Holiday Party, State of Club, DDC Summary, Race Results

Upcoming Club Events: Holiday Party
Mark your calendars for Monday, December 7th at Timothy’s Newark for the annual PCVRC Holiday Party from 6 – 9 pm. Great opportunity to connect with the running community and renew your membership for 2016! (While the party is free to club members, non-members are welcome for a small donation to our club.)

RSVP through the Facebook event or directly to .

PCVRC – State of the State
At our Board meeting earlier this month, the group talked about the need for new blood, new energy and new thinking to take PCVRC into the new year. While our finances are solid, a club like ours is unsustainable without membership growth and increased participation in club offerings and events.

In 2016, we will have openings to oversee club membership, lead C25K, recruit DDC and club sponsors, plan education events and support the club’s social committee, including assistance with an inter-club challenge. Please give some thought to volunteering in one or more of these areas. Any club member is welcome to lead or lend support, and I’m happy to provide additional information about each of these positions.

In the meantime, we’ll be fielding a club survey to hear from members what’s working well, what isn’t and what we should consider to make PCVRC a club that everyone wants to join!

Thanks for your continued support and participation!
Stacey

Delaware Distance Classic Summary
Once again the club executed a wonderful event for area runners in Delaware City on Sunday, October 11th. In the New Balance Brandywine & Christiana Delaware Distance Classic 15K Road Race presented by M&T Bank, there were 265 finishers, including men’s overall winner Chris Warren (47:59) and women’s overall winner Liz Swierzbinski (56:47). The race was the official 15K of the Mid-Atlantic USATF Championship Grand Prix Road Series.

The weather conditions were near perfect for all of our participants and after the race it was very enjoyable to present awards on the deck of Crabby Dick’s. The club awarded $750 in prize money to the top 3 overall men and women as well as the top Master’s finishers. PCVRC finished 2nd in the age graded scoring for the day with 16 USATF team members completing the DDC15k. PCVRC had outstanding contributions from Greg Cauller, Carole Feole, Kevin Cataldo, and Mike O’Brian whose finishing times all age graded to better than 80% – the benchmark for a nationally competitive time.

As a celebration and graduation of our “Couch to 5K” program, we also hosted a 5K race. We had 38 finishers including John Costello (18:24) and Joanne Baird (19:53) as our respective men’s and women’s winners.

We’d like to thank all of our club member volunteers for their time. From registration to course set up, awards, traffic assistance, course marshals, bike leads, water stops, photographer and clean up, we cannot put on a great race without you! We’d really love to have you all back next year.

To find results and photos, please visit DDC15K.org. Also, please support all of our gracious sponsors which can also be found on our website. Without their support we would not be able to put on this great event.
Thanks!
Joel, Jim & Ray

New Members

Welcome our new members:
Melanie Arnold
John Patrick Bradley
Bill Farquhar
John Schlosser
Rebecca Wright & Paul Hoyle

Race Results
If you’d like to submit your results to me or to Stacey, they will be included in an upcoming bulletin (We don’t publish unless you let us know your results). Our members can be found running (swimming and biking, too) everywhere!

Emily Zaitz: Chester River Challenge Half Marathon: 2:02 (2nd AG, 48th overall); KISS Family & Friends 5K: 25:56 (1st AG, 4th overall); JFK 50 Miler: 11:10

Jim Steele: Café Gelato 10-Miler 1:29:17

Rebecca Wright: Atlantic City Marathon 4:04

Paul Hoyle Xterra World Championships Maui Hawaii: 3:54

Nancy Welch: Ironman Florida 14:49

Erin Graves Ocean City 10-Miler 1:13:45 (1st AG)

Andy Jakubowitch Ocean City 10-Miler 1:00:37 (2nd Overall)

Philadelphia Marathon 11/22/15:
Christina Xia: 4:26:10
Chrissy Hower: 5:52

Rothman 8K 11/21/15
Matt Cutrona: 29:14
Tom Steenkamer: 30:24
Kirsten Belair: 31:58
Jerry Herman: 52:37

Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon 10/31/15:

Matt Cutrona: 1:22:28
Wesley Stafford 1:40:04
Don Ropp 1:40:36
Annie James 1:42:21
Traci Melvin 1:44:27
Jim Steele: 1:49:59
Michelle Zechman 1:54:15
Susan Snavely 1:57:07

St Francis 5K (PCVRC members representing Lori Culnane’s Heartbreakers Team):
Wesley Stafford 20:30:1
Jim Steele 24:08:0
Tony Chelpaty 24:13:6
Michelle Zechman 24:21:8
Rich Szymanski 24:23:3
Lori Culnane 25:00:1

Barbara Chelpaty 35:13:6 (another run enjoyed with her sisters)

Carll Human – Half Fanatic Jupiter Level (9 Half Marathons in 9 States in 12 Months)

Recent Races:
Kroll’s Bizmark, ND Half Marathon 1:50:25 (5th AG) 29th Half Marathon in 22nd State since 09/2008!!

Urban Bourbon Half Marathon, Louisville, KY 1:54:26 (#30 Half Marathon, 23rd State)

DDC 15K 1:14:57

Richmond Anthem Marathon:

Wesley Stafford 3:19:25

Ray Christensen 3:42:56

Michelle Zechman 4:15:40

Pike Creek Valley Running Club Membership Fee Structure and Renewal Policy
The current dues are $25 per membership, which includes family members and significant others, and covers membership for the calendar year. The renewal period runs from October 1st through March 1st. If you are planning to remain a member of PCVRC, you must renew by March 1st. On March 1st, those who have not renewed are not eligible for club member benefits such as the eBulletin, member pricing at banquet, free Boston Send-off party, etc.

Any member who races for PCVRC in 4 or more USATF races a calendar year, and is a member of USATF, will receive complimentary PCVRC membership for the following calendar year.

New members who join on or after June 1st but before October 1st will pay a reduced rate of $15 to cover membership for the remainder of the current calendar year, then are subject to same renewal policy as current members stated above. Anyone who joins on or after October 1st would pay $25 that would cover them for remainder of current calendar year and the entire following calendar year.

To sign up or renew you can go to the Join/Renew page in the below links section.

If mailing, send a check or money order (payable to PCVRC) to:

PCVRC
PO Box 3259
Wilmington, DE 19804

Delaware Distance Classic 15K & 5K, USATF, Teri’s 5k, Faithful Friends 5k

Sunday, October 11: Delaware Distance Classic 15K and 5K in Delaware City.
From Jim Steele, Race Director: Volunteers Needed
Our annual 5K/15K is almost upon us – DDC is Sunday Oct 11th at 9am. If you are not running, or even if you are running, PLEASE consider volunteering as this is our BIGGEST club fundraiser and is highly dependent on club members to make it a success. We are continuing the fun in Delaware City again this year! If you are going to run, remember the course is flat and fast, and is an out an back, taking in portions of the canal trail, with finisher medals, tech shirts and 5-year age groups. The post-race party, including the Awards presentation, will be at Crabby Dick’s again. They will also have coffee for sale at 8 am.

We desperately need more volunteers for set up, registration, race day logistics and clean up. It’s not too late to sign up to help!!

Please plan to participate! Contact Jim Steele ( or 302-530-7274) to let him know how you can help make this year’s event another success!

USATF Update
From Tom Steenkamer
The fall USATF race season kicks off with the club’s signature event; the Delaware Distance Classic 15k on Sunday, October 11th. The club is currently in 1st place in the season long Grand Prix club challenge. We lead the Greater Philadelphia Track Club by a narrow margin heading into DDC. Last year GPTC put out a strong field at the DDC led by Sandra Folzer who will once again be in attendance attempting to better the 70 year age group world record for the 15k distance.

In the off-road series the club holds onto 2nd place in the club competition. The off road season resumes on October 18th in Collegeville, PA with the Evansburg Challenge 10mile run. We need support for this event. Please contact Rich or me if you are available to participate.

Other events – Teri’s 5k Twilight run.
Teri’s 5k held in Downingtown PA has developed a reputation as a fast course and attracts a strong field of competitive runners. This year was no exception.

Several club members performed well in the low humidity on the evening of 9/11:
Mike DiGennnaro – 3rd overall – 14:56
Mike O’Brian – 6th 15:22
Zach Chupa – 9th 15:56
Mark Hannagan – 15th 17:17
Tom Steenkamer – 19th 17:40
Keith Crispin – 30th 19:00

New Members
Welcome our new members:

Ricardo Brown
Liz Sylves
Mike Welch
Christiana Xi

Race Results
If you’d like to submit your results to me or to Stacey, they will be included in an upcoming bulletin (We don’t publish unless you let us know your results). Our members can be found running (swimming and biking too) everywhere!!

Lori Culnane: Run Woodstock Hallucination 100 Miler – 29:36:12 (3rd AG)
Ben Mack: Navy-Air Force Half Marathon – 2:10:28
Mary Lynn Mack: Navy 5-Miler – 1:17:22
Traci Melvin: 5th Womens Race for the Pink Ribbon 5K – 23:01:01 (2nd AG)
– – – 39th Bottle & Cork 10 Miler 1:21:43 (2nd AG)
John Schultz: Diamondman Challenge Sprint Duathlon – 2:56:15 (1st AG – 80+)
Stacey Schiller: Diamondman Challenge Half Iron – 6:28:10 (2nd Athena)
Wes Stafford: Dogfish Dash 8K – 32:57:01 (3rd AG)
Lenora Wagner: Moving for Melanoma – 30:31 (1st AG)
Michelle Zechman: Dogfish Dash 8K – 40:28:09 (1st AG)
Emily Zaitz: Saints and Sinners Half Marathon – 2:10:17
– – – Blues Cruise 50K – 6:59:20

Faithful Friends 5K (runners and baby cargo in tow) pictured above:

Chris James: 20:27:04 (3rd Overall)

Annie James & babes: 27:15:03
Donald Ropp: 22:21:09 (2nd AG)
Dan Weintraub 30:45:03 (1st official race post knee surgery)

Links for Club Members
PCVRC Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Pike-Creek-Valley-Running-Club/
PCVRC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/289855916248/

eBulletin input wanted
Hello PCVRC Members!
After a long, and sometimes hot summer, the PCVRC eBulletin is back in print! I will be sending it out on a monthly basis – or more frequently as warranted. This bulletin is a place to get information about what is going on within our club. It also includes information about running events, race results, and additional pertinent information! Also, because we are a social group, additional information can be found on www.pcvrc.org and the Pike Creek Valley Running Club page on Facebook, so please feel free to follow that group as well!

About me: I’m a runner, occasional cyclist, and future swimmer (tri is on the bucket list); a mother of three; a girlfriend; and a nurse. I’ll be running my first Boston Marathon in 2016 after running a qualifying time at the Walkway Marathon in Poughkeepsie, NY, on June 13!!

This is my first newsletter so it will weigh on the generic side. I hope to put some more personality into it going forward. Please feel free to email me with suggestions!
Warm Regards,
Michelle Marie (Zechman)
—————–

Upcoming Club Events
Sunday, October 11: Delaware Distance Classic 15K and 5K in Delaware City.

From Jim Steele, Race Director: Volunteers Needed
Our annual 15K is almost upon us – DDC is Sunday Oct 11th at 9am. If you are not running, please consider volunteering as this is our BIGGEST club fundraiser and is highly dependent on club members to make it a success. We are continuing the fun in Delaware City again this year! If you are going to run, remember the course is flat and fast, and is an out an back, taking in portions of the canal trail, with finisher medals, tech shirts and 5-year age groups. The post-race party, including the Awards presentation, will be at Crabby Dick’s again.

We desperately need more volunteers for set up, registration, race day logistics and clean up.

Please plan to participate! Contact Jim Steele ( or 302-530-7274 [Call: 302-530-7274] [Call: 302-530-7274] ) to let him know how you can help make this year’s event another success!

Recent Club Events
From Stacey Schiller

Good to see PCVRC friends at both the picnic last month and the Fun Run at Ray’s last week! A shout-out to club members and volunteers extraordinaire Jim Steele, Joel Schiller, Darlise DiMatteo, Jerry Herman and Kim Riccio for their help with the picnic and to Ray Christensen for hosting this annual run.

In the interest of offering events that members want to attend, we’ll be fielding a survey later this year to get your thoughts. Meanwhile, a bowling night is in the works, along with our annual holiday party. Stay tuned!

USATF Update
From Tom Steenkamer
The club is doing extremely well this year in the club challenge races series for both the Grand Prix (road) and Off Road (trail) competitions. PCVRC is in 1st place in the Grand Prix series heading into the fall season and in 2nd place in the Off-Road series.

The Grand Prix series resumes with the DDC 15k. There are 5 race weekends remaining in this series. The outcome of the club challenge is typically determined over the course of these events. PCVRC will need a strong showing in 4 of these weekends to retain our 1st place position.

The Off Road series just completed its summer races with the Radnor Hunt club 5k Steeplechase. We had a great showing by a very limited team – only 6 runners. 5 of the 6 were age group award winners. There are only 2 events left for this series. The next trail event is the Evansburg challenge on Sunday 10/18.

New Members
Welcome our new members:
David Keifer
Andrew Jackson
Nesrine Zalloum

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
‘Tis the season for road and trail races! If you’d like to submit your results to me or to Stacey, I’m happy to include in an upcoming bulletin.

San Francisco Marathon
Claire Neilan – 3:54:19
Lee Dresser – 3:57:21

Ironman Lake Placid
Joe Blithe – 15:09:25
Adam Shilling – 12:51:17
Tricia Szymanski – 15:54:06

Northbeach College Day 5K
Dirk Sweigart – 20:47 (2 AG)
Lisa Jalot – 21:09 (1st Master’s)
Fred Jalot – 22:01
Sheri Sweigart – 22:39 (3 AG)
Mike Piorkowski – 22:49
Kelly Jones – 24:09 (1 AG)
Tony Chelpaty – 24:21
Stacey Schiller – 27:01
Paul Schweizer – 27:43
Doug White – 29:11
Bill Funk – 33:13
Barbara Chelpaty – 38:27 (her annual run with her sisters!)

Double Trouble
Per Tom S: Arguably the toughest and most technical trail race we compete in all season. I think that they must grow more rocks on that course every year. All told most of us came out unscathed which is always a great outcome for that venue. (Note, that Dave did execute a nice tuck and roll maneuver during the last downhill mile and came home with a little trail rash on his right arm and knee.)

14 CAULLER GREG YORK PA M 55 1: 18:10 61.24 286.08 25
80 GIAMPIETRO CAROL GARNET VALLEY PA F 57 1: 38:14 58.01 25
27 STEENKAMER TOM RISING SUN MD M 56 1: 25:03 56.80 25
40 JALOT LISA WILMINGTON DE F 44 1: 28:49 55.13 25
28 WIECHECKI DAVID WILMINGTON DE M 53 1: 25:40 54.90 25
41 BROWN MICHAEL NEWARK DE M 57 1: 29:00 54.77 25
23 RANDOLPH PAUL NEWTOWN SQUARPEA M 48 1: 23:02 54.26 25
52 CAMACHO EPI WILMINGTON DE M 59 1: 31:03 54.53 25
203 CULNANE LORI BEAR DE F 54 2: 17:12 39.97 25
229 SCHULTZ JOHN WILMINGTON DE M 83 3: 10:14 37.24 25

Grand Canyon (PA) Half Marathons Betty Olmstead – 3:36:05.66 (Saturday)
3rd female 65-69

3:30:32.04 (Sunday) – 2nd female 65-69
1:03 PM (23 minutes ago)
—————————-

Pike Creek Valley Running Club Membership Fee Structure and Renewal Policy
The current dues are $25 per membership, which includes family members and significant others, and covers membership for the calendar year. The renewal period runs from October 1st through March 1st. If you are planning to remain a member of PCVRC, you must renew by March 1st. On March 1st, those who have not renewed are not eligible for club member benefits such as the eBulletin, member pricing at banquet, free Boston Send-off party, etc.

Any member who races for PCVRC in 4 or more USATF races a calendar year, and is a member of USATF, will receive complimentary PCVRC membership for the following calendar year.

New members who join on or after June 1st but before October 1st will pay a reduced rate of $15 to cover membership for the remainder of the current calendar year, then are subject to same renewal policy as current members stated above. Anyone who joins on or after October 1st would pay $25 that would cover them for remainder of current calendar year and the entire following calendar year.

To sign up or renew you can go to the Join/Renew page in the below links section.

If mailing, send a check or money order (payable to PCVRC) to:
PCVRC
PO Box 3259
Wilmington, DE 19804

Sunday Group Run, Aug 15 Picnic, Oct 11 DDC, New Members

Upcoming Club Events
TOMORROW, Sunday, July 12: Group Run and “Cool-Down” at the Sweigarts – 8 am at the Can Do Playground in North Wilmington

Saturday, August 15: PCVRC Picnic, 3 pm at White Clay Creek State Park (RSVP through Facebook or to let her know how many are attending and what side/dessert you’ll be bringing)

Sunday, October 11: Delaware Distance Classic 15K and 5K in Delaware City

New Members
Welcome our new members Laura Berger, Blake McNemar and Jan Lehmann!

Race Results
‘Tis the season for local races! If you’d like to submit your results to me, I’m happy to include in an upcoming bulletin. If you’ve got a little time on your hands and enjoy researching race results, then we’ve got the job for you as newsletter editor! Email me for details, please.

USATF From Tom Steenkamer:
Off Road Series
The next trail race is the Wissahickon 10k on Saturday, June 6th. (Registration link)

Grand Prix Series
The next road race is the Moorestown 8k on Saturday, June 6th, 8:30 AM start time. Be sure to select PCVRC as your club during registration so we can compete in the race’s caffeine challenge. (Registration link)

Achilles Tendon Research Study
The University of Delaware Department of Physical Therapy is currently seeking candidates to participate in a research program for Achilles tendon injuries.

Candidates may have experienced or currently have Achilles problems including tendinopathy, tendonitis, rupture or repair. The study is conducted at the UofD Star Campus and is free for accepted candidates. See the attached flyer for more details and contact information.

Crabowitz
What: 5K fun run & Crab Feast
Date: Thursday, June 11th
Time: Any time after 5:00pm- Run begins around 6:15
Where: Szymanski House (709 Haddon Road, Wilmington, DE 19808)

Please mark your calendars to join us for the 7th annual Crabowitz 5K fun run and crabs! We will be supplying crabs, pizza, water, soda and our own Brewmaster, Tony BBQ, will once again be making the “Electrolyte Ale”! Yuengling will also be provided.

If these two types of beer do not interest you, feel free to bring your beverage of choice. This is a family event, so please bring your significant other, children, pets, neighbor,or whomever you wish to bring. However, please be sure to let us know how many will attend so we have a headcount.

This is not a serious running event… It is a serious fun event!! As the years have gone by, less and less people run and more people come to just drink, eat and have fun!! The only person that has to run is our own Jack Crabowitz (our mascot).

We will be continuing the tradition of asking for donations for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.

Couch-to-5k Spring Session
Only a few more weeks of the session! The graduating race is just over 1 week away!

The graduation race is the 36th St. Anthony’s Italian Festival 5k on June 7th. Free breakfast is provided to all runners by the Festival! Registration and more details here.

The Newark Reservoir (map) is on Old Paper Mill Road, just east of Paper Mill Road and just north of Timothy’s (where the Christmas party was held). If you missed the first session you’re still more than welcome to come out and walk or run! See you there!

Note for the Fall Session: The start date has not been set but is usually timed so that PCVRC’s own Delaware Distance Classic 5k is the graduating race.

Carll Human Race Recap
On Sunday morning, May 24th, I ran “The Memorial Day Races @ the Berkshires” half-marathon in Lenox/Stockbridge, MA. I finished with a slightly slower-than-normal 1:55:42 time. It looked as though I got 2nd place in my AG, but they opted for a 10-year AG versus the typical 5-year AG, thus I had to settle for 7th. But then again it’s one of the hilliest, yet most beautiful, courses I’ve ever run (out of 27 so far).

