| Welcome, Summer There is so much going on all of a sudden, it’s hard to keep track. Read on for updates on trail runs, including the new Monday night trail runs that have just begun, races, tailgates at Fun Run, and more! We also had a few folks out and about on Mount Washington and up in Burlington for races this past weekend, read on for some updates. Also a reminder to visit our sponsors, including some updated deals at Ski Rack in Burlington, if you scroll to the bottom of the newsletter. It may be time for new gear, so check out our partners (including Onion River Outdoors) to take advantage! Heather Newsletter Highlights and Contents – June 16-29 Trail Run Season is in Full Swing – check out the details below on Monday evening trail runs and this weekend’s regional offering exploring Groton Forest. And don’t forget this Saturday is the ORO/CVR race series Birdland Trail 5K! First All Comers Track Meet is June 26! The CVR site has updates on what events are happening on which nights – but hope to see many of you at the first meet this summer!   July 3rd – ORO’s Montpelier Mile! ORO is looking for a few people to help as volunteers for the Montpelier Mile, particularly with day-of registration. If you’re free, please reach out to ORO – more details below! Leaf Peepers Registration is OPEN! It’s a great time to start training for this fun and fast fall half marathon and 5K – details below. Volunteers always needed too, so if you’re interested and available, please sign up on the CVR website today!  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!New apparel and kits – options will be available soon! Stay tuned. Newsletter Contents: Race recap: 47th Capital City Stampede CVR at Mount Washington and Skip’s Run Race Updates and Volunteer Needs All Comers Track Meets are Back – starting June 26 CVR/ORO Race Series StandingsTrail Runs – Monday Trail Runs; Groton Forest June 21 Fun Run – Tailgate at DoL on June 17 CVR Book Club Review – Reviews Wanted! Vermont City Marathon – CVR Finishers! Updated Other News, Opportunities, and Classifieds CVR Birthdays |
| Capital City Stampede a Success! The 47th Annual Capital City Stampede once again lived up to its name. Moving the starting line back toward Main Street extended the opening sprint down Langdon Street and made for some exciting finishes. Daniel Brennan, 20, from St. Johnsbury, led the Stampede from the start and cruised to a 34:12 victory. Rachel Rudder, 32, from Williston, won the women’s division handily, in 37:27. Sarah Knutson, 63, from Plainfield was the top nonbinary finisher, in 53:43. Karen Fiebig, 81, from Waterbury, won the 5k power walk in 51:37. |
Maxfield English, 49, and Addie Hedges, 22, were CVR’s top male and female finishers. Maxfield won the M45-49 age group and placed seventh overall in 36:59, just ahead of Rachel Rudder. Addie won the M20-24 age group and placed 32nd overall. She crossed the line in 43:10. New five-year age group records were set by Salvador Doyle (M10-14), Gordon MacFarland (M75-79), and Bob Murphy (M85-89). Bob became the most senior finisher of all time at the Stampede.
During the opening ceremony, Emma Cerutti, from Northfield, inspired the 108 runners and three power walkers with an acapella rendition of the Vermont State Song, “These Green Hills.” Jenny Moltz took a video of Emma singing, which is available by clicking here. Thank you to participants and sponsors, and to the 46 CVR and Vermont Senior Games Association volunteers who worked side-by-side to ensure a safe, smooth, and fun event.
See more in the Times Argus and Jim Flint’s writeup for Vermont Senior Games Association. Results can be found on the CVR website for the 10K and 5K Power walk.
CVR Members at Mount Washington and Skip’s Run
CVR and Central Vermont in general were out and about participating and in some cases winning big races this past weekend! First up was the annual Mount Washington road race, always a bit of a gamble with the weather, this year cut in half for that reason. Nevertheless, CVR was out in force and a few local folks (Dave Sinclair and Rena Schwartz) won their respective divisions!
Meanwhile, Darrel made it a double header weekend and hit up Skip’s Run in Burlington on Sunday. Looks like a great day was had by all and the weather Sunday certainly looked a little more favorable than Mount Washington the day before!
Race Updates and Volunteer Needs
This month:
- 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!
First 2025 CVR All Comers Track Night – June 26. Come out to the U-32 track for an evening of track and field fun! See below for the poster and details here.
On deck for July:
- July 3rd – ORO’s Montpelier Mile! We are looking for a few people to help as volunteers for the Montpelier Mile, particularly with day-of registration. If you’re free, please reach out to Jen Roberts at jen@onionriver.com and tell her CVR sent you! There’s also still plenty of time to sign up to run this fun and fast traditional race. Support our sponsor by signing up to run and/or volunteer today!
