CVR Birthdays this week:
Happy Birthday to: Marie Comtois, Mack Gardner-Morse, Eric Ryea, and Heather Tomlins!
Hello from Montpelier,
This week’s edition is coming to you all on the heels of a whirlwind trip I just took with some friends to Orlando to participate in one of the Run Disney race challenge weekends. Some of you may be familiar with the Run Disney races – I had some understanding of what I agreed to, but I had to go through it to really “get it”. Every morning for three straight days, we would wake up at 3am, take a bus to Epcot in Walt Disney World from our hotel, and then hang out with 10,000+ other runners and walkers for about 2 hours as they did wave starts for each of the races (a 5K, 10K, and 10 miler). This couldn’t have been more different than a CVR race! There were incredible costumes and a surprising amount of energy for several hours before dawn every day, and it was fun to race through the parks. All in all, an unforgettable experience – it definitely made me appreciate our race series and all the effort that we put into making our races accessible, fun, and affordable for anyone who wants to enter. The lack of 3am wakeups for any of our races is a perk too!
Read on for updates on this past weekend’s Mutt Strut race results, updates about youth grants, an opportunity to help with Central Vermont Special Olympics Track and Field this summer – among other news. Please feel free to reach out anytime with information you’d like to see featured, it’s been fun to hear from so many members in the last few weeks!
Warmly,
Heather Tomlins
Recent Race Results – the Mutt Strut!
It was a fine day this past Sunday to get out for a race with your dogs for the 26th annual Mutt Strut! We had 45 finishers and almost as many canine competitors. Our overall race winner was Chad Bowen accompanied by Sargent Pepper in 20:23, and our first female finisher was Tristin Goodwin along with the appropriately named Nike in 23:36. A special shout out to all the pups on the race course, who along with Sargent Pepper and Nike included Leo, Norman, Thunder, Bentley, Teddy, Minnow, Charlie, Arlo, Asher, Mishka, Raven, Millie, Shadow, Violet, George, Chloie, Dakota, Lexie, Toby, Olive, Rafiki, Ruby, Ginger, Josey, Colt, Miso, Mochi, Jameson, and Arwen! Woof to all the doggos for a job well done! The full results for the race can be found here.
Thank you to Race Director Maryellen Copping for another wonderful Mutt Strut, and Maryellen also wishes to say a big thank you to all the volunteers who came out to help – you were incredible!
Upcoming Races and Club Volunteer Needs
- Saturday, May 11, 10:00am: CVR’s Adamant Half Marathon and Relay, Adamant. This is a CVR/ORO race series race – a very fun and challenging figure-8 course through the hills and valleys of beautiful Adamant – don’t miss it! Pre-registrations have been strong, and thus volunteer planning is starting – Donna is still looking for volunteers so please sign up to volunteer through the members link on the website or send her an email at dosmyers@gmail.com. Thank you!
- And a new and exciting development – the Double Dirt Challenge will be back this year after all! For intrepid racers – Craftsbury will host the Genny Tenny on Sunday, May 12 (Mother’s Day) and runners who compete in both the Adamant Half and the Genny Tenny will be eligible for a special finisher’s medal (and bragging rights). More details on the Adamant Half website above and the Genny Tenny website(discounted entry to Genny Tenny for DD participants!).
- Saturday, May 18: the Barre Town Spring Run! More info coming soon.
- Saturday, June 8, 9am: CVR’s Capital City Stampede 10K and 5K Power Walk, Montpelier. This is a CVR/ORO race series race – the fastest 10K course in Vermont! This race is also shared with the Vermont Senior Games Association. New this year is a 5K Power Walk option that will be open to ages 10 and up.
CVR cannot put on races without volunteer support, and your help is 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.
Fun Runs –> Other Runs –>Trail Season!
Trail Running – first run will be May 25!
Mark Howard is starting to get this year’s trail runs organized but he needs your help! If you’d like to be a host, please take a look at the sign up sheet here. The first trail run is planned for May 25 and a host is still needed, though there are now hosts for a couple of runs in June. Mark has also started a Google Group as a way to get information out – if you’d like to receive the Trail Running details every week (separate from this update), please email Mark.
Tuesday Fun Runs
Tuesday Fun Runs set off every Tuesday at 5:30pm from the DoL parking lot. We are currently discussing how to incorporate a more regular social aspect to the Tuesday Fun Runs – I will be sharing more information on this and how you can get more involved in next week’s newsletter. However, next week will be our last April run and there are plans for anyone interested post-run to gather at Penzo’s (which will be open!!! this was confirmed). More info on gatherings in May coming soon.
- April 30 – Penzo’s
Club Sponsor Spotlight – Onion River Outdoors
Volunteers needed for the Muddy Onion on April 27th!
Onion River Outdoors has been a great partner to CVR over many, many years, and we are always looking for ways to support them back, see below for a note from them on volunteer needs for this year’s Muddy Onion!
All you CVR runners who also love to bike, Onion River Outdoors needs volunteers for their annual, much loved gravel ride Muddy Onion (link), coming up on Saturday, April 27th! Volunteers who work 2 hours get a tasty locally-catered meal, plus two free drinks. If you volunteer for 4 hours you get the meal plus a free entry into the Tour de Creemee (link), Vermont’s original gravel grinder ride on June 30th! Muddy Onion volunteers have a blast cheering on the 600 plus riders, plus they get the chance to work with our wonderful Onion River Outdoors community and make new outdoor-loving friends and connections. This is a perfect way to support the great collaboration between CVR and ORO, join us and volunteer here! (Note – I stopped by ORO this morning and was chatting with Jen Roberts – she noted that if you get a “full” notice when you click the link, but you still want to volunteer, just reach out to the shop and they will find you a job!)
Club Needs, Opportunities, and Reminders
Youth Grants
Thanks to Ann Bushey for organizing the spring youth running grants! Applications have closed for this season, and eight local clubs and teams applied from across the region. This is an incredible contribution to youth running in central Vermont! Feel free to contact me or Ann for more information on the awards.
CVR Green Up Day – May 2
The Club will host its annual Green Up of the Fun Run course on Thursday, May 2nd. Meet at the Fun Run start at the Department of Labor at 5:30pm. Mack Gardner-Morse will provide Green Up bags, nitrile gloves, and hand sanitizer (volunteers are welcome to bring their own tougher work gloves if they choose). Email Mack with any questions or give him a call (no texts!) at 802-223-5738. See you on the 2nd!
Quarterly Newsletter Support
We are cooking up some ideas on this – watch this space for more info soon!
Membership Renewal – Reminder
Stan is sending out a reminder to folks about renewing. Renew so you can continue to receive these amazing newsletters! It takes less than 5 minutes. Check your status! There’s a link to RunReg at https://cvrunners.org/join-cvr (“JOIN CVR”). This page also has a printable form for those who prefer to mail their renewal. Renewing with a multi-year membership means fewer year-end renewals for you and less administration for the club.
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
The race series is on again! ORO has updated the series poster (below) to reflect the corrected date for the Groton Forest Trail Run! ORO is also planning to update the poster to include the CVR website for more public spaces. Stay tuned!
| News, Races, and Updates from around the Region *New this week* Central Vermont Special Olympics Seeks Track & Field Volunteer Coaches Do you have expertise and/or enthusiasm for track events (50m through 3000m, walks and runs), jumps (standing and running long jump) and/or throws (shot put and softball throw) as well as a passion for coaching and working with individuals with differences? Consider joining our volunteer coaching team this summer and being part of the joy Special Olympics competitions bring to these athletes! Track & Field will meet one evening per week at the U-32 track, from July 8 to Sept. 16 (6-7:30 p.m., day TBD—join soon to have a say in the schedule!), preparing athletes for the Fall Games in late September (date TBD). Missing a practice or two for vacations, etc., is fine as we will have a team of coaches. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Ellen Riley, Head of Delegation for Central Vt. ASAP: jrervt@aol.com, 802-223-8648. (If you have specific questions about what being a volunteer SO T&F coach entails, feel free to contact CVR member Anne Treadwell, 802-363-3991, ac98@cornell.edu.) Thanks for considering! *New this week* The Race Against Racism 5K and Rally – May 25th in Montpelier This will be a great way to show support for this annual statewide anti-racist event, organized by youth from several Vermont high schools and will be held on the State House lawn on May 25th. There will be a public rally, notable speakers, performances and live music. There will be a 5K walk or run at 1:30pm from the State House with a scenic loop through Montpelier. There will be kids activities too. More information and registration information can be found here. Northeast Kingdom’s “Three Great Runs” for 2024 If you’re looking for any excuse to get up to Newport, VT, this year, check out the NEK’s “Three Great Runs” for this year – the Dandelion Run (May 18), the Harry Corrow Freedom Run (July 4), and this fall’s Fly to Pie on October 5! Details on each race can be found in the linked websites above. The New England Challenge – 2 Coupons Available for Discounted Marathons/Half Marathons We still have 2 coupons available for CVR members interested in the New England Challenge race series. This is a six day marathon race series, where each consecutive day they hold a race in one of the New England states. The series begins in Fairlee, Vermont on May 10th and ends in Hartford, CT on May 15th. Their marathon courses are USATF certified, looped courses and are chip timed. All participants receive a race singlet, and finishers receive a medal. If you are interested in a coupon, please reach out to me, first come first served. St Monica/St Michael 5K St Monica and St Michael are hosting their 7th annual 5k fun run/walk on May 31 to help raise funds for the school. https://runsignup.com/Race/VT/Websterville/SaintsShuffle Vermont City Marathon and RelayThe prices of The M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relayincrease on May 12, don’t miss out on this opportunity to sign up before the price increase! Vermont’s 100 on 100 Relay Race AUGUST 10, 2024Round up your closest friends and prepare to take on 100 miles of scenic Vermont terrain–while you make an endless supply of memories! The 100 on 100 Relay is a challenging relay where friends converge from across the country to complete 100 miles together along Vermont’s historic Route 100. Push beyond your limits, lean on your teammates, and complete something extraordinary. Plus, we’ll be having an epic after-party at the finish line with delicious food, live music, and beer (21+). FOR SALE 10% off Opened in October 2022 in Waitsfield Vermont The Mad Rover carries lifestyle and outdoor apparel for all seasons. We carry STIO, KUHL, PRANA, JETTY and FAIR HARBOR to name a few. We stock backpacks and bags, Sunglasses, Jewelry, Socks, Hats and Hydration vessels of all sizes. All CVR members get 10% off. Owner Steve Kenny has been an avid runner for 20 years. |
| Club Info: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: web page and timing Donna Smyers: timing Sal Acosta: Equipment tracking/storage Stan Brinkerhoff: club membership tracking Jackie Jancaitis: Race director support Heather Tomlins: Winter Group Run organization. Jeff Prescott: MailChimp Administrator Ann Bushey: Running Grants Joe Merrill: Race Series Tracking and Awards Dinner MC |
CVR sponsored by:
