News and Notes

CVR Birthdays this week:

Happy Birthday to: Rima Carlson (new age group!) and Lillian Meyer!

Hello from Montpelier,

It’s feeling like summer is finally about to arrive – and running events are in full swing in Vermont! This week’s newsletter is full of updates on races run, races to come, and opportunities to support in other races happening in the region. I hope that you are getting outside as much as possible as we head into summertime! Also note that we are working on re-opening the CVR gear store in the coming weeks, so look for a separate update on that and how to order. Start thinking about what warm weather gear you may need, or plan ahead for winter if you were coveting another member’s CVR jacket or vest this past season.

Meanwhile, below find more updates on volunteer needs (Capital Stampede needs a few more people), recruitment for a volunteer coordinator and event MC for the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon in October, an announcement of a Hoka demo at the upcoming Birdland 5K on June 22, a cool opportunity to help support the Vermont 100 as a volunteer, and a draft agenda for the June 10 club meeting. A lot is going on in June, including another CVR Hubbard Park picnic June 25th. The May picnic was wonderful, and we are excited to figure out how to make more opportunities for running and socializing this summer and beyond.

Looking forward to seeing many of you at the meeting on the 10th!

Warmly,
Heather Tomlins

Volunteer Call – Capital Stampede, Saturday June 8
The club responded enthusiastically to last week’s call for volunteers for this coming weekend’s Capital Stampeded – thank you to those who are stepping up! However Jim and Peter still need a few more folks to help support this race – are you one of them?

In particular, the race needs support for a few water stops and other various course monitoring needs. If you have time on the 8th to help out, please reach out to Jim directly at jimflintvt@gmail.com or sign up under the Members section of the CVR website!

Your help and support is vital to the success of these races – thank you for considering!

Recent Race Results – CVR Members at the Saints Shuffle 2024 in Websterville

The annual Saints Shuffle 2024 Fun Run/Walk took place on May 31, 2024, at Millstone Trails in Websterville, VT. This marked the seventh annual community fun run/walk aimed at benefiting St. Monica-St. Michael School. CVR Members Darrel and Cheryl Lassel, Jackie Jancaitis, Jim Rohr, and Merill Creagh participated – looks like a very enjoyable time was had in the lovely evening sunshine (if still a little cool for late spring/early summer!). About 70 total participants came out to support this great cause!

Jim Rohr, Jackie Jancaitis, Cheryl Lasell, Merrill Creagh, and Darrel Lasell

Upcoming Races and Club Volunteer Needs

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. A few more volunteers are needed! Please see above for specific needs.
Saturday, June 22, 9:30am: the CVR/ORO Birdland 5K is happening! Come, rain or shine, and enjoy the beauty of Montpelier’s North Branch Park as you travel across rolling singletrack, lush forested hills, and babbling brooks. Mass start for all loop distances and all categories: 9:30am. Top three finishers in each category will receive ORO gift cards and top three overall will receive a unique prize. In the spirit of conservation, this race will be cup-less. Feel free to bring your own or purchase a silicone, foldable race cup with your registration. If you prefer, you can run with your own bottle or hydration pack. Plastic free is the way to be! DAY OF REGISTRATION WILL BE 8:00-9:00AM. Pre-reg rate: $18; Day-of rate: $25. New detail: Come demo some HOKA trail runners at the upcoming CVR/ORO Birdland 5K race on Saturday 22, mass start 9:30 at North Branch Trails. We will have HOKA Speedgoat and ATR Challengers so don’t miss this chance to trial a pair of these awesome trail runners! This race is part of the Central Vermont Runners and Onion River Outdoors 2024 Race Series.
Saturday, July 27th, 9am: Registration is now open for the Barre Heritage Trail 5K in Websterville, VT. The course travels around historic granite quarries on rugged challenging trails. Registration at RunSignUp.com (see link here). Early registration $5, but fees increase as we get closer to race day. New this year under 19 years old $5. Age group and fun prizes!

Sunday, October 6: It’s a long way off, but you can never plan too far ahead, right? Just a reminder that the Leaf Peepers 5K and Half Marathonregistration is now open! Get registered here, and start your training for one of Vermont’s best and most scenic races of the year! See below for more info on a need for a volunteer coordinator and event MC!
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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 –> Trail Season!

No trail run scheduled this weekend – register for Capital Stampede instead! (Or volunteer 🙂
Trail runs have been a hit so far, and we’ve only hosted two so far! Pictured below is the crew from our 2024 inaugural run on Cow Hill. Want to get the details on the upcoming Trail runs? Mark has 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. If you’d like to be a host, please take a look at the sign up sheet here, hosts still needed for later June and into July.

Tuesday Fun Runs
Tuesday Fun Runs set off every Tuesday at 5:30pm from the DoL parking lot. We have also started social meet-ups post-Fun Run on two Tuesdays per month. For June, we will plan on meet-ups as follows:

June 11 – Bear Naked Growler
June 25 – Hubbard Park Picnic (this time at the Old Shelter) – more details on this picnic to come!

CVR Special Edition – Did You Miss It?
Last week we published a “special edition” story by Dot Helling, profiling CVR club legend Darragh Ellerson (see website link here). We are hoping to continue sending out these short stories and profiles as we receive them from members – do you have a story to tell or a profile you’d like to have featured? Please reach out and send details to Heather. You could be our next special edition! Stories could cover anything running or club related, such as:

Club history – how races started or stories from past decades of members’ accomplishments
Your achievements – did you tackle your first marathon? Your 15th? Your first 10k? Race stories are inspiring, whether you triumphed, set a personal record, or did not finish but learned a lesson. Tell your fellow members about it!
Personal history – how did you get into the sport of running?
Other ideas!

All stories welcome – pitch me or just send something along with a picture or two to go with! Deadline is rolling!

Volunteer Coordinator and Event MC Needed for Leaf Peepers!
Leaf Peepers is the biggest race CVR puts on and this year we are looking for a volunteer coordinator and an event MC to ensure the event goes on without a hitch. The volunteer coordinator would ideally be able to start helping recruit volunteers this summer, assign roles, and manage volunteers on race day, working closely with Race Director Will Robens to identify volunteer needs. The event MC would call results and be available on the event day to help make the pre-race, start, and finish a fun event for all. Some preparation time required, but overall time commitment is the event itself. If interested in either role or if you’d like more information, please reach out to Will directly at rd@catamountultra.com.

Reminder on Membership Status and Race Series Standings
Are you curious about where you stand in the CVR/ORO Race Series so far in 2024? Well, the tallies have been updated behind the scenes and will be published at the beginning of June on the CVR website. Why not post them now? Because new members joining or current members who renew by May 31 will get credit for all their races retroactively. Someone could join at the last minute and change the standings retroactively, which has happened before, and we don’t want to cause that confusion.

So this is your friendly reminder that anybody who has not renewed by the end of May will not receive points for any races that they have run to this date. If you want to vie for the bragging rights, hit the membership renewalbutton on the website ASAP!

Next Club Meeting – Monday, June 10 in Barre
Thank you to hosts Jim and Kathleen Rohr for volunteering to have us meet at their home at 360 School Road. The meeting will begin at 6pm, with an informal potluck at 5:30. The draft agenda is saved here, and members are encouraged to make suggestions directly in the Google doc! A Zoom option will be made available ahead of the meeting.

Club sponsorship of post-Fun Run picnics this year
Social media usage
Consideration of a chip timing system, equipment replacement
Planning for the club’s 45th Anniversary in 2025 (!)
Your agenda items!

Please reach out to me by responding to directly to this email or sending me a note at hetomlins@gmail.com for any suggested agenda items.

News, Races, and Updates from around the Region

*New this week* Vermont 100 Needs Volunteers! July 18-22
The Vermont 100 race is in need of volunteers for varying shifts over the race weekend of July 19-21. Prospective volunteers can check out the sign-up website here and see what kinds of shifts you may be able to work. The sign up is broken up into about 5 hour time blocks: Thursday & Friday 9am-7pm(ish) and then Saturday from 3am – 3pm(ish) on Sunday non-stop as runners will be running through the night. Monday is also an option for clean up. Signing up for one of these shifts, volunteers will get a t-shirt and a free catered meal on Friday night and/or Sunday afternoon. Particular needs: the volunteer coordinator is looking for a group to take the charge at 2 aid stations, Pollys ~mile 96 which is open from 4pm on Saturday – 9am Sunday and the finish line from about 6pm on Saturday – 10am on Sunday. These can be broken down into multiple shifts. For a group that adopts an aid station, they will receive a $300 stipend to purchase a signature food, decorations, etc. and will be able to nominate someone from their club/group to bypass the lottery for the 2025 event. Use the link here to sign up!!
Vermont Senior Games State Track & Field Meet – June 15
Saturday, June 15, Burlington High School, starting at 9 a.m. Running and field events, plus 1500-meter Power Walk. Ages 50 and up. Female, male, and nonbinary divisions, with medals in 5-year age groups. Full event details and online registration are at vermontseniorgames.org.

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 remaining two of the NEK’s “Three Great Runs” for this year – 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.

FOR SALE

Rebecca Wallick’s book – Wild Running: Lessons from Dogs, Wolves, and the Natural World: a Memoir
It’s not every day that we can say that CVR’s ranks include a newly published author, but we can now with the release of Rebecca Wallick’s book, Wild Running: Lessons from Dogs, Wolves, and the Natural World – a Memoir. I have been thoroughly enjoying this treat of a book as I grab moments to read here and there, and I think it will appeal to other members who want to dive into Rebecca’s world of dogs, running, and helping de-mystify one of the most misunderstand animals in the natural world. Available via Amazon here. Let me know what you think!

Rental available in October for New Hampshire Marathon
CVR Member Kari Bradley has a potential rental option available the week/weekend of October 5 in Newfound Lake, NH, which would be ideal for anyone who has plans to run the New Hampshire Marathon. If this sounds like something you may be looking for, please reach out to Kari at karibradley99@gmail.com.

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.

Current Club Membership 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

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: website and timing
Donna Smyers: timing
Sal Acosta: Equipment tracking/storage
Stan Brinkerhoff: club membership tracking
Jackie Jancaitis: Race director support
TBD: 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

CVR Birthdays this week:

CVR Sponsored by: