Claire Neilan Sent Off
Thanks everyone who organized and all who attended Claire’s send-off on Monday night. The room was beautiful and Claire greatly appreciated everyone’s well-wishes!

(Photo Credit: Marianne Antonini)

Nominations are still being taken for club awards! Final decisions are being made on Sunday so the programs can be printed. E-mail me any nominations.

Delaware Running Company is having a Delaware Marathon kick-off event a week from now, on January 29th, at their Greenville store. Details below.

Tom Steenkamer is looking for more male runners for the 2015 USATF Off-Road racing team. E-mail him at if you are interested!

Tom is also looking for an assistant to help with recruitment, racing, organizing teams, etc. E-mail him at the above address if you can help!

USATF From Claire:
USATF Awards Luncheon
The USATF Awards Banquet has been postponed to February 7th due to this weekend’s storm. Details below. Thanks to Coach Jim Fischer for the update.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2015 Annual Awards Luncheon, which will be at the George Clay Fire Hall, 426 Ford Street, West Conshohocken, PA, 19428. The awards will recognize achievements of 2014 in track and field, long distance running and youth athletics in the Mid-Atlantic area, as well as the athlete, official and club of the year, plus the Jesse Owens Award. The cost is $33 per person. Many PCVRC members will be receiving age group awards for their participation in the USATF Mid-Atlantic series. And of course, PCVRC won the road series and was 3rd in the off-road series! You can sign up here for the luncheon. After registering you can check your status here.

PCVRC Annual Awards Banquet
Save the Date! The PCVRC annual awards banquet will be held at Hartefeld National in Avondale, PA during the evening of February 21st. Sign-up forms are now available at http://pcvrc.com/banquet.php. You can either register online or mail in your form with a check to the PO Box via snail mail.

We have a LOT to celebrate this year, so we hope you will all join us for an evening of fun, good food, and celebration of our achievements. Kevin Tresolini of The News-Journal will be our speaker. Kevin has over 30 years’ experience in journalism and will have many exciting stories to tell us!

Nominations are now being taken for banquet awards. Feel free to e-mail me @ any nominations. Include who you are nominating, what award and why you think they deserve it. Final decisions are being made on January 25th.

Delaware Marathon Kick-Off Event @ DRC
From Joel Schiller:
The Delaware Running Company store in Greenville is planning a January 29th in-store kickoff for the 2015 Delaware Marathon. 5–7 PM. Sign up in person and receive a $15 discount for the Marathon or 4P Relay Marathon, a $10 discount for the Half Marathon, and a $25 discount for the 8P Relay Marathon (our steepest discount yet!).

DRC will offer gift cards for marathon and half marathon registrations received that night. Afterwards, please join us for a soft social hour at the Brandywine Brewing Company (next door). The Delaware Running Company will once again be coordinating group training runs leading up to the race.

4th Annual Delaware Intra-Club Challenge 5k – Sunday February 15, 1PM start
From Tom Steenkamer:
Happy New Year everyone,

The date has been set for this year’s annual Intra-Club Challenge 5k. You may recall that we had to cancel last year’s event due to excessive ice covering on the Bellevue State Park course. This is a free run that attempts to solicit participation from as many of the Delaware running clubs in fun format. We hope to see a full contingent of our members out for a fun romp thru the park to be followed by a post-race celebration at Schaefer’s Canal House.

The host club this year is the Middletown Athletic Club who are anxious to entertain us with another 5k run on Sunday, February 15th at Lums Pond State Park. Start time will be 1PM. The race will be conducted on the marked 5k high school cross country course. Once again our good friends at NOVA Timing have volunteered their services and equipment for the day.

Correction: The Club Challenge race is really an INTER-club challenge (between clubs), not an INTRA-club challenge (within a club). The item below has been updated to reflect this. Thanks to Mark Deshon for noticing it. Your editor will take an English refresher course while snowed in this weekend.

Scoring
From the inception of this race we have always viewed this as a chance for all of the running clubs to come together for camaraderie and socialization. However, there is also a club scoring component.

Scoring – age-graded as in the past.

Club team scoring to be calculated:
Top 7 point scorers, MUST include:
– Two females
– Two runners over the age of 50

Advance registration is required to facilitate the club scoring.
Please use the registration link.

Couch-to-5k Spring Session
The next C25k session will start on Monday, April 6th. Darlise is looking for volunteers to help coach. Previous graduates are especially sought as they can inspire participants and show what heights can be achieved! E-mail Darlise at if you can help.

Central YMCA Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon
Joel Schiller is the race director for a very unique race. There are three stages: a 20-lap pool swim, a 15-mile SPIN bike ride and a 3-mile treadmill run. Start time slots run between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. You get to choose your start and the order you do the stages in. Transition times do not count so you’re not penalized if your transitions are slower than most. If you do the duathlon you can choose from any of the three stage types!

Registration is only $20 (until January 31st, $25 afterward and day-of) and you get a tech t-shirt and a finisher’s medal! Here’s the link to sign up online. (Online registration closes on Feb. 26th. Day-of registration will be available, starting at 8 AM.)

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
Dave Landon ran the Key West Half Marathon this past Sunday, finishing in 1:31:02, 3rd in his age group!

Kirsten Landon ran the Key West Hemingway 5k, finishing in 32:15! Awesome job!

26th Road to the Super Bowl 5k
(January 17th – Wilmington, DE)

Mike Piorkowski 22:46.9

Kelly Jones 23:30.0 (2nd AG)
John Schultz 39:07.0
Betty Olmstead 44:06.5

17th Key West Half Marathon
(January 18th – Key West, FL)

Dave Landon 1:31:02

17th Key West Hemingway 5k
(January 18th – Key West, FL)

Kirsten Landon 32:15

Claire Neilan Send-Off
Our illustrious president, Claire Neilan, is departing for the west coast in a few weeks. Join us this Monday to send her off in style!

Claire is departing to re-join her husband in San Francisco in a few weeks. We are getting together this Monday to give her a glorious send off. Join us from 5-7 pm at Bella Vista Trattoria & Pizzeria on Limestone Road. (Map) The club is providing pizza and appetizers and there will be a cash bar.

Dress warm because we’ll be out on the heated patio. Come say Good Bye and wish her well!

The Annual Banquet has more details below, including a speaker! Menu and registration are still being finalized. Save the date for February 21st @ Hartefeld Country Club. Details below.

Save February 15th for the annual Club Challenge race at Lums Pond State Park. Details below.

The USATF published a video from the National Cross-Country Championships and many Pike Creek runners appear in it! Details in the USATF section.

USATF Cross-Country Championships Videos
USATF published a video that features several Pike Creek runners! Another video was posted as well. Between the two videos among the visible are Theresa Cannon-Kauffman, Lynn Knothe, Kelly Jones, Traci Melvin, Keith Crispin, Tom Jermyn, Mike Brown, Greg Cauller, Dirk Sweigart, Sheri Sweigart, Kirsten Belair, Amy Blithe, Lisa Jalot, Lorri Fencer, Tom Steenkamer and David Wiechecki.

There are 2 runners I can’t identify in the 2nd video between 0:15 and 0:18. The first is wearing the red-and-gray singlet and the 2nd is wearing the gray with light-blue logo. If there are any others let me know. Also in the 2nd video there is a pack of Pike Creek runners from 0:53-0:57.

USATF Cross-Country Championships Article
Last week the News Journal published an article about the Championships. A nice picture of Kirsten Belair in action accompanies the article!
See News Journal article

USATF Awards Luncheon From Claire

Tickets are now on sale for the 2015 Annual Awards Luncheon, which will be on Saturday, January 24, at noon at the George Clay Fire Hall, 426 Ford Street, West Conshohocken, PA, 19428. The awards will recognize achievements of 2014 in track and field, long distance running and youth athletics in the Mid-Atlantic area, as well as the athlete, official and club of the year, plus the Jesse Owens Award. The cost is $33 per person. Many PCVRC members will be receiving age group awards for their participation in the USATF Mid-Atlantic series. And of course, PCVRC won the road series and was 3rd in the off-road series! You can sign up here for the luncheon. After registering you can check your status here.

PCVRC Annual Awards Banquet From Claire
Save the Date! The PCVRC annual awards banquet will be held at Hartefeld National in Avondale, PA during the evening of February 21st. Sign-up forms will soon be available at www.pcvrc.com. You can either register online or mail in your form with a check to the PO Box via snail mail. We will let you know as soon as registration is available. We have a LOT to celebrate this year, so we hope you will all join us for an evening of fun, good food, and celebration of our achievements. We have tentatively scheduled a very exciting speaker too, and we will announce as soon as this person confirms.



UPDATE: Kevin Tresolini of The News-Journal will be our speaker. Kevin has over 30 years’ experience in journalism and will have many exciting stories to tell us!

2ND UPDATE: Nominations are now being taken for banquet awards. Feel free to e-mail me any nominations. Include who you are nominating, what award and why you think they deserve it. Final decisions are being made on January 25th. Next week’s e-bulletin will have more details on the awards given out last year.

4th Annual Delaware Intra-Club Challenge 5k – Sunday February 22nd, 1PM start
From Tom Steenkamer:
Happy New Year everyone,
The date has been set for this year’s annual Intra-Club Challenge 5k. You may recall that we had to cancel last year’s event due to excessive ice covering on the Bellevue State Park course. This is a free run that attempts to solicit participation from as many of the Delaware running clubs in fun format. We hope to see a full contingent of our members out for a fun romp thru the park to be followed by a post-race celebration at Schaefer’s Canal House.

The host club this year is the Middletown Athletic Club who are anxious to entertain us with another 5k run on Sunday, February 15th at Lums Pond State Park. Start time will be 1PM. The race will be conducted on the marked 5k high school cross country course. Once again our good friends at NOVA Timing have volunteered their services and equipment for the day.

Scoring
From the inception of this race we have always viewed this as a chance for all of the running clubs to come together for camaraderie and socialization. However, there is also a club scoring component.

Scoring – age-graded as in the past.


Club team scoring to be calculated:
Top 7 point scorers, MUST include:
– Two females
– Two runners over the age of 50

Advance registration is required to facilitate the club scoring.
Please use the following registration link. Registration

Couch-to-5k Spring Session
The next C25k session will start on Monday, April 6th. Darlise is looking for volunteers to help coach. Previous graduates are especially sought as they can inspire participants and show what heights can be achieved! E-mail Darlise at if you can help.

Central YMCA Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon
Joel Schiller is the race director for a very unique race. There are three stages: a 20-lap pool swim, a 15-mile SPIN bike ride and a 3-mile treadmill run. Start time slots run between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. You get to choose your start and the order you do the stages in. Transition times do not count so you’re not penalized if your transitions are slower than most. If you do the duathlon you can choose from any of the three stage types!

Registration is only $20 (until January 31st, $25 afterward and day-of) and you get a tech t-shirt and a finisher’s medal! Here’s the link to sign up online. (Online registration closes on Feb. 26th. Day-of registration will be available, starting at 8 AM.)

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
John Schultz ran the Icicle Run in 2:25:50.3, almost EIGHT minutes better than last year! Way to go John!

Dave Landon ran the PHUNT 50k in 5:59:38! THIRTY-ONE MILES in cold, freezing weather!!! (I was out there at Aid Station #2.) Dave said he was so cold at the end he couldn’t even untie his shoes! He’s very grateful his wife was waiting for him at the end. Great job Dave and Kirsten!

Dave Landon and Jake Landon both ran in the Chesapeake City New Year’s Day 5k. Dave won his age group, finishing in 18:56. Jake finished in 17:16. He came in 3rd overall, won his age group AND set a new PR, beating the old one by 28 seconds! Awesome job Jake!

Chesapeake City New Year’s Day 5k
(January 1st – Chesapeake City, MD)

Jake Landon 17:16
Dave Landon 18:56

PHUNT 50k
(January 4th – Elkton, MD)

Dave Landon 5:59:38

39th Icicle Run Ten-Miler
(January 11th – Wilmington, DE)

John Schultz 2:25:50.3

PCVRC was the TOP team in the USATF Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix Road Series!
– From Claire:
Did you know that the PCVRC won the USATF Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix road series?! This is a HUGE achievement and resulted in the club winning $1000. All who participated and scored for the club should be giving themselves a huge pat on the back. We beat 13 other clubs to take the title! PCVRC was also 3rd in the Off-Road Series – so we have had a GREAT year!

The Annual Banquet is coming up! Save the date for February 21st @ Hartefeld Country Club. Details below.

Save February 15th for the annual Club Challenge race at Lums Pond State Park. Details coming soon.

USATF Awards Luncheon
Tickets are now on sale for the 2015 Annual Awards Luncheon, which will be on Saturday, January 24, at noon at the George Clay Fire Hall, 426 Ford Street, West Conshohocken, PA, 19428. The awards will recognize achievements of 2014 in track and field, long distance running and youth athletics in the Mid-Atlantic area, as well as the athlete, official and club of the year, plus the Jesse Owens Award. The cost is $33 per person.

Many PCVRC members will be receiving age group awards for their participation in the USATF Mid-Atlantic series. And of course, PCVRC won the road series and was 3rd in the off-road series! You can sign up here for the luncheon. After registering you can check your status here.

PCVRC Annual Awards Banquet
From Claire:
Save the Date! The PCVRC annual awards banquet will be held at Hartefeld National in Avondale, PA during the evening of February 21st. Sign-up forms will soon be available at www.pcvrc.com. You can either register online or mail in your form with a check to the PO Box via snail mail. We will let you know as soon as registration is available. We have a LOT to celebrate this year, so we hope you will all join us for an evening of fun, good food, and celebration of our achievements. We have tentatively scheduled a very exciting speaker too, and we will announce as soon as this person confirms.

Central YMCA Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon
Joel Schiller is the race director for a very unique race. There are three stages: a 20-lap pool swim, a 15-mile SPIN bike ride and a 3-mile treadmill run. Start time slots run between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. You get to choose your start and the order you do the stages in. Transition times do not count so you’re not penalized if your transitions are slower than most. If you do the duathlon you can choose from any of the three stage types!

Registration is only $20 (until January 31st, $25 afterward and day-of) and you get a tech t-shirt and a finisher’s medal! Here’s the link to sign up online. (Online registration closes on Feb. 26th. Day-of registration will be available, starting at 8 AM.)

White Clay Creek Trail Closures
I saw a Facebook post about temporary trail closures due to various hunting seasons. Thought I would pass it along since we use the park quite a lot.

The following trails will be closed to the public on December 19 and 20 and from January 17 – 24 during shotgun deer hunting season:

Twin Valley Trail (Carpenter) east of Arc Corner Monument and Wells Lane
Bryans Field Trail (Possum Hill)
Mountain Bike Skills Trail (Possum Hill)
Charles Bailey Trail (Preserve) between Thompson Station Road and the Delaware / Pennsylvania state line
Cart Road Trail (Preserve)
Boundary Line Trail (Preserve) between Cart Road and Corner Ketch Road
The Chestnut Hill Trail (Judge Morris) is posted with archery season warning signs. The Chestnut Hill Trail is open to the public when archery season warning signs are posted.
The Pomeroy Trail between the Pomeroy Pedestrian Bridge and Hopkins Road will be closed to the public on January 06 during a managed hunt.

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
(There were no submissions this week.)

USATF Cross Country Club National Championship – 12/13/14
Tom Steenkamer submitted a race recap of the USATF Club Nationals before settling in for his long winter’s nap. Enjoy Tom! You’ve certainly earned it.

This event marked the first time the club had participated in a major USATF event on such a grand scale. We have a few members who had previously participated as individuals in USATF championships but for most of them this was a new experience in many ways. Many of the 64 club members had never run cross country in high school or college. We did have a few ringers who were prior All-State runners as well as several with collegiate experience at the Division 1, 2 and 3 levels.

We traveled via charter bus from the Wilmington riverfront to Lehigh University (in Bethlehem, PA) which made the day seem more like a collegiate team road trip. Our home for the day would be a heated tent provided by the MidAtlantic USATF. The tent proved both large and warm enough for folks to stretch, relax and even catch a nap.

The dusting of snow the Saucon Valley area received early that week had melted leaving a few soft spots but otherwise the grass course was in fine shape. The only exception to that was an ~200m section around the 1k mark where the course passes by the construction site for a new softball field. No grass there and a nice slick coating of mud but thankfully this area did not have significant impact on any of the races. Women competed on the traditional Paul Short 6k course, and the men followed a modified version of this same course for their 10k race.

PCVRC sent 64 runners to the line that cool December morning. Members ranged in age from 21 to 82 competing as teams in the 4 races. PCVRC had teams in both the men’s (2 teams) and women’s open races. In the masters races we fielded teams in 10-year age groups from 40 thru 70 in the men’s race and 40 thru 60 in the women’s race. Standard cross-country scoring applied – order of finish for the top 5 or in some of the master’s age groups (men’s 70 and all women’s masters) top 3 finishers creating a team score.

Race Field Sizes
Women’s Masters: 270
Men’s Masters: 633
Women’s Open: 387
Men’s Open: 615
Total: 1905

PCVRC Team Results
(Editorial note – our men’s 60+ team did not have enough members to score as a team.)

Men’s Open A 25th
Men’s 40 A 27th
Men’s 50 A 6th
Men’s 70 A 4th

Men’s Open B 53rd
Men’s 50 B 24th
Men’s 70 B 6th

Women’s Open A 24th
Women’s 60 A 4th
Women’s 40 A 12th
Women’s 50 A 15th

Women’s 40 B 29th

Individual Highlights
(Editorial note – Listed age-group individuals based on top-20 finish in their respective age group.)

Men’s open:
Andy Weaver 61st overall

Women’s masters:
Kirsten Belair 14th overall

Women’s masters age group:
Kirsten Belair 10th
Diane Kukich 10th
Carol Giampietro 14th
Carole Feole 17th
Beth Howlett 17th

Men’s Masters age groups:
John Schultz 2nd
Chuck Crabb 5th
Greg Cauller 7th
Doug Ridge 10th
Tom Steenkamer 12th
Bob Callahan 16th
Frank Owczarek 17th
Don Coats 18th
Tim Schuler 19th
Chuck Hall 19th

Closing Thoughts
What other sport can anyone who pays the entry fee get on the same field as world-class athletes and compete regardless of age or ability!?!

Special thanks to the Pike Creek Valley Running Club board for their support that made this day such a success. Congratulations to everyone who joined us and Thank You for participating. Wishing everyone a healthy 2015 and I hope to see many more of you out at some of next year’s Mid Atlantic USATF road or trail races!

*** Final Results ***

Happy New Year! Big things are in store for our club this year!

John Schultz wrote a history of the Brooklyn Bridge I wanted to make sure got included. Several things I didn’t know about the bridge and the builder! Thanks John!

Leprechaun Leap 5k
Joel Schiller has arranged a special PCVRC-only rate of $20 for the Leprechaun Leap 5k on March 7th, benefiting the Ministry of Caring. You must register by mail and the envelope must be postmarked by January 1st. (Online registrations won’t get the discount.) Here is the universal entry form to print out and mail in.

You can pay with cash or check and mail the form to:
Races2Run
P.O. Box 24
Montchanin, DE 19710

See you there!

Central YMCA Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon
Joel Schiller is the race director for a very unique race. There are three stages: a 20-lap pool swim, a 15-mile SPIN bike ride and a 3-mile treadmill run. Start time slots run between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. You get to choose your start and the order you do the stages in. Transition times do not count so you’re not penalized if your transitions are slower than most. If you do the duathlon you can choose from any of the three stage types!

Registration is only $20 (until January 31st, $25 afterward and day-of) and you get a tech t-shirt and a finisher’s medal! Here’s the link to sign up online. (Online registration closes on Feb. 26th. Day-of registration will be available, starting at 8 AM.)

White Clay Creek Trail Closures
I saw a Facebook post about temporary trail closures due to various hunting seasons. Thought I would pass it along since we use the park quite a lot.

The following trails will be closed to the public on December 19 and 20 and from January 17 – 24 during shotgun deer hunting season:

Twin Valley Trail (Carpenter) east of Arc Corner Monument and Wells Lane
Bryans Field Trail (Possum Hill)
Mountain Bike Skills Trail (Possum Hill)
Charles Bailey Trail (Preserve) between Thompson Station Road and the Delaware / Pennsylvania state line
Cart Road Trail (Preserve)
Boundary Line Trail (Preserve) between Cart Road and Corner Ketch Road
The Chestnut Hill Trail (Judge Morris) is posted with archery season warning signs. The Chestnut Hill Trail is open to the public when archery season warning signs are posted.

The Pomeroy Trail between the Pomeroy Pedestrian Bridge and Hopkins Road will be closed to the public on January 06 during a managed hunt.

Brooklyn Bridge
In September I posted a picture of me walking on the Brooklyn Bridge. (I had just bought it and wanted to see what I got for my $20. What a deal!) John Schultz responded with several vignettes about the bridge’s history, including its builders. I wanted to share them with the club.

From John:

In the photo you’re facing New York (that’s what an old Brooklynite like myself calls Manhattan), with Brooklyn showing in the background of the photo. I’ve crossed the Bridge many times, and I remember when it had elevated trains and trolleys on it, and the roadway was paved with wooden blocks.

A suggestion for your next crossing of the East River: walk the Manhattan Bridge. Its walkway is on the outside (unlike the Brooklyn’s, which is between (though higher than) the two roadways). This gives you a much better view. At the Brooklyn end it starts near the Brooklyn Bridge. The New York end takes you to Chinatown and the diamond-dealing center of the USA.

I knew an old man who walked across the Bridge on the day it opened in 1883. (By-the-way its original and full name is the New York and Brooklyn Bridge). When built it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The Bridge towers rest on WOODEN caissons. On the New York side the caissons rest on mud because bedrock was too deep to drill down to.

The ironwork for the Bridge was made at the Edge Moor Iron Co., located just east of East Side Wilmington along the Delaware River, which was founded in 1869 and was in business until about 1946. I’ve heard that the Bridge requires less maintenance than the nearby Manhattan, Williamsburg and Queensborough Bridges, built in 1909. 1909, and 1903 respectively.

When the Brooklyn Navy Yard was operating, the battleships’ masts had to be lowered to be able to get under the Bridge.

The Bridge was built by Washington Augustus Roebling and his father. The steel wire was spun at their plant in Roebling, NJ, near Burlington.

I then asked John about a bridge I found in Lackawaxen, PA (on the PA/NY border) that was supposedly built by the Brooklyn Bridge builder. The names didn’t line up. (As John noted above Washington Roebling built the Brooklyn Bridge and the sign I found said Daniel Roebling.)

Below are pictures of the bridge, signs, and John’s response.

The Brooklyn Bridge was finished by Washington Augustus Roebling rather than his father. The father injured his foot (boarding the Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn), refused to have it treated, and died from infection. SO BE CAREFUL AROUND THE BRIDGE!

John was the father who designed the bridge. Washington Augustus was the son who directed its construction. I may be wrong but the Lackawaxen Bridge may have been John’s first suspension bridge.

The Delaware Aqueduct at Lackawaxen is the oldest existing wire-suspension bridge in the USA. After the Delaware and Hudson Canal closed in 1898 (after 70 years in service), the bridge became a private vehicular bridge until 1970. Now it’s owned by the Park Service and I think still carries traffic.

I’ve often run in the 11.8-mile Roosa Gap Roller Coaster Run, near Wurtsboro, NY, 4 miles of which are along the towpath of the Canal. (Miles 5 and 6 are an 800-foot road climb to the crest of the Shawanagunk Mountains, but that’s another story). The D&H Canal, like most canals starting in Pennsylvania, was built to carry coal to cities like New York and Philadelphia.

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
Kelly Jones took 3rd place in her age group at the Surfin’ Snowman 5-Miler in Bethany Beach this past Saturday. She finished in 38:22, missing her PR by only 12 seconds! Awesome job Kelly!

(Photo Credit: Kelly Jones)

(Photo Credit: Kelly Jones)

Surfin’ Snowman 5-Miler
(December 27th – Bethany Beach, DE)

Kelly Jones 38:22

USATF
I didn’t give Tom Steenkamer credit for writing last week’s USATF section. I’m sure the reader could tell a difference in writing style (lack of exclamation points, for one thing) but I wanted to make it official.

I’ve really appreciated Tom’s putting together this section each time. He’s made my job very easy.

With that the USATF team, especially coordinators Tom Steenkamer and Rich Szymanski, take a well-deserved winter break! Thanks all! Pike Creek is very proud of each and every one of you!

Happy Holidays! May you enjoy the time with your friends and family!

It’s been a slow racing week but people have sent in times. The presses must keep running!

Leprechaun Leap 5k
Joel Schiller has arranged a special PCVRC-only rate of $20 for the Leprechaun Leap 5k on March 7th, benefiting the Ministry of Caring. You must register by mail and the envelope must be postmarked by January 1st. (Online registrations won’t get the discount.) Here is the universal entry form to print out and mail in.

You can pay with cash or check and mail the form to:
Races2Run
P.O. Box 24
Montchanin, DE 19710

See you there!

Central YMCA Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon
Joel Schiller is the race director for a very unique race. There are three stages: a 20-lap pool swim, a 15-mile SPIN bike ride and a 3-mile treadmill run. Start time slots run between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. You get to choose your start and the order you do the stages in. Transition times do not count so you’re not penalized if your transitions are slower than most. If you do the duathlon you can choose from any of the three stage types!

Registration is only $20 (until January 31st, $25 afterward and day-of) and you get a tech t-shirt and a finisher’s medal! Here’s the link to sign up online. (Online registration closes on Feb. 26th. Day-of registration will be available, starting at 8 AM.)

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
(Lots of people competed in the local races so please e-mail in if you aren’t listed below.)

Diane Kukich took 9th place in her age group at the USATF Championships 6k, finishing in 29:16 and an age-grade score of 81.23! Great job Diane!

(Photo Credit: Mark DeNio)

Carll Human decided he was tired of sitting around on Sunday after doing a big race on Saturday. On December 6th and 7th he completed the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Heavy Medal Remix Challenge, completing a 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday! Carll did the 10k in 49:29 and the half-marathon in 1:52:12. He not only earned a medal for each event but then got the Remix Challenge medal for participants who did the 10k and then the half or full marathons! Hope he has a broad neck to hold all that bling!

Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio 10k
(December 6th – San Antonio, TX)

Carll Human 49:29

Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Half Marathon
(December 7th – San Antonio, TX)

Carll Human 1:52:12

USATF XC Championships – Masters Women 6k
(December 13th – Bethlehem, PA)

Diane Kukich 29:16