond Friday June 24th at 6:30pm. Following the run, I will be hosting a BBQ. Since Lums Pond is a pay for entrance state park ($3 DE resident), anyone who would like to park at my house and carpool over is certainly welcomed to do so. Please arrive at my house by 6pm. My address is 107 Philip Drive, Caravel Hunt, Bear, DE 19701. Park in the driveway or within the cul-de-sac.
For the run, we will be meeting in the parking lot next to the Nature Center. It is the first parking lot on the left after you enter the park from Howell School Road. The course will be within the park and there will be some trails included unless it too wet.

For the BBQ, please RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Thanks!

Any questions please email or call me. 302-530-7274 or .

From Rich Szymanski:
The crab feast and Crabowitz 5K fun run is set for Thursday, June 30th at 6:00-6:15. from the Szymanski house. Last year we added the “Crabowitz” 5K prior to the crab feast and we will again be doing the run prior to the “eats”. While it started out as an “I hate Jack 5K” aka “Crabowitz”, we will keep the crab theme this year but will have a different meaning behind the crab.

Crab /Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac and we thought we’d emphasize the cancer this year and de-emphasize the “I hate Jack” and in the spirit of that, we will have a donation jar for anyone that would like to donate on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Ok..well, we will still probably make Jack wear the crab head piece..that’s just plain “ole” fun J

We will provide crabs and pizza , water and soda and please ask that you bring your favorite adult beverage of choice. So that we have an accurate head count and have enough for all, please do let us know if you’ll be able to come! I you decide at the last minute do not hesitate to show up. There are always lots of crabs left over.
This is also a dog friendly event.. make sure you bring your dogs, kids and spouses or whom ever you wish.

Where: 709 Haddon Road, Wilmington DE
Date: Thursday, June 30th
Time: 6:00 – 6:15

Scott Coffee Moorestown 8K Results
On Saturday June 4 ten people ran for Pike Creek Valley Running Club in the Scott Coffee Moorestown 8K which was the fifth of nine events in the MA-USATF Grand Prix Series. The team 408.259 points which was third among the nine teams which scored. Overall the club is third in the series, but since only the top seven scores from the nine races will be counted for a team’s final score, realistically, there are six teams vying for the top six team places. A couple teams (Bryn Mawr Running and Athena) apparently purposely skipped the Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon and put their resources into the Adrenaline 5K the previous day. Consequently, those two scores are the highest individual team scores for a race in the series.

In the individual overall MA-USATF competition it is again difficult to tell where people might end up since competitors only have to complete six of the nine events. However, it is possible for any of the club’s top competitors, who have been in at least two races so far, to end up among the top ten males or females. In the individual age group competition, things are clearer and many Pike Creekers are among the top people in their respective age groups, namely: Lynn Knothe, t3rd; Carole Feole, 2nd; Deborah Compton, t2nd; Dan Suher, 1st; Josh Loren, 4th; Mike DiGennero, 3rd; Mark Vilardo, 1st; Tom Steenkammer, t3rd; Epi Camcho, 1st; Vic Zwolak, 1st; John Schultz, 2nd; and Don Monagle, 1st.

In addition to scoring for PCVRC, individual club members did quite well in this race, taking 1st, 2nd and 4th overall and winning club group awards. See below.

Age Grade Time

85.531 28:34 Greg Cauller 1st 50-54
82.767 26:30 Mark Vilardo 2nd Overall, 1st 30-39
81.341 36:32 Vic Zwolak 2nd 70-74
81.019 26:10 Dan Suher 1st Overall
78.619 27:17 Mike DiGennero 4th Overall, 2nd 30-39
78.427 28.49 Matt Cutrona
77.600 31:15 Lynn Knothe 1st 30-39
77.098 36.45 Carole Feole 1st 50-54
75.610 42.22 Deborah Compton
51.414 1:07:10 Don Monagle 2nd 80+

The next event in the MA-USATF Series will be Pike Creek’s own Delaware Distance Classic 15K on October 9. The Wissahickon 10K Trail Race, part of the MA-USATF Off-Road Series was also held on June 4. Results will be printed when available.

Race Results:
These first two results are things hidden within my e-mail that I should have posted weeks ago. Apologies.

Bob Potts Marathon, May 15
4:34:10 Andrea Rubinoff, 1st 55-59

From Dan Suher: Over the weekend coming off my sales meeting, I participated in a ragnar relay. Teams of 12 ran a total of just under 200 miles from New Haven to Boston. I was on a team with some fellow Saucony employees as well as buyers and managers from City Sports – headquartered in Boston. My legs were 4.5, 8 and 5.2 miles which I had planned to just run “easy” so as to not hurt myself for the rest of the summer. The result was not exactly to plan but still nothing crazy with my avg mile pace just under 6 mins/mile. Our team came in 17th overall out of nearly 200 and was the first mixed gender corporate team (faster than the all male corporate winner), with a total time of under 26 hours.

The day after the relay, I had promised to run in a local 5k near where I went to college. I ran 15:58 to win the Moody Street 5K in Waltham, MA. Results can be found at www.moodyst5k.com The goal of this run was to give a nice hard effort but by no means all out, coming off the relay. (Editor’s Note: Dan won the Moorestown race, so his running success continues.)

Girl on the Run 5K
16:53 Pat Boettcher, 3rd Overall

Old New Castle Five Miler
32:53 David James, 1st Male Master
37:19 Theresa Kauffman, 1st Female Master

From David Baca: I ran a half marathon on the Dover AFB this past Sunday. Great course: out and back and very flat. This was the 2nd year the event was held (along with a 5k). I finished 12 overall and 1st in the 50-59 age group with a time of 1:39:49. The field was probably just under 100 participants. Yesterday was also my birthday, so running the half was a good celebration. It was one year ago that I started running again on my 49th bday; running my first mile in almost 9 years….

5/31/11: Coming Races, Weekend Recap, Fun Runs

Races to Run for June 4-5 Weekend
Lots of running options this weekend. Here’s hopin you can run one of them:
1. MA-USATF Grand Prix event: Scott Coffee Moorestown Rotary 8K, June 4, 8:30 A.M. www.runningco.com/races
2. MA-USATF Off-Road Series: Wissahickon Trail Classic 10K, June 4, 9 A.M., www.wissahickontrailclassic.org
3. The New Castle Five Miler, June 4, 8:00 A.M., http://trisportsevents.com/index.cfm?ref=50200&ref4=2011-06-04.
Club member Jim Steele is the race director.
4. The Run4Fun, June 5, 9:00 A.M., at Elkton H.S. Club members Chip & Doris Bixler are the race directors.

Running of the Judge 5K / BBQ Recap
Run the Judge continued traditions. Nineteen people participated in the running of the loop on the Judge Morris State Park. Continuing in the tradition set by Jerry Herman last year, Vic Zwolak caught an obstacle and went down, drawing blood and raising abrasions. Also continuing a tradition – more people showed up for the barbecue(30) than ran, proving that some runners do have common sense. Dirk and family did a wonderful job as hosts with Dirk handling the grilling chores for well over an hour. The club thanks them and we hope to continue the traditions again next year with a new victim of The Judge.

Crabowitz 5K Fun Run
From Rich Szymanski:
The crab feast and Crabowitz 5K fun run is set for Thursday, June 30th at 6:00-6:15. from the Szymanski house. Last year we added the “Crabowitz” 5K prior to the crab feast and we will again be doing the run prior to the “eats”. While it started out as an “I hate Jack 5K” aka “Crabowitz”, we will keep the crab theme this year but will have a different meaning behind the crab.

This is also a dog friendly event.. make sure you bring your dogs, kids and spouses or whom ever you wish.

Where: 709 Haddon Road, Wilmington DE
Date: Thursday, June 30th
Time: 6:00 – 6:15

The next Friday fun run is being hosted by Jim Steele & the Culnanes at Lum’s Pond on 6/24. Look for more info to be posted on the club’s Facebook Page.

Weekly Group Runs
Since a number of new club members have recently joined, it is timely to remind all that the club has regular group runs on Wednesday evening (6 p.m.) and Sunday morning (usually 8 a.m.) and the Rebels run at the same location as the Wednesday run on Thrusday evening (also at 6 p.m.).

From Connie Montana:
Dear Friends,
Please help me raise funds to support Westside Family Healthcare by joining me on June 18th to participate in this fun event and grab a cold beverage afterwards at Kelly’s Logan House who is sponsoring our after party this year! We have a 5K and 10K race, in addition to a terrific teaming Web site. If you click on the Join our team or Support our team link, you can sign up or simply donate directly. We are the Fitness Fanatics!

This year, I am dedicating my race to my father, Chuck, who was and is always there to cheer me on in everything I do.

Thank you for your support now and throughout all the years!

https://www.elleevance.com/Westside2011/SelectATeam.aspx

All the best,
Connie Montana

Race Results:
Kay’s Kamp 5K
20:47 Kelly Horowitz, Overalll Female Winner

Chestertown 10 Miler
1:19:24 Theresa Kauffman, 2nd 45-49
1:20:32 Dave McSherry, 2nd 55-59
1:52:23 Bob Wortz, 2nd 70-74
1:54:48 Ralph McKinney, 2nd 65-69

Race for a Better Delaware First in Service 5K
17:37 Greg Cauller, 2nd Overall
19:53 Lynn Knothe, Female winner

Run for the Ages 5K
19:44 Epi Camacho, 3rd Overall (Appropriately named race – at 55, Epi was 40 years older than the first and second place runners).

Highway One Pictures 5K
16:31 Mark Vilardo, Overall winner
17:56 Greg Cauller, Second overall
19:45 Lynn Knothe, Second overall female

5/24/11: Fri Fun Run, RRCA Convention, Dirty German Ultra, Results

Friday Fun Run (rescheduled)
Next Club Event Set (Second attempt). Hopefully this week the weather is better.

What: PCVRC and Rebels “Run the Judge” – Trail run of the Judge Morris “5K” loop and picnic
When: Friday, May 27th, 6 PM (run), 7 pm (picnic)
Where: Sweigart’s, 108 Dewalt Road, Drummond Hill, Newark, DE (close to McGlynn’s and the Polly Drummond shopping center)

Event details: Come for the run at 6 or the picnic at 7ish (after). RSVPs requested for counting but you can surely come even if you did not reply. Event is rain or shine (run will be canceled for mud or rain but picnic still on). Kids and spouses are welcome. Bring a side dish, dessert or weird beverage. We will have burgers (yes Theresa, and turkey burgers!), hotdogs, cole slaw and macaroni salad, beer and wine, water and sports drink. And what people bring.

Run details: Run starts from the open space at the corner of Dewalt and Old Coach road (side entrance) at 6. Park at Dirk’s house and walk up to the start. There will be water and sports drink there. Timing (and direction of run) is up to you. For those wanting to clean up, we will have towels and washcloths at the house after.

Course Details: this portion of the White Clay preserve is the former estate of Judge Hugh M. Morris, a Delaware native, respected attorney and distinguished federal judge. The property also belonged to the University of Delaware for some time and contained a course for the UD cross-country team. The loop will be well-marked with a “cutoff” for anyone wishing to shorten the debated length of 3.1 miles ( bring your Garmin and tell us what you think the distance is). This is a mixed use trail so you need to beware of mountain bikers (like Josh) and hikers. You also need to be aware of the usual trail run hazards such as tripping over roots or rocks (Jerry, Dirk). Immediately when you enter the woods, you will need to decide whether to go left or right around the loop. There is no right answer! But if you miss the entrance/exit (or if you just want to), you will run the loop twice (or more).

Directions:
From Kirkwood Highway – go north on Polly Drummond Hill Road. Take a right at the first light onto Old Coach Road. Take first left onto Dewalt Road. 2nd house on the left after the stop sign.
From New Linden Hill Road – Turn off of New Linden Hill Road onto Chadd Road directly across from Polly Drummond shopping center (Zingo’s). Take right at first stop sign on Dewalt. House is on the right, just before next stop sign.

News from the President:

DE Marathon report by a visitor:
As I mentioned in last week’s bulletin, while in Fredericksburg I roomed with “Blaine from Maine” who happened to be running Delaware Marathon on the morning that I did the Half down there. Here’s his recap…
Click here

Marine Corps Historic Half
See my full recap with photos at http://runmarathonman.com/marinecorpshistorichalf11.php

RRCA Annual Convention report
PCVRC had been a member club of Road Runners Club of America years ago, but terminated our affiliation at some point. In 2007, club member Tom Fort suggested we rejoin, which we did in 2008. Benefits to the club include insurance for races & functions, designation as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, publicity, and belonging to the largest national association of running clubs, dedicated to promoting running as a competitive sport and as healthy exercise. The RRCA’s mission is to represent and promote the common interests of its member clubs, events, and individual runners through education, leadership, programs and other services. (see www.rrca.org for more info or contact Ray).

RRCA appoints State Reps to disseminate info between their DC office and local clubs. Tom Fort was on their national board for some time and in more recent years was Delaware State Rep. I’ve now assumed that position to help PCVRC and other clubs grow and try to offer more services to help runners achieve their personal goals. Suggestions are always welcome and participation in club leadership is sincerely appreciated!

RRCA holds annual conventions, in conjunction with high profile races throughout the country. Club leaders and any members are welcome to attend. Each city tries to out-do previous ones by hosting great meals and interesting fun runs. Here’s my recap of this year’s Fredericksburg convention, to try to give you an idea of it’s value to clubs and individuals.

State Rep Meeting included presentations by RunDisney Club, reasons to hold state or regional joint meeting of local club leaders, RRCA programs (such as “Runner Friendly Communities”, fitness programs for children, partnership with Weight-Watchers), use of Social Networking (such as our Facebook Group & MeetUp). To be successful, every club needs motivated leaders and talented members to work as a team to reach out to non-members who aren’t aware of how much fun our sport can be.

All approx 200 attendees got some refresher training on how our insurance works and best practices to keep risk (and rates) low. For example, beer is allowed at events if not being sold. Our policy provides coverage required by municipalities to hold races in public areas. Any outside groups providing service such as massage or hanging signs should have their own insurance coverage.

Breakout Sessions (90 minute seminars) were held on various topics. During each of 4 sessions, we had 3 choices. I attended

Managing Your Club Finances – Form a new budget each year. Keep separate accounts for each event. Programs must match club’s purpose. Keep one year working capital balance. Board approves budget and all bills.

Motivating Volunteers – Form an operations plan for each event to determine assets needed. Utilize club members and outside groups (boy scouts, school cross-country teams, other local clubs, etc). Offer t-shirts, food, swag, etc. Solicit feedback. Consider offering points toward club merchandise.

Managing Club Politics – Conflict Resolution – interesting presentation by a professional “dispute resolution center” director dealing with types of personalities, identifying problems and negotiation for a win-win outcome. Lessons:
Separate the people from the problem – attack the problem, not the people.
Focus on interests, not positions – look at underlying needs.
Generate opinions for mutual gain
Assure a fair process – process is just as important as the outcome
Practice direct communications – talk with others, not about them

Developing a Strategic Plan for Your Club/Event – help keep focus to allocate money, time, people most effectively and not waste time. Re-affirm club mission as necessary (such as adding walkers or trail-runners to our target group). Build consensus for new initiatives and make them compelling. Include a fundraising plan. Assign committees to investigate new ideas.

Other seminars included:
Running Etiquette
Implementing the National Physical Activity Plan
Crisis Management
Organizing a Club Grand Prix Series
Using Technology in Your Event
Dietary Supplements and Running Performance

Olympian Speakers (during lunches/dinners)

Olympic Gold Medal Winner Billy Mills, a Native American, is a very inspirational speaker. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps where he kept running. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Mills set the Olympic 10,000 meters record at 28:24.4. Great video of his finishing kick!

Gary Morgan switched from running to race-walking when his coaches told him he’d be more successful. He is a world traveler – from Antarctica to Africa. Morgan has enjoyed a 20-year career as an award-winning race walker that includes 17 national titles, a spot at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics 20K racewalk event and a qualifier in six separate Olympic trials.

Julie Isphording is a 1984 Olympian who ran with the first-ever Women’s Olympic Marathon Team. She was also the first American woman finisher in the 1986 Boston Marathon. Now, an award-winning syndicated radio talk show host, Isphording features health experts and provides listeners with fitness and nutritional advice. She is the author of three books, including her most recent “Get Healthy, Get Happy: How to Make Small Changes that Give You Big Results.”

Early morning Fun Runs were held on Friday & Saturday. Friday’s was a 5 mile run around Spotsylvania Civil War battlefield, led by members of the local running club on roads and trails. Saturday’s was a running tour of Historic Fredericksburg and included parts of the half marathon held the next day. The town is dripping with history, from Revolutionary times to experiencing 4 major Civil War battles and essentially becoming one large hospital to the wounded and dying.
Saturday evening concluded the convention with an awards banquet to recognize clubs and individuals for their achievements or contributions to the running community.

RRCA clubs in Delaware include PCVRC, Delaware Sports Club, Races2Run, Middletown Athletic Club, Seashore Striders, Downstate Delaware Striders, and Mental Health Assoc. in DE (an ‘event member’).

We’re categorized as a “small club”, but many “large clubs” (300+ members) are located in communities with smaller populations. With the number of runners in the Wilmington area, I think we owe it to them to offer more. We could easily double our size. Contact me anytime at 302-633-1482.

Ray Christensen (302) 633-1482 President, Pike Creek Valley Running Club

Cross Country Series starts Tuesday, June 7:
The Howard M. Laws Summer Cross Country Series will begin with the first of six races Tuesday night, June 7, 2011 at 6:30 at Bellevue State Park north of wilmington. the series includes 5K runs on 6/7, 6/21, 7/5, 7/22, 8/2 and 8/16. The fee is $25 for the entire series, which includes a T-shirt, or $5 for individual races. runners of all ages and skill levels are welcomed, as the series was designed particularly for middle school, high school and collegiate runners preparing for their fall cross country seasons. Phone 379-4811 or e-mail for more information.

Dirty German 50K Trail Run
Four club members, Lori Culnane, Chris James, Claire Neilan and Wes Stafford went up to Philadelphia last Sunday to run the Dirty German 50K Trail Run. This was the first ultra event for all of them. Below are Claire’s recounting of her experience plus some additional thoughts from Wes:

Claire: All of us knew we were in unchartered territory when we saw the average attire
of the runners at the starting area – many wore the little gators over their
ankles, there were lots of hydration backpacks, and for women – skorts and
compression socks! Many of you will have seen the Facebook photo of the
starting line – it was practically non-existent except for a little white sign
stuck in the ground!

The start was across a grassy field and then a sharp turn onto a single track.
We were all standing around waiting to filter down onto it. Lots of remarks
(and not from us) about definite lack of PRs on this course. And then we were
onto the trails. Not too technical – not too many roots or rocks, not too many ups and downs. Just enough to keep it interesting. The 25K was one big loop, the 50K two loops, and the 50 miler three loops plus an extra 3.5 mile loop at
the beginning. As expected, Wes and Smarty quickly separated from Lori and myself. Lori and I ran together for most of the course, with the exception of
about 5 miles in the middle. Jordan joined us for the second loop, and John was able to bike along side us for a while too. Their company was MUCH needed in those last few miles. Lori and I were both hurting, especially when we had to run on the paved bike path. It was not as forgiving as the trails.

The aid stations and volunteers were GREAT! All sorts of solid food. I didn’t know where to start! Lori’s beer radar kicked in as expected so we both got some beer on the course. Very tasty. A Smuckers Uncrustable proved to be exactly what Lori needed around mile 23!!

I learned that when it starts to hurt (for me around mile 22) it just continued to hurt the same all the way to mile 31. It didn’t get any worse the more miles I ran. The freezing cold creek crossing felt nice at mile 30. There was a really neat, very narrow, super winding section that helped keep your mind off
of the fact you just wanted to sit down.

There was no finish line – we just ran up to the little orange cones, let Derek (Austin’s friend) take off our tags, present us with our hats and pint glasses, and that was it!! There were some other runners cheering for us as we approached. Lori came in 3rd in her age group and got a Cuckoo clock/barometer
thingy that was made in the Black Forest in Germany. Definitely a cool and unique award. Post race food was awesome: bratwurst, potato pancakes, and homemade cake. Yum. As much as I cursed on the course and swore I would never do this again….I
would!! I hurt far less than I have after road marathons. And the time on my
feet was SO much longer than ever before (6:50). This was definitely a totally
different experience and I realized I had no clue what I was getting into…..but it is kinda fun. Soft on the joints, no worrying about dealing with crowds of thousands of people, some nice scenery, happily walking when you felt like it,
fresh outdoor smells (no exhaust fumes), solid food, beer…..yeah, I could be persuaded to run some more long trail runs for sure. 50 miler might be a bit much though…!

Wes: Thanks Claire for a great summary of the day. I honestly was prepared to feel like a train wreck, but I feel better than after most road marathons I’ve done. I didn’t think running mostly trail would make that much difference, but evidently it does. I thought all the running on rocks and uneven surfaces would leave me with some seriously sore hips and ankles. Like Claire, I was cursing the course while I was on it, but now considering how I feel, I may need to think about throwing in a trail run now and then.

If anyone is into well stocked aid stations, ultras are the way to go. Let me see if I can remember everything the aid stations had on hand:

Salted baked potatoes
Potato chips
Pretzels
Cheez-It crackers
Marshmallows
Peanuts
M & Ms
Trail mix
Bananas
Oranges
licorice
PB& J sandwiches
Sandwich cookies – light & dark
Maalox
Motrin
Endurolyte
Gel

Gatorade

I might have missed some, but you get the idea.

It’s definitely a more laid back atmosphere than a road race. There were a few people there that looked to be concerned with running for time, but for the most part, it seemed like most people were there for the experience more than anything else. Everyone was friendly and engaging, both on the trails and after the race.

All in all it was a positive experience. I’m not sure I’d commit to another one right now, but I’m glad I did it and would recommend it as something to knock off your bucket list.

Race Results:

Dirty German 50K Ultra:
5:29:33 Wes Stafford
5:32:14 Chris James
6:50:02 Claire Neilan
6:50:03 Lori Culnane

LACC 5K
17:43 Greg Cauller, 2nd Overall
19:12 Lynn Knothe, Female Winner

Miles for Moo Moo 5K
17:33 Greg Cauller, Overall winner
17:40 Matt Cutrona, 2nd overall
19:16 Epi Camacho, 3rd overall
Interesting to note that these club members, who were the top three runners in this race are 51, 40 and 55 respectively. The first person of what would be considered prime running age of 20s and 30s was sixth overall.

Kids Kickin’ Cancer 5K
16:33 Mike DiGennero, Overall winner
27:39 Liam Kauffman, seven years old, first race ever

5/17/11: Delaware Marathon Results, Fun Run, Marine Corps Half

Delaware Marathon Festival of Races recap
The Delaware Marathon, Half Marathon and 4 Person Relay were held on Sunday, May 15 at the Wilmington Riverfront. The weather news turned out to be both good and bad: Possible thunderstorms and lightening, which had hit the area at about 12:30 A.M., did not reappear during the events, allowing participants to proceed without fear. However, the humidity was quite high, making for tougher runs, especially for the marathoners once the air temperature got up to about 70 degrees.

Race splits show most everyone in the marathon slowing, sometimes by a lot during the second half of the distance. Perhaps the temperature was more sparing for those doing the half-marathon and the relay, since they either weren’t still running after the temps warmed or weren’t in it that long in the relay. A count of the participants below reveals at least 29 club members participated. Apologies if I missed your time and please let me know.

Delaware Marathon:

4:31:33 Dave McCorquodale
5:22:01 Steve Thorpe
6:54:06 John Schultz

Delaware Half Marathon:
1:33:15 Adam Schilling
1:38:11 Chris James
1:42:56 Michael Peyton
1:44:25 Sheri Herrmann
1:50:10 Wes Stafford
1:51:29 Elena Kupchik
1:55:15 Jim Steele
2:05:41 Lori Culnane
2:13:43 Gelsomina Paolini

Four Person Marathon Relay (club members on team in parentheses)
2:35:12 New Balance Racing Team (Matt Cutrona, Jay Coughenour, Josh Loren), 1st Overall
3:20:40 Creek Road Runners (Bill Farquhar), 2nd Co-ed Masters
3:25:51 New Balance Angels (Kelly Horowitz, Theresa Kauffman), 3rd Female Open
3:27:18 Zwolak Attack (Vic Zwolak), 1st Family
3:37:46 Silverside #3 (Darlise DiMatteo), 2nd Coed Open
3:41:42 Silverside #1 (Kristen Stump, Jack Horowitz), 3rd Coed Open
3:46:53 Sole Train (Dirk Sweigart, Nina Smeltzer, Don Ropp), 6th Co-ed Masters
3:51:03 Silverside #2 (Kelly Horowitz), 9th Coed Open
4:06:40 The Fast, the Slow & the Pretty (Lenora Wagner, Jim Bray, Rachel Bleacher & John Culnane), 12th Coed Masters
4:45:33 WICU Fantastic Four (Linda Lavelle) 7th Christiana Care

Going into the events yesterday, John Schultz and I were two of only 16 people who had completed the previous seven marathons. Now we are two of only 12 people who have completed all eight marathons. Lori and John Culnane, Jack Horowitz and Rich Szymanski are four out of only nine other people who have competed in one of the events of the festival in the previous seven years.

Marathon Mama
Tara Huang, having recently gotten back into running shape after having a child, ran the Pittsburgh Marathon in 3:32:58, easily re-qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

President’s News:
Early Morning Runs
Wes Stafford is seeking running partners for early morning weekday runs in the Newark area. Contact him at to see if your schedules coincide. Also feel free to post such items at our Facebook Group. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=289855916248&ref=ts

Road Runners Club of America
Since PCVRC is a member club of RRCA, we are, in turn, members as well. I attended their annual convention this past weekend and will include a report in next week’s bulletin. Their mission statement:

Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America is the oldest and largest national association of running clubs, running events, and runners dedicated to promoting running as a competitive sport and as healthy exercise. The RRCA’s mission is to represent and promote the common interests of its member clubs, events, and individual runners through education, leadership, programs and other services.
(see www.rrca.org for more info or contact Ray)

Marine Corps Historic Half
The RRCA convention is always timed to coincide with a large race, so while many of you were running or volunteering at the DE Marathon, I ran this race in Fredericksburg, VA. Drew Carey (a former Marine) was our celebrity runner and ran his first Half in under two hours. We enjoyed the same warm, humid conditions as Delaware. 6,000 finishers (plus some relay folks) ran a sometimes rolling course featuring downtown historic Fredericksburg and plenty of Marines. The funny thing is that the guy I roomed with (from Maine) drove up here to run the marathon, before driving back to DC to catch a plane home.

Being a sister race to Marine Corps Marathon, of course the logistics were handled wonderfully. It’s a good race to consider, with decent spectators, choice of beer at the finish and Gatorade available at every water station. The loop course features mainly downhill for first couple miles, with a complementary uphill just when you don’t need one at mile 10-11. The hills help me relax a bit, since it seems pointless for me to worry about maintaining a steady pace. Shooting for around a 1:40, I was pleased to finish in 1:37:20 and am happy to brag about placing 10 of 403 in my 40-49 age group! Details/photos will take until next week to appear at www.RunMarathonMan.com

When you run a big race (or even an interesting 5K), send it to Dave to include in this eBulletin so others can consider running it in the future!
I hope to see everyone at Dirk’s fun run on Friday.

Fun Run Friday 5/27
Below is information posted by Dirk Sweigart if you haven’t already seen it. The picnic will go on rain or shine. The Loop may be sloppy from the rain, but running it is optional.

What: PCVRC and Rebels “Run the Judge” – Trail run of the Judge Morris “5K” loop and picnic
When: Friday, May 27th, 6 PM (run), 7 pm (picnic)
Where: Sweigart’s, 108 Dewalt Road, Drummond Hill, Newark, DE (close to McGlynn’s and the Polly Drummond shopping center)

Event details: Come for the run at 6 or the picnic at 7ish (after). RSVPs requested for counting but you can surely come even if you did not reply. Event is rain or shine (run will be canceled for mud or rain but picnic still on). Kids and spouses are welcome. Bring a side dish, dessert or weird beverage. We will have burgers (yes Theresa, and turkey burgers!), hotdogs, cole slaw and macaroni salad, beer and wine, water and sports drink. And what people bring.

Run details: Run starts from the open space at the corner of Dewalt and Old Coach road (side entrance) at 6. Park at Dirk’s house and walk up to the start. There will be water and sports drink there. Timing (and direction of run) is up to you. For those wanting to clean up, we will have towels and washcloths at the house after.

Course Details: this portion of the White Clay preserve is the former estate of Judge Hugh M. Morris, a Delaware native, respected attorney and distinguished federal judge. The property also belonged to the University of Delaware for some time and contained a course for the UD cross-country team. The loop will be well-marked with a “cutoff” for anyone wishing to shorten the debated length of 3.1 miles ( bring your Garmin and tell us what you think the distance is). This is a mixed use trail so you need to beware of mountain bikers (like Josh) and hikers. You also need to be aware of the usual trail run hazards such as tripping over roots or rocks (Jerry, Dirk). Immediately when you enter the woods, you will need to decide whether to go left or right around the loop. There is no right answer! But if you miss the entrance/exit (or if you just want to), you will run the loop twice (or more).

Directions:
From Kirkwood Highway – go north on Polly Drummond Hill Road. Take a right at the first light onto Old Coach Road. Take first left onto Dewalt Road. 2nd house on the left after the stop sign.
From New Linden Hill Road – Turn off of New Linden Hill Road onto Chadd Road directly across from Polly Drummond shopping center (Zingo’s). Take right at first stop sign on Dewalt. House is on the right, just before next stop sign.

From Mark Deshon: UDXC-TF Forever 5K, Sunday, May 22, 9:00 A.M.,
Laird Campus, U. of DE, out Creek Rd. If you’ve been following the plight of the UD men’s running programs at all, you’ll realize this is worth supporting. I’m not associated with the race, but am supporting it (just found out about it yesterday). I hope you will do the same. Attached is the info and race form.

5/12/11: Club Shirts & Singlets, Waterboys, Running of the Judge 5/20

Delaware Marathon Course Marshals still needed
If you’re not running and can spare a couple hours on Sunday morning to help keep runners safe, contact Kate at or 215-913-3449.

Waterboys
DE Marathon Operations Director Joel Schiller thanks the following for helping him stage water stop water into containers: Jerry Herman, Dave McCorquodale, Keith Crispin, Brad Gillan & Ray Christensen.

Club Shirts & Singlets
If you have not yet received your New Balance club shirt, come to one of our events or contact Ray () if you can attend a Wed or Thurs group run at Delcastle. Grab it soon, or your only choice may be ‘Male Large’ size! And remember that if you run four USATF events as part of our team, you’ll get a free racing singlet. Even if not doing the four events, you can buy one now at a discount price of $10 thanks to Silverside Medical.

Next Club Event: Running of the Judge 5/20 6:30pm start
Below is information posted by Dirk Sweigart if you haven’t already seen it.

What: PCVRC and Rebels “Run the Judge” Trail run of the Judge Morris 5K loop and picnic
When: Friday, May 20th, 6 PM (run), 7 pm (picnic)
Where: Sweigart’s, 108 Dewalt Road, Drummond Hill, Newark, DE (close to McGlynn’s and the Polly Drummond shopping center)

Run details: Run starts from the open space at the corner of Dewalt and Old Coach road (side entrance) at 6. Park at Dirk�s house and walk up to the start. There will be water and sports drink there. Timing (and direction of run) is up to you. For those wanting to clean up, we will have towels and washcloths at the house after.

Course Details: this portion of the White Clay preserve is the former estate of Judge Hugh M. Morris, a Delaware native, respected attorney and distinguished federal judge. The property also belonged to the University of Delaware for some time and contained a course for the UD cross-country team. The loop will be well-marked with a �cutoff� for anyone wishing to shorten the debated length of 3.1 miles ( bring your Garmin and tell us what you think the distance is). This is a mixed use trail so you need to beware of mountain bikers (like Josh) and hikers. You also need to be aware of the usual trail run hazards such as tripping over roots or rocks (Jerry, Dirk). Immediately when you enter the woods, you will need to decide whether to go left or right around the loop. There is no right answer! But if you miss the entrance/exit (or if you just want to), you will run the loop twice (or more).

Directions:
From Kirkwood Highway � go north on Polly Drummond Hill Road. Take a right at the first light onto Old Coach Road. Take first left onto Dewalt Road. 2nd house on the left after the stop sign.
From New Linden Hill Road � Turn off of New Linden Hill Road onto Chadd Road directly across from Polly Drummond shopping center (Zingo�s). Take right at first stop sign on Dewalt. House is on the right, just before next stop sign.

Run4Fun 5K
I always like to give a plug to this race put on by Chip & Doris Bixler at Elkton H.S. in Elkton, Md. on June 5.
Newer club members may not know that about the time I joined the club in 1995, they were finishing up a stint of a couple of years where they were keeping the club going. Additionally, for many years they put on a race at Glasgow H.S. where the emphasis was always on the achievements of the kids who ran. The Run4Fun is basically that race – moved over to Elkton. For a number of groups who train young children to run, this is the culmination of their training – completing this 5K. Always great to see the stampede of young feet at the start and the almost immediate exhaustion of a few who start out like it’s a sprint. Prizes galore, but be patient because the kids come first. Race app attached.