 Spring has Sprung! So has the mud!With the spring comes the mud, as soon as we put the snow behind us (we hope!) – good luck keeping those new shoes clean! Happy mud running to all!  Illustration by Merill CreaghNewsletter Contents and Highlights – May 5 – 18  Next Club Meeting May 19 in Montpelier – the potluck starts at 5:30 and meeting from 6-7pm. A virtual attendance option will be available! Draft agenda can be found here. Summer Thursday Track Nights – they are coming back! The Montpelier coach crew has secured U-32’s track for a series of Thursdays so get ready for some track and field fun – more details to come, but save the date(s): June 26, July 3, July 10, July 24, July 31, and August 7! CVR 45th Birthday Event – August 17 in Elmore! Save the date – lots in the works planning this fun event but make a note on your calendar to be free on the 17th for CVR’s birthday. More to come but you won’t want to miss it! Double Dirt Challenge – Once again, we will partner with The Craftsbury Outdoor Center to offer the Double Dirt Challenge! Run the Adamant Half Marathon on May 10 and the Genny Tenny on May 25 to be eligible for a 20% discount when registering for the Genny Tenny. Double the hills and dirt, Double the fun, and a unique finishers award and this year you get a 2-week break to recover from Adamant before running the Genny Tenny! Participants must register for both races individually and choose the Double Dirt Challenge price when registering for Genny Tenny. New apparel and kits – we’re still working on this, don’t worry we haven’t forgotten! Stay tuned as we finalize details on our end. Newsletter Contents: Race Recap: Mutt Strut 5KCVR Members at the Sleepy Hollow Mountain RaceRace Updates and Volunteer Needs – Adamant Half Coming Up CVR Green Up a success!Remembering Marsha Bancroft CVR/ORO Race Series Standings Fun Runs Return to Dept of Labor for the season Other News, Opportunities, and Classifieds – new gear listed !CVR Birthdays |
Race Recap: Mutt Strut. It was a bit of a dreary and chilly Sunday but it didn’t stop 49 runners and their doggos from running this extremely fun race and helping raise over $750 for Potter’s Angels! Below some photos from Mel Copping, top to bottom: (1) Overall winner Andy Frakes and Birdie; (2) First female finisher Jessica Hopper with Tulsi; (3) the race start; and (4) Dylan Copping and Raven!    Full results can be found on the CVR website here. CVR Represents at the Sleepy Hollow Mountain Race The first tricky twist of this early-May race is that it doesn’t actually take place at Sleepy Hollow but rather at Cochran’s Ski Area. If you navigate that (and woe to those who showed up at a very Sleepy Hollow looking for a race), then nasty ascents, single track, and slippery surfaces await. A rainy Sunday made for a perfect day to run up a ski slope and into muddy woods, and then to do it again, only the ski slope got much steeper (not true) and the trail much muddier (true) the second time through. A full half of the CVR contingent at the race earned honors for placing in their age groups (Merill and Matt). Can any other clubs say that  ? — Matt Dugan Pictured, left to right: The post-race feet of Matt Dugan, Merill Creagh, and Darrel Lasell. Not pictured: the feet of Hannah Brown  Darrel clearly impressing his competition  Merill telling Matt and Darell to get their own damned post-race pancakes  Unstoppable: Darrel chugging up the ski slope  Matt looking like he’s actually ahead of someone Full results of the race can be found here. Race Updates and Volunteer Needs Upcoming May races:** This weekend!** Adamant Half Marathon – May 10. Head to Adamant this Saturday for one of the most rewarding half marathons you’ll ever run! Registration is open. Donna could put 1-2 more people to work if you are free to volunteer, email her if so! dosmyers@gmail.com. And see note above- the Double Dirt Challenge is on, with a little rest between races – the Genny Tenny is on May 25! Barre Town Spring Run – May 18. Registration is open! This race is back after a hiatus last year, and note that all proceeds go to UVM Children’s Hospital, and the Spaulding High School National Honors society will also be holding a by-donation bake sale at the event. There is online registration and there will be day-of registration as well. Volunteer needs: Note that Race Director Don Singer could use some support on computer timing – can someone help him out? Please email him! dnldsngr@gmail.com. Coming up fast in June:Capital City Stampede – June 7. This fast and flat 10K and (for the 2nd year now) 5K power walk is back! Also a Vermont Senior Games event. Registration is now open. See the flyer below. Volunteer needs: This is a large and complex race, and needs many volunteers to be successful. We are starting to actively recruit volunteers for critical jobs such as course marshals, timing/finish line, set-up, and more – email Jim and Heather or sign up on the website! ORO Birdland Trail 5K – June 21. A part of the CVR/ORO Race Series, this fun but challenging trail run is a favorite of many CVR members. Check out the details here. Registration is now open!  ******* CVR cannot put on races without volunteer support, and your help is always needed. Please volunteer now to help the race directors fill necessary jobs and plan for full race day support. Volunteer now online using the Volunteer link on the CVR website homepage at https://cvrunners.org OR by email to the race directors above. CVR Greens Up the Fun Run Course The beautiful day brought out a record number of CVR members this year! We had 17 people helping clean up the Fun Run course. Dot Helling, Chris Andresen, George Hamm, Mike Fry, Donna Smyers, Merill Creagh, Luke Miller, Addie Hedges, Stephen Brown, Hannah Brown, Laura Medalie, Matt Dugan, Heidi Dugan, Jessica Ball, Zander Ball, and Cindy Gardner-Morse. A big THANK YOU to all who came out to help green up the course. George Hamm summed it up, ” Felt great to clean up the run path.” — Coordinator Mack Gardner-Morse Remembering Marsha BancroftThe notice of Marsha’s passing that I posted in the last newsletter brought up some memories from Jeff Prescott, who wrote with the following funny story to share with the club. If any other members have memories they’d like to share out, please send my way! I recall when Marsha first joined CVR. We were hanging out at the MHS track for some CVR event and I was introducing Marsha to other club members. I called John Martin over and asked “John, do you know Marsha?” Marsha looked at John and said “…John?” John looked at Marsha and said “…Marsha?” And then Marsha said “John!” And John said “Marsha!” They kept this up for several minutes and I had no idea what was happening. It turns out that I was too young to know: link — Jeff Prescott 2025 CVR/ORO Race Series Standings The updated standings through Paul Mailmain are here! As a reminder we made a change starting in 2025 that you have to be a member at the time of a race for it to count in the standings (as opposed to the prior May 31 cutoff). Race Series Coordinator Joe Merrill wants to remind folks that he is giving a grace period through the Adamant Half for people to renew to have their results count in the series. Renew your membership now if that’s you! A sincere thank you to our sponsor Onion River Outdoors and specifically Allee Pineault for her excellent work putting this together. We will have printed copies of the poster available if you want to share this with any local businesses or publicize at your upcoming races, just let me know! Fun Run Returns to DoL this Tuesday May 6!   The final Bear Naked Growler evening meetup of the spring was a beaut – it didn’t hurt that the thermometer may or may not have reached 70 degrees! Cheers to all, and a fitting coda to a fun off-season meetup spot. This Tuesday, May 6, we return to our usual Department of Labor Fun Run meetup spot (on Google Maps if you’re new!) at 5:30 and there we will remain for the season – more info soon on how we can maintain the spirit of social meetups after. Thank you to Darrel Lasell for keeping the momentum up on the Winter/Spring evening fun runs (and for his spectacular group selfies)!CVR Book Club – New Books in the Library!  Anne Treadwell hosts the Bill Mares Memorial Running Book Library for GMAA and CVR. Members are welcome to borrow books, and book donations are appreciated. Email ac98@cornell.edu for the list or to arrange a browsing session. Readers are welcome to submit brief running book reviews for occasional inclusion in this newsletter. If you have a submission to share, send to Anne or Heather anytime for publication in the next newsletter! The club running book library is growing! New books include Seven Weeks to a 10K: The Complete Day-by-Day Program to Train for Your First Race or Improve Your Fastest Time, by Brett Steward (thanks to a CVR member for the donation!) and Purple Runner by Paul Christman. This latter book is a novel that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Intrigued by all the anniversary hoopla (and boggled by the price that Tracksmith was asking for an anniversary edition), I found a used copy and … couldn’t get past the first page. Let’s just say I’m glad the milieu for women runners has improved in the last half-century. And if anyone wants to check this one out and prove it’s an enjoyable read, let me know! Other News, Regional Opportunities, and Classifieds **New this week** – For Sale – Women’s Saucony Endorphin Pro 3, size 9.5, check out her Craigslist post here. Coming up – May 31 – Outrun the Flood, a fundraiser organized by U-32 students – check out their poster for more details!   Saints Shuffle 5K Fun Run/Walk, Friday May 30 – Millstone Trails in WebstervilleScenic trail run past historic granite quarries. Start and finish at the field across from Millstone Lodge. Register by May 10, 2024 to get a t-shirt! All entrants get a raffle ticket and post-race cook-out. More information can be found here. Hit the Trail! a 5K Run, Bicycle Ride, and Walk for Healthy Aging on September 6, MorrisvilleCentral Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) is hosting Hit the Trail! a 5K Run, Bicycle Ride, and Walk for Healthy Aging on Saturday, September 6th, 2025 on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in Morrisville, VT. This event raises funds to support CVCOA’s innovative programs for healthy aging and individualized support for older adults and caregivers in Central Vermont. This event begins and ends at Oxbow Park in downtown Morrisville. Our bike route heads west from this location, encouraging riders to reach Hyde Park for a 5-mile round trip or Johnson for a 15-mile round trip. The more avid riders can make it to Cambridge and back. The 5K run and walk heads east from Oxbow on an out-and-back course. Following the activities on the rail trail, participants will meet back at Oxbow Park for lunch, lawn games, prizes, and music. Register today at http://tiny.cc/HitTrail.  CVR Birthdays – May 5 – 18Casarah Acosta Pam Erickson Jennifer Miller-Arsenault Tim Noonan Phyllis Tillinghast Tara Cariano (new age group  )Riley Carlson Natalia Hayes Katherine Costello  Club Details and Information on BenefitsMember Benefits Don’t forget that you get many benefits to being a member!Meet, run with, and socialize with other area runners of all abilities.Keep up-to-date on area running races and events.Receive a regular newsletter with race results and club news.Be eligible for the Central Vermont Runners/Onion River Outdoors Race Series.Join a club that’s part of the Road Runners Club of America organization. RRCA is invaluable for insuring CVR races.Become eligible for discounts at these area businesses:Onion River Outdoors – 15% off all running gear, including running shoes, running apparel and socks, reflective gear, run vests, etc. Special orders of Hoka and Altra running shoes included.Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel — 10% off running shoes.Ski Rack — 15% off running shoes and running apparel.Mountain Valley Lotus Massage Therapy — 15% off massages Mad Rover – 10% off Quarterly Newsletter Support – Now “Special Editions” Rather than publish a newsletter, we will plan to send out the periodic “special editions” – see above for a call for stories! Membership Renewal – Reminder John Hackney is our new membership coordinator and is spearheading a change in our membership signup system, stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. However – you can still renew membership via the link on the website at any time! CVR Equipment Use Anyone wanting to use equipment send Sal (and cc myself) a request that includes 1) Date equipment to be removed from the shed, 2) Itemized list of equipment being removed; including quantities, 3) Date equipment will be returned to the shed. Please send Sal (and cc the club president) and email to let us know when the equipment has been returned.Race SeriesWe agreed on some new rules for the next year so check out the Race Series site for more details. Elected Officers President – Heather Tomlins Vice President – Tim Noonan Finance – John Valentine Secretary – Cheryl Lasell At Large Executive Committee: Anne Treadwell & Dot Helling John Hackney: website and timing Donna Smyers: timing Sal Acosta: Equipment tracking/storage John Hackney: club membership tracking Jackie Jancaitis: Race director support Katie Hulbert: Winter Group Run organization Mark Howard: Summer Trail Runs organization Jeff Prescott: MailChimp Administrator Ann Bushey: Youth Running Program Grants Joe Merrill: Race Series Tracking and Awards Dinner MC Darrel Lasell and Jim Flint: CVR Facebook page managers |
