We have made it through the oppressive heat and humidity. The club has been busy hosting social events and members have been all over competing in races across the region and in some cases, the country! We welcome you to take advantage of the all the club benefits and activities and hope to see you soon. Check out our website and Facebook page to see what’s happening. PCVRC is a social club and very supportive of all our member’s running goals. Most importantly, we have a great time running and welcome runners and walkers of all backgrounds regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual preference and of all levels of ability from beginner joggers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.

Membership benefits

Only $25 per year ($15 for the remainder of 2021) for the entire family includes free T-shirt for new members, race discounts, discounted Delaware State Park Pass, weekly group runs, track workouts with Coach Fischer, fun runs, Club social events including Holiday Party, Spring Social, Delaware Distance Classic (our signature event), 20% discount at New Balance Stores in Brandywine and Christiana, 10% discount at Delaware Running Company, 20% discount at Tifosi Optics on all orders over $30, eligible to participate as a member of our team in USATF events and more!

Did you get your green PCVRC cotton shirt?
If you joined or renewed for 2021 and did not yet get your shirt, click HERE to pick up at Ray’s house or at an upcoming group run or social.

Discount$ for Club Members!

Noxgear – 35% off with code PCVRC: www.noxgear.com
Tifosi – 20% off $30 or more with code PIKECREEKVALLEY: www.tifosi.com
Picky Bars – www.pickybars.com PCVRC-TRIDAWGS-2021 30% one purchase or first month of Picky Club
Road ID – roadID.com 20% off through June with code JX0QT0JVKXRD:

Spotlight on the PCVRC Racing Team – We invite you to join the fun and competition!

What is USATF (usatf.org)? USATF stands for USA Track & Field. It is the governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking in the United States, USATF provides critical leadership roles and functions in the sport including hosting Olympic Trial events, national track and field championships, multiple national road race championships, multiple Master’s road race championships, mountain/ultra/trail championships, and grassroots events at the Junior Olympic level. In addition to providing championship running events, USATF also establishes the rules for the sport, sanctions events, and certifies courses for record purposes.

On the local level, PCVRC is a part of the Mid-Atlantic USATF (mausatf.com). Each year our club participates in a road race series and a trail race series, competing against several other local running clubs. Each of these races is scored using an age-graded score to try to rank performances accounting for age and gender. A complete scoring team has five members, one of whom must be a female. By participating in these series, our club can win some money for the club. In addition to the club competition, there is also an individual portion of each series. Awards are given at the end of each season to the overall top 10 in the road series, and top 3 in age groups in both the road and trail series. A full listing of events, and current team and individual standings, can be found at: https://www.mausatf.com/long-distance/grand-prix/ for the road series
https://www.mausatf.com/long-distance/off-road-running-series/ for the trail series.

Our racing teams needs you! Any club member that joins USATF can participate and represent the club. The cost to join USATF is $40, which members enjoy discounted entry to series races, plus, members of the club who are members of USATF and compete in 4 races, of either series, receive a complimentary club membership for the following year! These races are also another venue for socialization as club members often meet up for lunch or tailgating afterwards. In fact, some club members who belong to USATF have even combined going to a National Championship event into vacations! Please contact Lynn Knothe () or Tom Steenkamer for more information.
   
The next event in the road Grand Prix is the Main Line Run in Wayne, PA on 9/12/21. More information can be found at https://main1inerun.org/. The remaining events for the road series are the Philadelphia Distance Run on 9/19/21, the Broad Street 10 mile Run on October 10, the Delaware Distance Classic 15K on 10/24/21, the Cooper Norcross Ben Franklin Bridge run on 11/7/21, and any event during the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. The remaining events in the trail series are the Camp Innabah 5 mile run on 10/2/21, the Evansburg 10 mile run on 10/17/21, Tyler Arboretum 10k on 10/30/21, and the Delaware Open Cross Country Championship on 11/27/21.

PCVRC Racing Team Update

There are only a few USATF results to report for this edition of the newsletter since the road series takes a break for the summer. New member, Bill Rose, participated in the difficult Double Trouble 15K at French Creek State Park on August 15 and placed as the second USATF male in the 60+ category.

On August 16, Matthew Cutrona, Greg Cauller, Abby Dean, and Lynn Knothe all participated in the USATF Mountain Running Championship at the Mount Hood Ski Bowl. All of our members brought home national medals! Special congratulations are extended to Abby Dean for placing as the second master overall! Abby Dean, Allison Emmons, Lynn Knothe, Matthew Cutrona, Greg Cauller, Robert Mason, Bill Rose, and Dave Wiechecki ran at the Belmont Plateau Hall of Fame cross country 5k on 8/28/21. The women’s team placed second, the men’s team placed third. Extra special congratulations to Allison Emmons for winning the master’s division (and placing as second woman overall!).
  
Team members at Mount Hood Ski Bowl. || Abby Dean with her well-deserved “big check”

Delaware Distance Classic is October 24, 2021 – Register to race or volunteer

The DDC is now locked in as scheduled for October 24, 2021 so mark your calendars! Course will be at the Wilmington Riverfront again and will include both 15K and 5K distances. This is the club’s seminal event and we encourage all members to register to run or sign up to volunteer (help at a water stop, direct runners on the course or assist at the start/finish line). Please check the website for race updates, register to run or volunteer at https://ddc15k.org/

Social Activities

Summer Social at Grain H2O on Friday July 9

Excellent turnout for the summer social at Grain H2O. Club members enjoyed food and drink at this great location near the C&D Canal.

Summer picnic on August 15 at Bellevue State Park

Approximately 25 club members enjoyed a leisurely afternoon under the pavilion at Bellevue State Park. Special thanks to our events coordinator, Dirk Sweigart for arranging the food and drink for this fun and relaxing afternoon. Ther was also a variety of sides and desserts brought by members to round out the bounty.

Boston Sendoff scheduled October 6

PCVRC is hosting its annual Boston sendoff on Wednesday October 6 from 6:00-9:00pm. All are welcome whether you are running or not to socialize and wish our Boston qualifiers good luck in this iconic race. Appetizers will be provided along with a cash bar. Location to be determined in the near future so please check out the website for updates.
Check the website for updates on these and other upcoming events: PCVRC Events Calendar

Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday and track workouts every Tuesday

Socially distanced runs continue at their usual places and times and a great way to interact with your fellow runners while working out. Click here for details

Sundays 8:00am – meet in the parking lot behind the former Panera Bread on Main St., Newark (free parking); run in White Creek Park and back anywhere from 1-14 miles or more round trip. There are always folks hanging around afterwards to catch up over takeout coffee and breakfast.

Thursdays 6:00 pm – meet at start/finish of Delcastle Rec Area; Run 1 or more laps of the 1.75 mile loop

Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm – track workouts with a Delaware Hall of Fame running coach, Jim Fischer, are at St. Marks High School.

Your PCVRC Board needs you!

Please consider joining the board to help our club become more beneficial and enjoyable to current and prospective members with group runs, socials and other activities. Board meetings are typically every other month. You’ll have plenty of support and get to help shape the club. For more details, click HERE.
Contact Us!
President: Wes Stafford
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Christina Xia
Events coordinator: Dirk Sweigart
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
Sponsorship coordinator: Open
Webmaster: Ray Christensen
C25K coordinator: Lee Dresser
DDC Race Director: Alison McCann
Social Media: Alison McCann
Communications/marketing: Open

Check out our wonderful sponsors!

Summer is upon us and PCVRC hopes you have the opportunity enjoy the little things and spend more quality time with friends and family. If you haven’t been paying attention, the club is out and about running races and participating in social activities so check out our website and Facebook page to see what’s happening. PCVRC is a social club and very supportive of all our member’s running goals. Most importantly, we have a great time running and welcome runners and walkers of all backgrounds regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual preference and of all levels of ability from beginner joggers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.

Membership benefits

Only $25 per year for the entire family ($15 for the remainder of 2021) includes free T-shirt for new members, race discounts, discounted Delaware State Park Pass, weekly group runs, track workouts with Coach Fischer, fun runs, Club social events including Holiday Party, Spring Social, Delaware Distance Classic (our signature event), 20% discount at New Balance Stores in Brandywine and Christiana, 10% discount at Delaware Running Company, 20% discount at Tifosi Optics on all orders over $30, eligible to participate as a member of our team in USATF events and more!

Did you get your green PCVRC cotton shirt?
If you joined or renewed for 2021 and did not yet get your shirt, click HERE to pick up at Ray’s house or at an upcoming group run or social.

Discount$ for Club Members!

Noxgear – 35% off with code PCVRC: www.noxgear.com
Tifosi – 20% off $30 or more with code PIKECREEKVALLEY: www.tifosi.com
Picky Bars – www.pickybars.com PCVRC-TRIDAWGS-2021 30% one purchase or first month of Picky Club
Road ID – roadID.com 20% off through June with code JX0QT0JVKXRD:

Social Activities

Spring social at Dew Point Brewery on May 21 – We had a great club turnout and enjoyed the fantastic weather, food, music and conversation. Plus, the Club picked up the first drink for all members and we raised a glass to our departed runner, William Lee Kauffman. Please see below and check out the website for more social events expected in the near future.

Summer Social at Grain H2O on Friday July 9 – The last social was so much fun, we could barely wait until summer to do it again. The next social is on July 9 at 5pm at Grain H2O (3006 Summit Harbour Pl, Bear, DE), near the C&D Canal. We look forward to seeing you there!

Summer picnic on August 15 at Bellevue State Park – The Club has reserved a pavilion at Bellevue State Park for Sunday August 15, starting at 4:00pm. The Club will provide food and drink for this fun and social event. There will be an online sign-up for those who would like to bring a side or dessert.

Check the website for updates on these and other upcoming events: PCVRC Events Calendar

Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday and track workouts every Tuesday

Sundays 8:00am – meet in the parking lot behind the former Panera Bread on Main St., Newark (free parking); run in White Creek Park and back anywhere from 1-14 miles or more round trip. There are always folks hanging around afterwards to catch up over takeout coffee and breakfast.
Thursdays 6:00 pm – meet at start/finish of Delcastle Rec Area; Run 1 or more laps of the 1.75 mile loop
Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm – track workouts with a Delaware Hall of Fame running coach, Jim Fischer, are (usually) at St. Marks High School.

For Your Information

Having just experienced some uncomfortable heat the past few days, the higher effort needed to run is not in your head. Since very few of us stop or even slow down during the summer, especially those training for early fall marathons, see articles on what heat and humidity do and considerations when running HERE, HERE and HERE.

Another peril of summer is getting caught in a surprise thunderstorm because your run was a little longer than expected (maybe you got lost) or forgot to check the weather beforehand. For guidance if (when) this happens to you, click HERE.

Congratulations to our C25K Program Graduates!

Lee and Michelle Dresser graciously led a very successful spring edition of the Couch to 5K program at Paper Mill Park on Wednesday evenings for the past 2 months, which culminated with a major achievement for participants, completion of the Humble but Hungry 5K. Special thanks to Lee and Michele, several PCVRC club members who helped make this a fun and rewarding activity and one of our sponsors, Omega Project PT, who led a dynamic stretching session for attendees. Please check the website for more details HERE.

USATF Race Series – Great job PCVRC Team!

Several members of the racing team traveled to Yardley, PA on Memorial Day to participate in the Yardley Memorial Main Street Mile. Following the race, most of enjoyed getting some more miles in along the scenic towpath along the Delaware Canal. Special congratulations to Allison Emmons as the overall female champion, as well as age group winners Abby Dean, Mark Hannagan, and Angelina Spacaccini. Five days later, and about 20 degrees warmer, many team members raced in the Scott Coffee Moorestown 8k. The ladies of PCVRC were not slowed by the unseasonably hot and humid conditions with Abby Dean, Allison Emmons, Carole Feole, and Elizabeth Swierzbinski being the top 4 scorers for the club. The Mid-Atlantic USATF website has been having difficulties, but PCVRC is currently in second place in the road series. The road series will take a break for the summer and will resume with the Main Line 5k in Wayne in September.

On the off-road side of the series, members raced at the always rocky and hilly Coventry Woods 10k. The next race in the off-road series is the Double Trouble 15k at French Creek State Park.

Matthew Cutrona, Abby Dean, and Greg Cauller participated in the Mid-Atlantic Master’s track championships at Millersville University on June 27. Matthew won the 1500 meters and 5000 meters for men 50-59, Abby won the women’s 45-49 5000 meters, and Greg won the 5000 meters, 10000 meters, steeplechase, and javelin throw for men 60-64. With only 3 members participating in the track meet, PCVRC placed 3rd!

Grand Prix Road schedule – http://mausatf.com/grandprix-events/
Off Road schedule – https://mausatf.com/off-road-events/

Delaware Distance Classic is Back for 2021!

The DDC is tentatively scheduled for October 24, 2021 so mark your calendars! Course will likely be at the Riverfront again. More details expected in the coming weeks so please check the website for information and race updates at https://ddc15k.org/

Your PCVRC Board needs you!

Please consider joining the board to help our club become more beneficial and enjoyable to current and prospective members with group runs, socials and other activities. Board meetings are typically every other month. You’ll have plenty of support and get to help shape the club. For more details, click HERE.
Contact Us!
President: Wes Stafford
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Christina Xia
Events coordinator: Dirk Sweigart
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
Sponsorship coordinator: Open
Webmaster: Ray Christensen
C25K coordinator: Lee Dresser
DDC Race Director: Alison McCann
Social Media: Alison McCann
Communications/marketing: Open

The spring season is in full swing and hopefully you have been able to enjoy the warmer weather and longer days. With vaccinations more widely available and Covid cases starting to ease, smaller races are being held successfully. We are anticipating some modifications and/or restrictions through 2021, particularly for the traditionally “big” races, but there should be opportunities for those who are flexible.

The club is planning running and social activities with the focus on outdoor gatherings, which affords the opportunity to host larger groups in a safe manner. PCVRC is a social club and very supportive of all our member’s running goals. Most importantly, we have a great time running and welcome runners and walkers of all backgrounds regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual preference and of all levels of ability from beginner joggers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.

Run for the Buds | I Love Mom 5K

PCVRC members representing at the “Run for the Buds” run on March 21 (top) and the “I Love Mom 5K” race this past weekend (lower).

Membership Benefits

Only $25 per year for the entire family includes free T-shirt for new members, race discounts, discounted Delaware State Park Pass, weekly group runs, track workouts with Coach Fischer, fun runs, Club social events including Holiday Party, Spring Social, Delaware Distance Classic (our signature event), 20% discount at New Balance Stores in Brandywine and Christiana, 10% discount at Delaware Running Company, 20% discount at Tifosi Optics on all orders over $30, eligible to participate as a member of our team in USATF events and more!

Discount$ for Club Members!

Noxgear – 35% off with code PCVRC: www.noxgear.com
Tifosi – 20% off $30 or more with code PIKECREEKVALLEY: www.tifosi.com
Picky Bars – www.pickybars.com PCVRC-TRIDAWGS-2021 30% one purchase or first month of Picky Club
Road ID – roadID.com 20% off through June with code JX0QT0JVKXRD:

William Lee Kauffman

Lee Kauffman., Jr, 63, died unexpectedly on April 25, 2021. Lee is in the PCVRC Hall of Fame, ran 34 consecutive Boston Marathons and coached runners for several years at Padua Academy. Lee will be greatly missed by family and a wealth of friends and colleagues in the running community. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, or to a charity of your choice. Link to obituary.

Lee (Top panel, bottom right; Bottom panel, upper right) was a long-time member of PCVRC and organized the annual bus trip to the Boston Marathon.

Annual Meeting Highlights

This year’s annual meeting was held virtually on March 25. Club president, Wes Stafford provided an update on the state of the club, happenings from 2020 and early 2021 as well as upcoming activities for 2021. Officer positions for the coming year were also selected as follows: President (Wes Stafford), Vice President (Adam Shilling), Secretary (Alison McCann) and Treasurer (Andrea Riley).

Social Activities

Spring social at Dew Point Brewery – RESCHEDULED to May 21. Join your fellow club members for a great Friday evening enjoying food, drink, music and friends at Dew Point Brewery starting at 6pm.

Walk 4 Paws 5K run & walk on May 23 – Hit the pavement for a 5K at Glasgow Park or West Goshen Park in West Chester to benefit the many animals coming through the doors daily seeking hope and love. They adopted out over 16000 animals last year, and with support at this event, are sure to surpass that number in 2021. PCVRC members are being offered a discount on registration until May 21 using the promo code: PCRunWFP21. Link to register

Summer picnic scheduled for August 15 at Bellevue State Park – The Club has reserved a pavilion at Bellevue State Park for Sunday August 15 and will provide food and drink for this fun and social event. More details to follow later in the spring.

Check the website for updates on these and other popup events: PCVRC Events Calendar

Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday and track workouts every Tuesday

Socially distanced runs continue at their usual places and times and a great way to interact with your fellow runners while working out. Click here for details

Sundays 8:00am – meet in the parking lot behind the former Panera Bread on Main St., Newark (free parking); run in White Creek Park and back anywhere from 1-14 miles or more round trip. There are always folks hanging around afterwards to catch up over takeout coffee and breakfast.

Thursdays 6:00 pm – meet at start/finish of Delcastle Rec Area; Run 1 or more laps of the 1.75 mile loop

Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm – track workouts with a Delaware Hall of Fame running coach, Jim Fischer, will be at McKean High School for the next couple weeks and then move to St. Marks High School.

For Your Information

For those interested in what “qualifying” for the Boston Marathon and actually being eligible to run it and why it was particularly difficult for the 2022 race, check out the articles HERE and HERE. For anyone running locally (or being outside for that matter) the next several weeks, get ready for Brood X HERE.

C25K Program in full swing for the spring

Lee and Michelle Dresser have been hosting the spring Couch to 5K program at Paper Mill Park on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm as of April 14. Even if you missed the first couple of sessions, it’s not too late to start! The approximately 8-10-week program is free and culminates with a goal 5K race in June or July. Please bring a mask to wear before and after running and walking and stay 6 feet away from anyone not in your immediate family at all times. Please check the website for more details HERE.

USATF Race Series for 2021 is Underway

The Road and Off-Road club competitions are back with most events being conducted due to their smaller field size, while larger races hopefully rescheduled to the fall.

The team participated in the hilly and muddy Looney Leprechaun 10k at Tyler State park on March 13, placing second among USATF teams! Special congratulations go out to Will Steele, Amy Dischler, Greg Cauller, Andrea Rubinoff and Betty Olmstead for placing in their respective age groups. The next race in the off-road series is the Coventry Woods 10k on May 16. Some of our USATF racers enjoyed a well-deserved post-race refuel (below). Additional race information can be found HERE.

The road series will be kicking off with races on back-to-back weekends starting with the Memorial Main Street Mile in Yardley, PA on May 31. More information is available HERE. This is a new race in the series and a chance to see how fast you can go! The following weekend is the Moorestown 8k in Moorestown, NJ. More information is HERE.

Please note that due to Covid restrictions there is no race day registration for races. Races may limit the field size based on local restrictions.

Grand Prix Road schedule – http://mausatf.com/grandprix-events/
Off Road schedule – https://mausatf.com/off-road-events/

Delaware Distance Classic is Back for 2021!

The DDC is tentatively scheduled for October 17, 2021 so mark your calendars! Course will likely be at the Riverfront again. Please check the website for more information and race updates at https://ddc15k.org/

Your PCVRC Board needs you!

Please consider joining the board to help our club become more beneficial and enjoyable to current and prospective members with group runs, socials and other activities. Board meetings are typically every other month. You’ll have plenty of support and get to help shape the club. For more details, click HERE.
Contact Us!

President: Wes Stafford
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Christina Xia
Events coordinator: Dirk Sweigart
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
Sponsorship coordinator: Open
Webmaster: Ray Christensen
C25K coordinator: Lee Dresser
DDC Race Director: Alison McCann
Social Media: Alison McCann
Communications/marketing: Open

Spring is quickly approaching and the days are finally getting longer and warmer. For those who braved the snow and ice or looking forward to exercising outdoors again, the clear roads and bright sun are a welcome sight. Also, with vaccinations on the horizon, there is hope for more races and social activities as the year progresses. PCVRC is a social club and very supportive of all our member’s running goals. Most importantly, we have a great time running and welcome runners and walkers of all backgrounds regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual preference and of all levels of ability from beginner joggers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.

Membership benefits

Only $25 per year for the entire family includes free T-shirt for new members, race discounts, discounted Delaware State Parks Pass, weekly group runs, track workouts with Coach Fischer, fun runs, Club social events including Holiday Party, Spring Social, Delaware Distance Classic (our signature event), 20% discount at New Balance Stores in Brandywine and Christiana, 10% discount at Delaware Running Company, 20% discount at Tifosi Optics on all orders over $30, eligible to participate as a member of our team in USATF events and more!

Discounted Delaware State Park Passes

Another great benefit club members have been enjoying is purchasing discounted Delaware State Park passes. They are $30 per car for the year for both Delaware residents and non-residents (normally $35 for residents and $70 for non-residents). The fee season runs from March 1 through November 30. Another order will be made if there is enough interest. For more information, Click Here

Get Your Road iD Discount for a Limited Time!

The Club is working with Road iD to provide members a 20% discount off all Road iD products for a limited time in the near future. Look out for an email for your discount code. For those not familiar, Road iD provides athletes with innovative identification products that you will want to include as part of your gear. Check their products out at the following link: ROAD iD – World Leaders in Runner ID, Cycling ID & Medical ID

Annual Meeting Scheduled for March 25

This year’s annual meeting will be virtual via Zoom on March 25 at 7:30pm. The club will provide an update on the past year as well as activities planned for 2021. Voting for the following officer positions will also be conducted at the meeting (nominees in parentheses): President (Wes Stafford), Vice President (Adam Shilling), Secretary (Alison McCann) and Treasurer (Andrea Riley). An email will be sent to club members shortly with details.

Social Activities

Cupid’s Scavenger Hunt – February 6
Several members of the PCVRC had a great time at this wonderful event to support Cupid’s Charity, a fantastic cause to find a cure for neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder of the peripheral nervous system that causes tumors to grow on the nerves anywhere in the body at any time. Club members dressed their Valentine’s Day best for a short run and scavenger hunt in Wilmington and then relaxed with a drink afterwards at Maker’s Alley.

Group Run and Social at the Wilmington Riverfront and Constitution Yards – February 27
PCVRC members ran and walked their distance of choice along the Markell Trail and then met up with more club members for well-deserved lunch and drinks at Constitution Yards. First drink was picked up by the Club. Look for more of these events in the near future on the PCVRC website.

Spring social planned for late April/early May – Join your club members at an outside venue to be determined in the near future for food and drink. The club will also be leading a social run beforehand.

Summer picnic planned for August 15 at Bellevue State Park – The Club has reserved a pavilion at Bellevue State Park for Sunday August 15 and will provide food and drink for this fun and social event. More details to follow later in the spring.

Check the website for updates on these and other popup events: PCVRC Events Calendar

Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday and track workouts every Tuesday

Sundays 8:00am – meet in the parking lot behind the former Panera Bread on Main St., Newark (free parking); run in White Creek Park and back anywhere from 1-14 miles or more round trip. There are always folks hanging around afterwards to catch up over takeout coffee and breakfast.

Thursdays 6:00 pm – meet at start/finish of Delcastle Rec Area; Run 1 or more laps of the 1.75 mile loop

Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm – track workouts with a Delaware Hall of Fame running coach, Jim Fischer, at St. Marks High School continue for you to keep moving or get you back up to speed!

