News and Notes

CVR Birthdays this week:

Happy Birthday to: Maureen Carr (new age group!), Tom Foltz, Mike Gillis, Joe Merrill, Theresa Noonan, Michelle Risley, Jay Stewart, Charlie Windisch, Gwenna Peters, Mark Cioffi, Gigi Guerin, Zoe Plummer-Tripp, Andy Sheehan, Chelsea Evans, and Elsa Crocket!

Hello from Montpelier,

The relief from the high humidity is welcome, but not so much the threat of heavy rains – I hope everyone is staying dry and getting their training in for the many races and runs the club has in store as the summer winds down (though it’s far from over!).

You may have noticed a lag from the last newsletter as I was on vacation last week. I also decided to shift the newsletter to a biweekly format so I could capture all of the great detail and share news and fun pictures and stories with the club, but not take up quite so much time on my end. I will plan to send out short snippets/updates in the intervening weeks if there are updates to share, and also welcome the continued submissions of stories for our special editions – please share and I’m happy to send out to the club!

Happy running,
Heather Tomlins

CVR Members Out in the Region
Donna Smyers and Darrel & CherylLasell shared that they successfully raced the Cog on Mount Washington last weekend, a feat worth bragging about!

Northfield 5K Volunteer Call
Hey CVR friends – this is a message from Jim Flint, race director for the Northfield 5k and kids mile race on August 31. To put on this year’s race, 12 more CVR volunteers are needed – 6 on the timing crew – 4 for registration – and 2 for setup and course safety. Jim expects to have enough Darn Tough socks left after age group awards to provide a pair for each volunteer. The race is CVR’s second largest, with 177 participants last year and expected to grow again this year. Younger volunteers are especially needed. Please sign up ASAP at cvrunners.org or contact Jim if you have questions; thank you!

Upcoming Races and Club Volunteer Needs

Summer race schedule:

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 (see above)!
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.

Thursday Track Nights – a resounding success!

All Comers Track Nights – a new CVR summer staple
Track nights may be over for this summer but what a fun way to spend Thursday evenings – we had tons of interest, a lot of repeat attendees, and it seems safe to say that a new CVR summer tradition has been launched. Thanks so much to the organizers/coaches who dreamed this up and made it a reality: Dylan Broderick, Andrew Tripp, Nathan Suter, and Seth Jackson. Results from all of the track nights from this summer can now be found on the website. Looking forward to getting these going again next year – see you all at the track next July!

Fun Runs –> Trail Season!

Saturday, August 17 – East Monteplier
We will meet at U32 and run the Karen Clark, Bobolink, and Mallory Brook sections as an out and back (10ish miles). The Bobolink section is new this year and is a great addition to the trail system. Runners can run out as far as they would like and turn around for any distance. We could also explore the U32 trails if anyone wants. Anyone bringing dogs, please note that the Bobolink section goes through a working sheep farm – DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH in this section. Please sign up!

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 for a host for August 24!

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. Bear Naked Growler – August 13 and September 10, and our next Hubbard Park meetup later in August, stay tuned for details!

Running Book Library
From Anne Treadwell: Pumped up by the Olympics and wanting to delve deeper into running feats and stories? I may have a book for you! Here’s why:

For 10 years on South Willard Street in Burlington, I had the pleasure of having Bill Mares for a neighbor. Bill’s marathoning days were over by then, but he always had an encouraging word for me when he saw me out running. And I enjoyed his interesting and humorous stories about running (and life in general) and his books, including The Bach Road to Boston, about his experience training for and running the Boston Marathon while also rehearsing for and singing the St. Matthew’s Passion on the same (Easter) weekend.

A few years ago, Bill gave me a pile of his running books, mostly about the Boston Marathon. He didn’t want them anymore, and he thought maybe I could host them as an informal library for the running club. Over the years, I’ve lent out a few, but never really publicized it. Bill died last week. You may have seen the stories about his wonderful life, and his generous sharing of the story of how he chose to end it. Here’s one.

In Bill’s memory, I finally put together a list of all the running books I have, many of which came from him. There are more than 50, from marathon homages to training guides, memoirs and novels. And I’d love for local running enthusiasts to enjoy them. If you’re interested, email me for the list. —Anne Treadwell ac98@cornell.edu

CVR/ORO Race Series Standings
Updated race standings are here, and are now inclusive of the Barre Heritage 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?
So far we’ve had quite a few great stories come our way that we’ve put out in these special editions. We hope you have been enjoying them! Do you also want to tell your story or share 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

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: