Delaware Distance Classic 15K price deadline nears
From Joel Schiller:

Just a quick email reminder that prices go up this weekend for the 29th Annual Delaware Distance Classic 15K presented by Wilkinson Roofing & Siding, Inc.
Event Registration: To register for the Delaware Distance Classic 15K, you have two choices:
� Visit our website and download and mail our pdf entry form or signup online.
� Go to Active.com and register online.

DDC Course Marshals needed
Anyone not running in the DDC15K, who wishes to volunteer, contact Jim Steele at

10/30 USATF Series races (road & off-road)
From Tom Steenkamer, currently working on coordination of PCVRVC’s participation in MA-USATF events:
Welcome to October, well not quite but it’s only a few days away. It’s a busy month for the USATF racing series. Preparations continue for the PCVRC’s Delaware Distance Classic 15k on October 9. We anticipate another great event with strong participation from our club. At this time the club is holding onto 3rd place in the Grand Prix road series. We are capable of moving up to 2nd with good performances at the DDC. Here’s hoping the cooler temps prevail on 10/9.

Looking ahead toward the end of the month we have both the road and off road series holding events on 10/30.

The Grand Prix series continues with the Radnor 5 miler held in scenic Radnor township. This is an extremely well organized and fun event run through the very scenic roads around Radnor township. (Think Westover Hills with bigger houses, more land and horses.) It�s an easy drive up the Blue route with ample parking at Penn Medicine and bus transport to the start. The event is sponsored by Penn Medicine and they have a health fair with lots of freebies at the finish. There is a little roll to this course with an uphill start, but the finish is wicked fast with a downhill last mile. The race registration website is www.lunginfo.org/RadnorRun and be sure to enter USATF as the discount code to receive a break on the entry fee.

The off road series has added a new event this year on 10/30. The club has a solid hold on 3rd place in the series competition and with only 2 races left I believe we can still give Greater Philly some competition. The Evansburg 10 mile Challenge in Collegeville PA is another Pretzel City/Ron Horn event so I expect it will have a few fun sections to traverse including a couple minor stream crossings. Check out Ron’s typical write up.
http://www.pretzelcitytiming.com/userfiles/file/11%20evansburg%20app%20electronic.pdf for full details.
Hope that helps.

DE Sports Club Fall Fling 10/22
From Lynn Knothe: This flyer has information about the DE Sports Club Fall Fling. It’s a fun party with food, beer, wine, a band, silent auction and more all for a great cause- a scholarship for high school runners and supplying shoes for high school students through the Best Foot Forward program.
Thanks!
Lynn

WHEN: Saturday, October 22 ~ 6-10 p.m.
WHERE: Figure 8 Barn at Bellevue State Park, Wilmington
WHAT: The BEST party all year! Catering by Movable
Feast, live music by The Dysrhythmics, fabulous silent
auction prizes, tricycle races, dancing, and more.

Boston Marathon
Congratulations to the following club members who have been accepted to run in the Boston Marathon: Enos Benbow, Michael Brown, Theresa Cannon-Kauffman, Matt Cutrona, Sheri Herrmann, Andy Jacubowitch, Mark Lozier, Dave McCorquodale, Claire Neilan, Adam Shilling, Wes Stafford, and Dirk Sweigart. In addition to these dozen club member, 50 other Delawareans are entered, including three former club members.

Philly Rock-n-Roll Half – From Carl Human:
I ran the Philly Rock-n-Roll half marathon on Sunday, too, and finished with a 1:54:17… still a bit off my normal. Not even close to placing, but I’m happy I finished well into the upper half of my age group… They say 16,476 runners finished, pretty good turn out.

Not sure if you guys track this stuff, but this was my 4th halfer this year. And, I’ve still got the DDC 15K and Atlantic City halfer in Oct. Earlier this year I ran the Bermuda Triangle Challenge which included a 1 mile speed race, 10K and half marathon (1:48:27) in Hamilton, Bermuda back in January, the Seaside School halfer (1:45:29) in Seaside, Florida in March and the Maryland half marathon (1:55:20) in Fulton, MD in May.

Race Results:
Philly Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon
1:32:58 Dirk Sweigart
1:36:25 Sheri Herrmann
1:54:17 Carl Human

Race for the Pink Ribbon 5K
21:28 Sheri Herrmann, 1st Master

RSVP ASAP for Wine Dinner
From: Social Director Rachel:
If you haven’t RSVP’d to the wine dinner on September 27th @ 7:30, Please email me to reserve your spot! – Hope to see you there!
View Post on Facebook

Volunteers Needed for Delaware Distance Classic 15K
Volunteers will be needed for the DDC 15K on Sunday, October 9th. Jim Steele will be coordinating all volunteer efforts. We will need help with registration, course marshals, traffic, water stops, finish line and food tables. Volunteers who stick around after the race and clean-up will be treated to brunch at one of the fine establishments on the riverfront. Please email Jim at to volunteer! We’re looking for about 20 club members to help out. Thanks for your support!

From President Ray:
Nun Run Recap
Big thanks to the many club members who came out in support of the Little Sisters of the Poor last Saturday. Rachel, Karl, Paula, Dan, and others came
out early to help out while others ran or walked. Among our award winners were David Baca & Lenora Wagner who captured RRCA Delaware State Championship 5K Grand-Masters titles!

See links to photo gallery, results, News Journal article, & Races2Run pics all at www.NunRun5k.org. I was extremely pleased with 328 finishers and a fun morning. Sorry I missed the nice club photo, but I think we were still trying to complete the raffle prize drawings. It’s a unique location for a
5K and we’ll continue to try to make it one of the best, with music, pizza,
Chic-fil-A, chocolate milk, prizes, goodie bags & bake sale.
Next year I promise to have more than just light beer!

Also see this link for PCVRC group picture: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2217337285309&set=o.289855916248&type=1.

From your editor:

Ruminations about the club, friendships and race stories.
Each of us has our own close group of friends. No one pretends that our running club is a close-knit group. Instead it is probably made up of an intersection of a number of smaller groups, sometimes a couple of friends, and lone individuals. Some of us belong to other groups associated with running: Rebel Runners, Traildawgs, Hash House Harriers, Creek Road Runners, Delaware Running Club or even clubs in other parts of the state or in other states. But here, in this bulletin, it’s my intention to post information about whatever athletic activities people engage in. Although I write about my experiences a lot, it’s not my blog. I want others to contribute their thoughts too. Even if your tales have gone out to a sub-grouping of the club or a different website, please send them to me also to that they may be posted for all club members to see and enjoy.

Speaking of friendship and the Hash House Harriers, a group in which I do not participate as often as I used to, I just I found out that a longtime hasher, Stan Cherim, otherwise known as Himalaya, passed away from a fall/stroke at the age of 82. Stan was active in the hash right up to the end and had planned a hash at his house in Springfield, PA. to celebrate his birthday. I just found out in reading about his death that Stan was a Quaker and Chemistry Professor and author. Just this year, he wrote a book: “Large Circles and Bold Lines” about a quest for meaning in the life of a Quaker scientist.
http://www.amazon.com/Large-Circles-Bold-Lines-ebook/dp/B0052THRZK. But for a shorter read from Stan, go to this website and read his post(2nd topic down) on the Mystique of the Hash: http://sohappyh.s459.sureserver.com/hash_history.php. It gives great insights into hashing and also shows that Stan was always young at heart.

Darlise DiMatteo’s story on the Shoreman Half-Ironman Triathlon:
Here is my race report. Its long, but it was a long day, worthy of the extra space! I hope you enjoy it…

The day before…
For this race, I was fortunate to have the company of Tricia Szymanski and Kelly Jones-Reph. Tricia was doing the aqua velo and Kelly was doing the triathlon. I volunteered to drive, so I picked up the girls and we were on our way by 1pm. ROAD TRIP!

Our first stop was the packet pick up at S.Jersey Running Company in Manahawkin, NJ. We were the only ones there, our first hint that this race was not a big one. The goodies bags were full of great stuff- yankz laces, license plate frame, glow stick, all the race numbers you need for a tri, and the best part- the race shirts- they were awesome, long-sleeve technical shirts. We jumped back into the car and head to our next stop- the race venue.

We get to the park and walk down to the water. It was calm, looked clean, but it was rust colored, which was kind of weird. The water felt warm and all I could think was, �oh please let this be cooler than 78 degrees.� After we checked out the water, we walked through the transition area. Not much was marked and again we noticed that not many people were here to check out the venue, hmmm…

After grabbing dinner at a local tavern, the three of us gathered in my room to go through our goodie bags. Trust me, we needed all three of us to figure out how to put the chip on the ankle strap, how to put our numbers on our bikes (not the usual number placard), how to put the number tattoos on our arms (my favorite thing!). All the females were in the same wave, so we all had the same colored caps- white, yucky white. But, Tricia was prepared- she had brought 2 packs of sharpie markers and we ‘personalized’ our caps with our self proclaimed nicknames. Tricia was ‘Trish the Fish’, so she drew a fish on her cap, Kelly was ‘Kelly Fish’ and her mascot was a jellyfish and I was ‘Dar Fish’ so I had a starfish on my mine.

Before long, it was 9pm, bed time and off to sleep we went.

Race Day…
We all got up earlier than planned and were able to get on the road by 5:15am. It was pitch black on the drive and that is when we realized what the glow sticks were for! We get parked, unload, set up our transition areas next to each other, squeeze into our wetsuits and head over to the water. Here we go…

Swim This was the one event I was most worried about. I had been battling tendonitis in my right elbow and I had not been able to swim as much as I wanted to. At this point, I was just hoping to get out of the water without too much pain. Once I started swimming, I quickly got into a smooth rhythm and saw the buoys passing by relatively easily. Before I knew it, I was back on shore and it only took 40:32. I am stoked. I get to my transition and there are Tricia and Kelly! I am so excited to see my friends but very excited to get on my bike. I tear off my wetsuit, grab my bike and take off.

Bike I had an ambitious goal for the bike. I felt like my bike training went very well and I wanted to do well on this event. It did not take long for my legs to warm up and I was quickly riding at the pace I was shooting for. The course was boring- mostly flat with a few well-placed rollers and nothing but trees to look at. Then out of no where, Rich would show up and that was a big pick-me-up. It was SO cool to see him out there, he had been there for my previous two half ironmans, so it seemed right that he was there for #3. On the second loop of the bike course, I ended up trading positions back and forth with two guys in sperm helmets and a 24 year old girl on a mountain bike. There was no way I was going to let them beat me. With about 12 miles left, I downshifted a couple gears, stood up and I was off. I never saw them again. In that boost, I was also able to pass a woman who was in my age group, woo hoo, I finished the 57.3 mile bike course feeling strong and in 2:53- yeah!

Run Two out of three events completed, both within my goal times. The pressure was on to do well on the run. The sun had come out, unfortunately, but I had raced in warmer temps and just kept counting down the miles to take my mind off of the heat. I finished the first loop feeling good physically and emotionally because Rich and Tricia were there to cheer me on! As I run past them for one more loop I could not help but feel very jealous of Tricia for being done and looking so good with her medal on! But those happy thoughts faded quickly as I saw 2 women ahead of me. I had convinced myself that every woman ahead of me was in my age group and I had to pass them. I focused on them; one at a time, I passed them. The second loop was not marked with miles 7-13, so it was hard to judge where I so I stopped looking at my watch for pace and just ran, focusing on the women ahead of me. I saw Kelly out there as she was getting close to finishing her first loop, she looked happy and strong, go Kelly! Around mile 10-11 my quads were really sore, my back was sunburned (it was night time when we started this journey!) and I really wanted to be done. I kept telling myself- when you cross that finish line, you are done, no more 5:15 am swims or runs, no more all day bricks, no more cytomax and clif bloks. I kept thinking of all of the things I did not HAVE to do when I was done. Suddenly, I was on a road with spectators, uh oh, I am close! I pushed hoping to my legs would keep working. I made the turn for the finish line and see the clock- 5:36 and start crying. I cannot believe it- I am going to beat my goal time of 5:40. And there are Rich and Tricia right there- this is awesome! After lots of hugs and tears, I confess to them my goal time was 5:40 and how excited I was to beat it. It was then that they reminded me that we started 6 min after the gun time and that I had actually just done this half ironman in 5:30. Are you kidding me?! I just set a new PR by 46 min! More tears, more hugs, this was just unbelievable to me. Oh yeah, and my run time was 1:52, two min off my goal time for this event, I think I can live with that. And I can also live with the fact that I was 6th female overall and 1st in my age group.

Race Results:
Shoreman Half-Ironman Triathlon
5:30:xx Darlise DeMatteo, 1st 40-44 and 6th Overall

Shoreman Half-Ironman Aqua Velo (1.2 mile swim, 57 mile bike)
4:03:xx Tricia Syzmanski, 3rd 45-49

Philadelphia Rock N Roll Half-Marathon
1:19:28 Jay Coughenour, 5th in Age Group
(Editor’s note: The company running the Rock N Roll events, Competitor.com, has a lousy search engine on the website, which makes it impossible to look for runners in an age-group or a geographical region, like Delaware. Anyone else who participated and would like your results reported, please contact me with your time.)

AHEPA 5K
20:32 Tara Huang, 2nd Overall Female

Miles for Melanoma 5K
15:38 Dan Suhar, Overall Winner
16:36 Pat Boettcher, 2nd Overall

Boston Marathon Registration Dates
Monday, September 12 Qualifiers 20 min, 00 sec or faster
Wednesday, September 14 Qualifiers 10 min, 00 sec or faster, (if space remains)
Friday, September 16 Qualifiers 5 min, 00 sec or faster, (if space remains)
Monday, September 19 All qualifiers, (if space remains)
Friday, September 23 Registration closes

Registration is open according to new procedures. It closes entirely on 9/23 so if qualified, see details at
http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/registration-process.aspx

Nun Run 5K – Sat 9/17 – from Ray
As race director, I invite you to run or be the lead bike! As club Prez I invite you to volunteer since we�ll have a table to recruit for club and DDC 15K.
Several members are helping, but I just need a couple more. Choice of our table, serving beer, directing traffic, course marshal. Great weather expected. Just down the street from Octoberfest. We have volunteer shirts, DJ music, beer, pizza, chocolate milk, more. Call me 302-633-1482 or see www.NunRun5k.org.

Main Street Mile – Sat 10/1
Club sponsor New Balance is involved in Main Street Mile in Newark on October 1st. The run supports the Newark K-9 unit. Breakfast at Deer Park Tavern. See http://www.mainstmile.com.

Delaware Distance Classic 15K – Sun 10/9
75 registered already. We’re shooting for 400. If not running, please contact Jim Steele at to assist on race day (registration, course marshal, set-up, refreshment tables). Mark your calendar for our race! See optional race jacket at http://www.pcvrc.com/ddc.php

DDC 15K or Club Race Jacket
Members, did you know that you too can order the DDC race jacket even if you’re not running the race? The jacket is available in Black from New Balance with your choice of DDC Race Logo or PCVRC Club Logo embroidered on front. It is a lightweight, moisture-wicking, and breathable, the Gazelle Jacket is seriously versatile. For more information and to see a picture of the jacket please go to http://www.pcvrc.com/ddc.php. If you are interested in ordering please contact Ray() or Jim().

Volunteers Needed for Delaware Distance Classic 15K
Volunteers will be needed for the DDC 15K on Sunday, October 9th. Jim Steele will be coordinating all volunteer efforts. We will need help with registration, course marshals, traffic, water stops, finish line and food tables. Please email Jim at to volunteer! We’re looking for about 20 club members to help out. Thanks for your support!

Wine Dinner From: Social Director Rachel
If you haven’t RSVP’d to the wine dinner on September 27th @ 7:30, Please email me to reserve your spot! – Hope to see you there!

From Secretary Jerry (through Editor Dave):
Jerry Herman had to go out of town on short notice. However, he is registered for the Rock “N” Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon this Sunday. He mailed me the registration confirmation, but I won’t be using it. So, claim it if you want to run. The only stipulation is that you can’t finish fast enough to place in the 65-69 male age-group. Last year the third place male 65-69 ran slightly over an eight minute pace in 1:46++. E-mail me if you want to come by and pick up the confirmation.