- Bear Swamp – July 12 – this race had to be cancelled last minute last year due to the flood damage in Middlesex, but we are hopeful that 2025 can break the July 10 curse from 2023 and 2024, and that this weekend remains heavy rain free! Registration is open now!
- Barre Heritage Trail 5K – July 26 – registration is now open for this fun trail run, plenty of time for some training!
- All Comers Track Nights – Thursday evenings at U-32 on July 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st!
Dreaming of Fall Already? Leaf Peepers (October 5) registration is now open, and you have plenty of time to start training for the half marathon, so think about signing up!
2025 CVR/ORO Race Series Standings
We are just about at the halfway point in the race series – how are you stacking up? The updated standings through the Capital City Stampede are here. Some of the divisions are not yet sealed for the year so there’s plenty of time to clinch your spot. And don’t forget one requirement is to volunteer at least once – plenty of opportunities to do so this summer and into the fall so sign up today to help!
Coordinator Joe Merrill works to update these as frequently as he can, so we update on the website whenever possible. Be patient as results can sometimes take a few weeks after races to reconcile.
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!
Trail Runs Updates – Monday Trail Runs have started; Groton Forest run on 6/21
Weekly Monday evening trail runs at North Branch/Hubbard Park have begun! Every Monday, meet at the Montpelier Pool parking lot at 5:30 for orientation/intros, group departs at 5:45pm. Currently have an out and back 5k or 10K option – join the group any Monday this summer!
Groton Forest Trail run this Saturday, June 21 – join Michelle Risley to explore more of the Groton Forest trails. More details are in the google sheet here. Meet up at 8am. Alternatively if you’re in the Montpelier area and looking for a trail run closer to home, the ORO/CVR race series Birdland Trail 5K is this Saturday at the North Branch!
Hosts are starting to sign up! If you’re interested in hosting you can take a look at available weekends in the google sheet here. Each week if a run is organized, the details will be updated in a tab in the same sheet, and the host will send out via the CVR Trails Google Group. If you’re not receiving trails emails but want to be, let Mark or Heather know so we can add you to the group.
**If you’re curious about what hosting a trail run entails, check out the host guidelines here.**
Note that an organized Saturday/Weekend run may not happen every week if there isn’t a host signed up. Also as the season is still getting going and with rain and iffy trail conditions, runs may be sporadic – stay tuned!
Fun Run – Tailgate at DoL on 6/17
We are back at the DoL meeting spot for Tuesday runs this season, meet at 5:30 for a run of your chosen distance! This Tuesday June 17, plan to bring some snacks to share and hang out with your fellow runners in the DoL parking lot for a little post-run tailgate! Note that alcoholic beverages are not allowed so choose your accompaniments responsibly.
CVR Book Club – Reviews Wanted! 
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!
Vermont City Marathon – CVR Finishers! (Updated) 
Congrats to CVR members Anna Milkowski, Tim Noonan, Peter Maurais, Shannon Salembier, Eric Jordan, and Sal Acosta for successfully completing Sunday’s Vermont City Marathon! Fresh off their Boston marathon finishes, Anna placed first in the F50-54 age group with a time of 3:28:05, while Tim’s time of 3:51:11 was third fastest in the M65-69 age group. Running in his first marathon, Peter Maurais put in a strong 3:40:04 effort! Shannon Salembier had a brave performance, after recovering from illness the week before the marathon. Shannon crossed the finish line in 4:04:39. This was Eric’s first marathon and he crushed it in 3:45 – a great performance for a first marathon! Sal Acosta volunteered his precision racing skills to serve as a pace group leader. Sal got his group to the finish line right on time; he netted a 4:30:17 finish.
Other News, Regional Opportunities, and Classifieds
Hit the Trail! a 5K Run, Bicycle Ride, and Walk for Healthy Aging on September 6, Morrisville
Central 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 – June 16-29
Helen Bryan ( new age group!)
Dick Ferno
John Hackney ( new age group!)
David McMath
Merill Creagh
Katie Humphrey
Kim Musgrave
Myles Thornton-Sherman
James Eikenberry
Gary Furlong
Christine Zachai
Club Details and Information on Benefits
Member 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:
- **updated** Ski Rack – 15% off regular price running shoes/hiking shoes, run and fitness clothing, nutrition, and run accessories. Discount applies to non-sale items only. 5% off Garmin and Shokz headphones. Discount does apply to special ordering.
- 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
- Mountain Valley Lotus Massage Therapy — 15% off massages.
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 Series
We 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