For Your Information

People may be wondering about the impact of exercise before or after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. For some considerations, check out these articles HERE, HERE and HERE

C25K Program to Restart April 14

Lee and Michelle Dresser are hosting the spring Couch to 5K program at Paper Mill Park on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm starting April 14. The approximately 8-10-week program is free and culminates with a goal 5K race in June or July. Please bring a mask to wear before and after running and walking and stay 6 feet away from anyone not in your immediate family at all times. As demonstrated in the fall session, following these recommendations, we can run safely. Please check the website for updates HERE.

USATF Race Series is Back for 2021

Great news! The Road and Off-Road club competitions are back, subject to state and local health constraints. Most off-road events and some road races are being conducted due to their smaller field size, while larger races can hopefully be rescheduled to the fall. Both road and off-road events will practice social distancing, mask protocols around the bib pickup and start lines and wave starts. All events will restrict field sizes based on state and local permitting processes. Below are details and links for two upcoming events and current 2021 schedules so please confirm your interest in participating to Lynn Knothe or Tom Steenkamer. Note that carpooling to events will not be organized this year.
March 13 – Looney Leprechaun, 10k 8AM: http://looneyleprechaun.org/

April 11 – Road – Shiver by the River, 5k and 10k. 10AM, Choose your distance. Both events will be scored for individual and team scores. Shiver-by-the-river

Grand Prix schedule – http://mausatf.com/grandprix-events/
Off Road schedule – https://mausatf.com/off-road-events/

Delaware Distance Classic is Back for 2021!

The DDC is tentatively scheduled for October 17, 2021 so mark your calendars! Course will hopefully be at the Riverfront again. Please check the website for more information and race updates at https://ddc15k.org/

Your PCVRC Board needs you!

Please consider joining the board to help our club become more beneficial and enjoyable to current and prospective members with group runs, socials and other activities. Board meetings are typically every other month. You’ll have plenty of support and get to help shape the club. For more details, click HERE.

Contact Us!
President: Wes Stafford
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Christina Xia
Events coordinator: Dirk Sweigart
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
Sponsorship coordinator: Open
Webmaster: Ray Christensen
C25K coordinator: Lee Dresser
DDC Race Director: Alison McCann
Social Media: Alison McCann
Communications/marketing: Open

Happy New Year to all our club members and their families! We hope you were able to enjoy the holidays and share the time with family and friends in safe manner. We had our first snow in December, but the weather has been generally pleasant so far from a winter standpoint for exercising outside.

Besides the physical benefits, running and walking continues to provide relief to some of the mental and emotional stress that these turbulent times can evoke. We are a social club and very supportive of all our member’s running goals. Most importantly, we have a great time running and welcome runners and walkers of all backgrounds regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual preference and of all levels of ability from beginner joggers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.

Renew Your membership for 2021

Please visit https://pcvrc.com/join-our-running-club/ to renew online or mail check. Only new members need to submit a member form.

Only $25 per year for the entire family includes free T-shirt for new members, race discounts, discounted Delaware State Parks Pass, weekly group runs, track workouts with Coach Fischer, fun runs, Club social events including Holiday Party, upcoming Fun Run on the Riverfront, Spring Social, Delaware Distance Classic (our signature event), 20% discount at New Balance Stores in Brandywine and Christiana, 10% discount at Delaware Running Company, Couch to 5k program this spring, 6amRun discount, eligible to participate as a member of our team in USATF events and more!

Order your Discounted Delaware State Park Passes

Another great benefit for club members is being able to purchase discounted Delaware State Park passes. They are $30 per car for the year for both Delaware residents and non-residents (normally $35 for residents and $70 for non-residents). For more information, Click Here

Social Activities

Lights run in December – Club members had a great time on our “lights run” through a local neighborhood to enjoy the holiday decorations while getting exercise at the same time.
 

Cupid’s Scavenger Hunt – February 6
Join the PCVRC team in this fun event to support Cupid’s Charity, a great cause to find a cure for neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder of the peripheral nervous system that causes tumors to grow on the nerves anywhere in the body at any time. Club members meet at Maker’s Alley (804 N. Orange St, Wilmington) at 12:45pm for a 0.5 mile run and then participate in a fun scavenger hunt starting at 1:00pm. Maker’s Alley opens at 11:30am so participants are welcome to hang out at Maker’s Alley beforehand as well as after the scavenger hunt for food, drink and socially distanced conversation until 4:30pm. There’s a costume contest for individuals and teams so we encourage you to dress in a Valentine’s/Cupid/ Underwear theme. Keep in mind the weather since the event is all outside.
Please use the code for 50% off registration!!!! Guaranteed to be a fun time!!

To register, click: https://cupids.org/register/
1. Select Wilmington
2. Email needs to be lower case.
3. Fill out all necessary address fields and sizes for swag
4. Select Pike Creek Valley Running Club team on drop down menu
5. Click the waiver form box at the bottom before continuing to next step. 6. Use code 50pk for 50% off registration.
 

Group Run at the Wilmington Riverfront – February 20
PCVRC members welcome to join us for a fun run and then lunch and drinks at Constitution Yards. Run starts at noon at the old smoke stack in front of Planet Fitness and the Shipyard Shops and our “cool down” at Constitution Yards begins at 1:00pm. Club will buy your first drink (must be an active paid 2021 member). This is primarily an outdoor activity so dress appropriately. For venue details, click HERE.

Summer picnic tentatively planned for August – Club will reserve a pavilion at a local state park. More details to follow later in the spring.

Spring will allow us to hold more outdoor fun runs and social events. Check the website for updates on events and planned virtual seminars on training, fitness and health – PCVRC Events Calendar

Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday and track workouts every Tuesday

Click here for details

Socially distanced runs have resumed at their usual places and times so relearn how to interact with people face to face while shaking off that quarantine rust.

Sundays 8:00am – meet in the parking lot behind of Panera on Main St., Newark (free parking); run in White Creek Park and back up to 14 miles or more round trip. There are always folks hanging around afterwards to catch up over takeout coffee and breakfast.

Thursdays 6:00 pm – meet at start/finish of Delcastle Rec Area; Run 1 or more laps of the 1.75 mile loop

Tuesday evening track workouts with a Delaware Hall of Fame running coach, Jim Fischer, at St. Marks High School are back for you to get up to speed!

For Your Information

With in-person races starting up in the absence of widespread vaccinations, you may be curious about wearing a mask while running. For considerations, checkout an article HERE as well as the differences between mask types HERE

Since it’s January, some tips on winter running, particularly new runners or those relocating from warmer climates, are HERE

C25K Program to Restart in the Spring

Lee and Michelle Dresser conducted 8-9 weekly C25K meetings during the fall. Covid had an obvious effect on attendance, but still had up to 5 people attend meetings. Lee and Michelle commented that it was a nice group and they had fun runs together.

Another session is planned to restart the Couch to 5K program at Paper Mill Park in the spring. The approximately 10-week program is free and culminates with a goal 5K race in May or June. Please bring a mask to wear before and after running and walking and stay 6 feet away from anyone not in your immediate family at all times. As demonstrated in the fall session, following these recommendations, we can run safely. Please check the website for updates HERE.

USATF Race Series Update

Unfortunately, the 2020 season was cut short, but we expect races to start up for the 2021 season. Please check out the website for updates HERE

Delaware Distance Classic is Back for 2021!

The DDC is tentatively scheduled for October with an exact date to be set in the near future. Please check the website for more information and race updates at https://ddc15k.org/

Your PCVRC Board needs you!

Nominations for officer positions (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer) are now open. Please submit candidate nominations by early February. Voting will be conducted in February.
Please consider joining the board and helping our club become more beneficial and enjoyable to current and prospective members with group runs, socials and other activities. Board meetings are typically every other month. You’ll have plenty of support and get to help shape the club. For more details, click HERE.
Contact Us!

President: Wes Stafford
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Christina Xia
Events coordinator: Dirk Sweigart and Sherri Sweigart
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
Sponsorship coordinator: OPEN
Webmaster: Ray Christensen
C25K coordinator: Lee Dresser
DDC Race Director: OPEN
Social Media: Alison McCann
Communications/marketing: OPEN