UD XC
Info on women’s cross-country meets, received from the University of Delaware: Unfortunately these meets are women-only as the U. of DE no longer has an official men’s team, which was sacrificed on the altar of the political correctness of Title IX and the fact that men’s teams had to be axed to balance out the high number of men’s athletic scholarships that go to the football team, for which there is no women’s equivalent.

Delaware Cross Country would like to invite you and your running clubs to attend their two exciting home meets this season! The Delaware Invitational takes place this Saturday, September 17th. The Blue & Gold Invitational is scheduled for Saturday, October 15th. Both meets will be hosted at White Clay Creek State Park [Carpenter Park on 896] in Newark, DE.

For more information about this year’s Cross Country team, as well as to find out more information about the upcoming meets, please click here to visit BlueHens.com

“Healthy Kids Running Series” for Children Coming to Wilmington:
Sunday, Sept. 25 and October 2, 9, 16 and 23, 2011 from 5:30PM � 6:30PM. The Healthy Kids Running Series will kick-off its inaugural season at Pointe Lookout Farm(3201 Montchanin Rd.) Sunday afternoons beginning Sept. 25, 2011! The Healthy Kids Running Series is a five week running program for kids Pre-K to 8th grade. Each Race Series takes place once a week and offers age appropriate running distances. Kids will compete each week of the Series for a chance to earn points, and at the end of the Series the top boy and girl with the most points in their respective age division receive a trophy. All participants receive a medal and gift bag for their achievements!

Kids from Pre-K to 8th grade are invited to come and participate in a fun five-week running series. Distances: Pre-K 50 Yard Dash, K & 1st 1/4 Mile, 2nd & 3rd 1/2 Mile, 4th & 5th 1 Mile, & 6th � 8th 1 Mile.

Trophies will be awarded based on points accumulated to the top boy and girl in each age group after the final race of each Series. Each Participant will receive a medal after the last race. The first 400 registered participants across all Series will receive a New Balance T-Shirt. The Series provides participants with a fun learning experience about living an active lifestyle, dedication and setting goals.

To register for the Healthy Kids Running Series visit: www.HealthyKidsRunningSeries.com

Lehigh River Valley Marathon: It wasn’t like I remembered it
Two years ago I ran the initial staging of this event and did fairly well, finishing in 4:09. If I could accomplish that again, it would give me an extra five minutes of qualifying for Boston, meaning I could register earlier and have a better chance at entering than with the other BQ time I have. Additionally, club member David Baca was attempting to BQ at the event.

Unfortunately, events conspired against us.

1. Recall all the rain we had just a week ago and then recheck the name of the race. We were supposed to be running mostly on a bike path along the river from Allentown, thorugh Bethlehem, to Easton, PA. But it had flooded during the rains and the course had to be altered in several areas. So, instead of running on the gentle downhill of the path, we had to run five extra miles in the beginning of the race on hilly roads and then three more hilly miles at the end.

2. While the temperature didn’t get above 68 by the time I finished, the dew point was almost the same as the temperature. This created a deceptive feel as it didn’t seem so bad at the start of the race, but by half way through, I felt like I was cooking. I took fluids at every stop and was taking walking breaks (a la the Galloway method), but it wasn’t helping.

3. The parts of the trail that weren’t paved were either damp and slick or stone gravel had been added. Either way I slowed down on both surfaces.
By twelve miles, I had an irritated tendon near my right knee and I knew I was going to have a rough day. At one point, about eighteen miles in, even though I was just slogging along, I was sucking wind like I was sprinting. When I took a walking break, I decided to keep walking until my breathing was more normal. I took me almost a half mile of walking for my breathing to slow down. I ended up finishing over 35 minutes slower than in 2009. David Baca missed his BQ time by over 21 minutes.

On a brighter note, Carolyn and I intended to go to an alehouse near the finish line for some food and beverages, but we weren’t sure where it was. Then she pointed out all the guys standing around in RED DRESSES. They were hashers, known as “the drinking club with a running problem”, and had participated as teams of relayers in the red dresses. Showing up in public in red dresses is something of a yearly tradition for most hash house harrier groups- done with the intention to shock those of a more prim and proper outlook. At any rate, I approached them, figuring if anyone would know where to find a beer, they would. Sure enough they pointed it out and we went off to relax.

Race Results:

Ocean City, N.J. Triathlon
1:16:11 Theresa Kauffman, 1st 45-49

Bottle and Cork 10 Miler
55:54 Mark Vilardo, Overall Winner

Lehigh River Valley Marathon
3:51:44 David Baca
4:44:31 Dave McCorquodale

McCorq’s Fun Run Recap
Substitute McCorq’s Fun Run went well! I’m very appreciative that Ray Christensen stepped up to host a fun run at Delcastle to substitute for the McCorq’s event. There were about 25 people in attendance and a good number of them brought salads or desserts. Pizza, beer, water or sodas, and random prizes were enjoyed by all. Unfortunately, no one took up John Schultz on his challenge to race a 100 yard sprint, so he apparently remains the club champion until he’s dethroned.

Next year will see the resumption of McCorq’s Fun Run with the highly likely possibility that it will occur a week or so earlier than the traditional Thursday before Labor Day.

Race Results:
(catching up on some older ones):

FreshBurst 5 Miler (Lititz, PA, 8/20):
Jay Coughenour, 28:45, 7th overall, 1st Masters
Greg Cauller, 28:59, 8th overall, 2nd Masters
Lynn Knothe, 33:07, 1st Overall Female

Ben & Tim Day 5K (Hershey, PA, 8/27) – a money race
17:14 Greg Cauller, 1st Master
19:09 Lynn Knothe, 5th Overall Female

Radnor Run Steeplechase 5K results
The results are in for the Radnor Run Steeplechase 5K. PCVRC’s team placed third in the race with 335.71 points and continues to hold third place in the series.

Time Age Grade
23:13 70.94 Fred Shufflebarger
18:47 69.48 Mike DiGennaro
18:48 68.79 Pat Boettcher
22:50 66.19 Bob Kleszics
23:57 65.07 Epi Camacho
26:06 60.31 Sheri Herrmann
35:09 52.30 Jim Durkin
44:48 45.81 John Schultz

Hurricane Irene + McCorq’s 5k Update
“I was born in a cross-fire hurricane. And I howled at my ma in the driving rain….”. So say the opening lines to Jumpin’ Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones. And until today, I had no idea that, in my case, those words were almost true. For it turns out that the last time Delaware was hit in a major way by a tropical storm of the magnitude of Irene was in early September of 1944, about two weeks before I was born.

Now we are all about to find out what a storm of that strength might wreak upon us. So hunker down for the weekend, prepare and be safe. Assuming no major problems, many of us will gather next Thursday for the Fun Run

The usual message follows. But please, if you think about it, send me those race times NOW, so that I’m not rushing before the run begins to figure out the handicaps.

Special challenge: John Schultz is interested in challenging others to a dash (between 50 to 100 yards) after the run. So if you think you can beat a 79 year-old man in a dash, go for it. I’ve already been humbled.

McCorq’s Friendly Fun Run 5K Handicap Challenge
2011-09-01 Thurs Sept 1: 6pm check-in

Location: Ray’s House near Delcastle at
2630 Crossgates Dr.
Wilmington, DE 19808

* If bringing chairs, park at Ray’s. If not, you can arrive at 6:20 or later and park at Delcastle to walk .3 miles to Ray’s house after run.

RSVP is encouraged (to ) for current club members, but those who definitely know they are coming and already know what their best 5K of the past year is can e-mail it to me so I can get a start on the handicapping.

Race Results:
Greene Turtle Lewes 5K
15:49 Mark Vilardo, Overall Winner
17:46 Greg Cauller, 1st Master
19:48 Lynn Knothe, 2nd Overall female

Tour de Lance 5K
15:46 Dan Suher, Overall Winner
17:55 Matt Cutrona, 1st Master
19:20 Lynn Knothe, 2nd Overall female