Since most of the course was along scenic country roads there was very little fan support except for Main Street in Stockbridge and, of course, the finish line area. The few that ventured out onto their front yards to cheer us on were enthusiastic. Even that nice family of beaver in their little pond lodge peeked out to see what the “ruckus” was all about. The steep, long hill at mile 12 (25 for the full) was especially cruel for everyone I spoke with. Of course that’s what you get from a race in the Berkshire Mountains billed as the toughest on the east coast. Luckily the weather was a cool 48° sunny morning with plenty of shade trees along much of the route.

A portion of the proceeds go to Team RWB, a national veterans support organization that I belong to. What better race to run on Memorial Day?

They have a variety of races (Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, 10K/5K, 15K Trail Race, 51-Mile Dirt Road Bike Ride) along with a very nice 2-day music festival on the same grounds (SummerSound Live@Tanglewood) as the start/finish line (with your bib being your free ticket into 1 one or the other days).

The race gave out a small, but very unique, finisher’s medal, in the form of an enamel covered, stainless steel medal and a personalized (free if you register in advance) military style dog tags. There were also common technical shirts for all racers, with a separate version for the full marathon.

(Photo Credit: Carll Human)

Since the proceeds benefit two military charities: Team Red White & Blue and Soldier On, the race is even more special to me. In fact my girlfriend and both of her kids ran the 5K to show support for Team RWB, while I ran the half. With staggered starting times, by design, we all 4 finished within minutes of each other. Very cool.

(Carll with Jenny Sun and her kids Helen and Jeffrey)
(Photo Credit: Carll Human)

There are plenty of nice Bed & Breakfast type accommodations right in town, if you book early. I got lucky with a room at the Apple Tree Inn, which is just a short walk, like 2 city blocks, from the start/finish line and an awesome B&B. I highly recommend it for the full “Berkshires experience”. There’s tons of free parking right at the start/finish line, as long as you plan your route to and from, based on the course road closures (again, think SMALL town).

While the Apple Tree’s restaurant is only open for breakfast this early in the season, there are plenty of very nice local places, each with their own unique history and charm within a short drive, such as the famous Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge or even the Barrington – Solar Powered Craft Brewery/Restaurant (yes, solar beer).
Along the half/full course is the Normal Rockwell museum, which we went back to visit after the race. It’s a very nice little museum but a bit pricey if you’re not a fan of his art. But, I’m glad I went to see it anyway. I got to see several of his well-known originals on display. They even relocated his actual studio, a small distance from his Stockbridge home’s back yard, onto the grounds of the museum and it’s now open as part of the tour.

Overall it was a very challenging, well-organized, small race with no real bells & whistles other than the scenery and music festival. Perfect for those looking for a challenging race in MA but didn’t qualify for Boston. If you’re seeking a friendly, beautiful, small town race in hopes of “placing” or you just hate the huge races with everyone tripping over each other for the first couple miles and the cattle car chute for a finish line, this is your race!

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
(Corrected)John Schultz won his age group at the Kennett Run 10k, finishing in 1:29:14! Well done John!

Ben Mack qualified to join the Half Fanatics group by running the Delaware Marathon on May 10th (finishing in 2:08:04) and the Superhero Half on May 17th (finishing in 2:09:53)! These were his 3rd and 4th half marathons ever and he completed his first last October! Fantastic job Ben and Welcome from Half Fanatic #7841!

(Photo Credit: Mary Lynn Mack)

Wes Stafford placed 3rd in his age group at the Chestertown Tea Party 10 Mile Run for Radcliffe, finishing in 1:09:26.7!

Michelle Zechman placed 2nd in her age group at the Chestertown 10 Mile Run, finishing in 1:22:14.9! Great job both of you!

12th Delaware Half Marathon
(May 10th – Wilmington, DE)

Ben Mack 2:08:04

Kennett Run 10k
(May 16th – Kennett Square, PA)

John Schultz 1:29:14 (1st AG)

6th Superhero Half Marathon
(May 17th – Moorestown, NJ)

Ben Mack 2:09:53

Chestertown Tea Party 10 Mile Run for Radcliffe
(May 23rd – Chestertown, MD)

Wes Stafford 1:09:26.7 (3rd AG)
Michelle Zechman 1:22:14.9 (2nd AG)