News and Notes

July 16, 2024

CVR Birthdays this week:

Happy Birthday to: Kim Caldwell, Deirdre Ellerson, Cindy Gardner-Morse, Lori LaCroix, Kira Saligman McGill, Sarah Black, Blaise Smith (new age group!), Kate Keener, Andrew Blaine, Liz Lilly, and Rick DeAngelis!

Hello from Montpelier,

Last week was a rough one for our brave little state, and most especially to many towns and communities that are home to our members. Coming on the exact anniversary of last year’s devastating floods, it was an eerie reminder of the power of Mother Nature and the fact that circumstances can change quickly when heavy rain gets involved. As many of you saw, we postponed or cancelled some events in light of the flood conditions, washed out roads, travel restrictions, and out of respect for the communities directly impacted. As we start to regroup and move forward, CVR is keeping all those affected in our thoughts.

We are also working to make it possible to have any Bear Swamp registrants opt to have their registration fees donated to flood relief, transfer registration to the upcoming Barre Heritage trail race on July 27th, or to receive a refund. Bear Swamp race co-director Mark Howard sent participants an email on 7/15 with those options so if you were pre-registered for Bear Swamp and missed that, please reach out to Mark this week. Anyone pre-registered who doesn’t state a preference by the end of this week will automatically have their registration fees donated to flood relief, so doing nothing has a big impact here! We are continuing to look for ways, big and small, to support our communities in a time of need.

This week will mark the postponed launch of April Farnham’s coaching program (pushed from last week), and U32’s All Comer’s track nights will resume this Thursday as well. Note however this Saturday’s planned trail run on Perry Hill may be up in the air due to flooding impact, so see below on how to get updates for that if you had hoped to get out on the trails this weekend. I hope you’re all getting back to normal as well as you can.

Be well,
Heather Tomlins

Upcoming Races and Club Volunteer Needs

Summer race schedule:

Saturday, July 27th, 9am – Barre Heritage Trail 5K: 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! Bear Swamp pre-registered participants: if you’d like to transfer your registration to Barre Heritage, reach out to Mark Howard directly!Volunteers welcome, please sign upon the website or email Jackie! She is looking for help with day-of registration and timing!
Thursday, August 15, 5:30pm – Berlin Pond: Take on the fun and fast 5-mile Berlin Pond race, on a Thursday evening so be ready for some heat! Always a fun race. Sign up is open and also, volunteers welcome!
Saturday, August 31, 9:30am – Northfield 5K, Power Walk, and Kids Race: A Labor Day weekend classic in Northfield, and a Vermont Senior Games Association qualifier! You don’t want to miss it. Register now, or sign up to volunteer!
Saturday, September 7, 7am, Groton Forest Trail Marathon, 25K, and 10K: Get ready for this fun and challenging set of races, so pick your distance and let it rip. Registration is open!

Start Training for a Fall Race:

Wednesday, September 18 – Sodom Pond is only 2 months away! Stay tuned for details.
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!

Next All-Comer Track Night: This Thursday, July 18th!
Join us for low-key, informal track meets at U32 this summer! Meets will continue through July with the possibility of field event(s) also being offered. Note for this week that we will stick with the scheduled series of events (see poster below – despite missing last week due to the floods). Please contact Dylan at dbroderick26@gmail.com with questions. These events are ALL AGES! Come out and get some speed work in (and see how you stack up against some of our local youth…or show them how it’s done!).

Next Trail Run – July 20th – Might be Changing!
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had an organized Saturday trail run, but last week’s floods may have thrown a wrench in plans here too. The plan is for Perry Hill this Saturday July 20th. Host Heidi Hales Dugan notes that there will be two (or more) route possibilities, one is about 2 hours and the other is about 1:15 (or less), with the option for treats and coffee afterward. Meet at the Perry Hill trailhead in Waterbury at 7am. Please sign up so Heidi knows how many are coming! HOWEVER – as of today Perry Hill is closed due to flood damage so please sign up so Heidi can get updates out to interested runners before Saturday! The run may be cancelled but that will not be known until Thursday.

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 looking 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. We will have our next Hubbard Park picnic on Tuesday, July 30th, so mark your calendar!

CVR Gear Store Closed! Pick-up details at ORO to come
Those who placed orders should expect notice about pick up at ORO within the next week! Seems that Pierce Apparel is very swift with their production and shipping. We will be in touch!

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. We are about to get organized and start on this project so last call for committee members!

Launching the CVR Coaching Program – starting July 18
As a reminder, April Farnham’s coaching program will launch this Thursday in Plainfield, so there’s still time to sign up! As the program progresses, 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, and are now inclusive of the Birdland 5K! And, with the unfortunate cancellation of the Bear Swamp race, the series will be moving forward without calculating any extra points from that race. This won’t affect any standings, but just an FYI.

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

CVR Members featured in NE 65+ Runners Club Newsletter
Donna Smyers shared the latest from the New England 65+ Runners Clubwhich featured her write up of this year’s Mount Washington Road Race, along with some great photos and other testimonials from racers. Congrats again to all who took part in that challenge!

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. My live official ACS fundraising page is here! 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 – Fly to Pie, October 5
If you’re looking for any excuse to get up to Newport, VT, this year, check out the remaining of the NEK’s “Three Great Runs” for this year – this fall’s Fly to Pie on October 5! Details on each race can be found in the linked website 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: