News and Notes

CVR Birthdays this week:

Happy Birthday to: No birthdays this week!?!? (I triple checked so if your birthday is between 6/25 and 7/1, let me know!)

Hello from Montpelier,

The first big heat wave of the summer is past, and as we head into July, there is so much going on that it’s getting harder to keep up. Tonight we saw a tremendous turnout for Fun Run in more seasonable summer temperatures, and had a great group gather at the Old Shelter in Hubbard Park for our second CVR summer picnic. We will host another picnic next month so if you feel like you’re missing out, you’ll have your chance!

See below for updates on the first Thursday track night of the summer, a volunteer call for the Bear Swamp race coming up on July 13, an the launch of a coaching program, on top of a reminder that the CVR gear store is open until July 9th, this may be your last chance to get your hands on the current logo as we’ve formed a committee to start looking at a brand re-fresh this year!

Warmly,
Heather Tomlins

Recent Race Results – ORO/CVR Birdland 5K

Watch this space next week – I’m still gathering some photos and a race recap, but as a quick preview, it’s worth noting that the field of runners was the largest this race has seen, and it was a misty, very muddy morning to be running around on the North Branch trails. A lovely if soggy time was had by all – more on this soon, and hope that my fellow participants have managed to dry out by now!

Upcoming Races and Club Volunteer Needs

On Deck for July:

Wednesday, July 3rd, 6pm: Sign up for the Montpelier Mile, put on by CVR longtime sponsor and partner Onion River Outdoors!
Saturday, July 13, 9am: Registration is open for Bear Swamp, a rugged but fun 5.7 mile romp through Middlesex. Pre-register for lowest costs! Note from the race director: We need volunteers! Please consider coming out to support this race and make it a success- reach out to Mark directly or sign up via the CVR website to help out. Thank you!
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!
Mark your calendars for other summer races, including Berlin Pond (August 15th) and the Northfield 5K (August 31),more information can be found on the website and will be provided here as those races get closer. However, it’s never too early to sign up to volunteer! 🙂

Start Training for a Fall Race:

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 Marathon registration 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!
See below for more detail on a summer coaching program run by April Farnham, if you’re looking for some structured training to get ready for a fall half marathon!

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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 –> Track Nights –> Trail Season!

Starting this Thursday, June 27, Track Nights at U32!
Join us for low-key, informal track meets at U32 this summer! Events will be self-timed and open to everyone age 10 and up. This is a great opportunity for some friendly competition and to develop some speed. Arrive at 5:30pm to sign up. First event will start at 6:00pm. Each week will include a mix of sprint (100-400m), distance (800-1600+m), and relay events. The 100m will also be offered to kids 10 and under. We will do our best to fill any incomplete relay teams for those in need of teammates. Meets will continue through July (except 7/4) with the possibility of field event(s) also being offered. Please contact Dylan at dbroderick26@gmail.com with questions.

North Branch Trails – June 29th, 7:30am
Meet at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier for a 6-mile romp through the forest with host Justine Franco, hopefully a littler drier than last weekend! Please sign up so Justine knows how many to expect. Below, last weekend’s crew from a jaunt through Groton State Forest!

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, we are still looking for a host for 7/6, and now into August!

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 July, we will post the planned meetups in the next week!

CVR Gear Store Re-Opening through July 9th
We’re re-opening the CVR gear store this summer – if you missed the email that went out last week, check it out here. The store will be open through Tuesday, July 9th, so be sure to grab what you want before then!

Re-branding the Club – interested in helping?
if you’re interested in joining a committee to look at the re-branding issue and help steer the direction we go, please reach out to me for more information! A small group was formed at the meeting and we will be looking to get started this summer. Thank you!

Launching the CVR Coaching Program – starting July 11
April Farnham is bringing back her popular coaching program from a few seasons ago! To join, you just have to sign up for a CVR race and get the training program for free. If you have friends who aren’t members but have been looking for a reason to get more involved, they can also participate as long as they are signed up for a CVR race (in hopes that their positive experience inspires them to join the club!).

The training starts July 11 on Thursday nights. We will meet once a week for 12 weeks and they will have a specific program. There is a 5K, 10k and a half marathon as well as a marathon and 50 K training program because some people have/are signing up for the Groton forest 10k, half and marathon, but extending it to a 50 K. So it’s not just the Leaf Peepers.

First meeting will be on July 11th in Plainfield, but the evening meetups may rotate between other local spots like Barre and Montpelier to mix it up. Details on the program will be available to participants through Facebook for those that have signed up for the races and to do weekly announcements and possibly post strength workouts as April is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. The Facebook group will also allow question and answers and weekly check-ins. If you’re not on Facebook, just let April know and she’ll accommodate you! Find out more here, and reach out to April directly with questions.

CVR/ORO Race Series Standings
Updated race standings are here! Series coordinator Joe Merrill is tracking all of your successes at our race series races and is ready to start publishing the standings going forward. Please find the current standings here on the website. Joe encourages everyone to take a look and reach out to him if you think something is amiss, including whether your volunteer status has been accurately recorded. Shoot him an email at roadduck99@yahoo.com and let him know!

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.

News, Races, and Updates from around the Region

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!!
CVR Member’s Run across the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, Aug 2-3
In Case you Missed this, from Rowly Brucken: I have decided to try to run across Vermont on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail this summer as a final long ultra run of gratitude. It will be a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, marking 34 years almost to the day that I had surgery to remove a liposarcoma from my left leg. I am thankful to each of you who have already expressed an interest in supporting me on this journey. I’m thinking of starting in Swanton at 4pm on Friday, August 2, which may put in me in St Johnsbury in the early afternoon of the next day. Here is a link to the LVRT maps. If you are free and willing to help pace or support, I will enjoy your company immensely on this final long run for me. It is not only my health for which I am grateful, I am thankful for the many miles and/or hours of conversation I have spent with many of you in CVR. Feel free to also share this information with others who might be interested. I will make live an official ACS fundraising page soon as well. Thank you so much for your consideration! If you are interested, feel free to e-mail me rbrucken@norwich.edu.

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: