November 2nd and 9th, 2025

Let There be Dark

Hard to believe the clocks fell back today and now we head into the darkest part of the year – if you haven’t already pulled that reflective gear out of storage, now is the time! As a note, official Fun Runs have ended for the year, but unofficial Fun Runs continue from the Bear Naked Growler Tuesdays at 5:30 – wear lots of lights, and grab a beverage from the Growler after the run.

Don’t forget we also have our final club meeting of the year coming up in two weeks on November 16, hosted in Montpelier by Denise Ricker. A draft agenda is included below, although a few details are still in the works, so stay tuned! 

Also – from the pen of Roger Cranse, a thoughtful essay on running published last year (note – some adult language included so not for all audiences!).

Lastly, check out the classifieds/updates below for a recruitment opportunity for coaches, as well as info on a cross training class on offer at GMCF from member Jill Weeks, and a Turkey Trot coming up in Williamstown.

Happy running,
Heather

Newsletter Highlights and Contents – Nov 2 – 15

Fallen Leaves 5K Series – one down, two to go! Head to the Montpelier High School track the next two Saturdays to get your racing done. As a note, Tim is all set on volunteers for the next two races so thank you all for stepping up! Results from the November 1 race can be found here.

Next Club Meeting – November 16 in Montpelier! More details below and to come ahead of the meeting. 

Newsletter Contents:

• Race Updates and Volunteer Needs
• Youth Running Grants Make a Difference!
• New Singlets Out in the Wild
• Upcoming Club Meeting Nov 16 – Agenda and call for items
• CVR/ORO Race Series
• Fun Run – Unofficial Tuesday Runs from the Bear Naked Growler
• Other News, Opportunities, and Classifieds
• CVR Birthdays

Race Updates and Volunteer Needs

November/December Events:

• November 8th and 15th – Fallen Leaves 5K Series – keep these fun and fast (but casual) races in mind as you head into the fall season, happening at Montpelier High School every Saturday in November before Thanksgiving. No pre-registration, just show up with cash or check and see how you go! Volunteer slots are FILLED – THANK YOU!
• December 31st – New Year’s Eve 5K – your favorite end of year race is still a few months out, but it’s never too late to start getting your cold weather race outfit planned OR thinking about getting a jump start on a volunteer role at the VERY beginning of the new race season (that’s right, this restarts the clock on the race series and counts toward 2026 race series standings!). 

CVR cannot put on races without volunteer support, and your help is always 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.

CVR Youth Grants Make a Difference

A few of the teams that received fall grants from CVR reached out to share their appreciation for the support – we love to see these kids getting out there!

I was told that CVR covered the Craftsbury Academy youth fees for our Fly to Pie running and biking event this past weekend.  Craftsbury took the 10 km run and bike events by storm.  We love having the youngsters. Thank you!   — Philip White

Thank you for the grant awarded to the the Main Street Middle School XC team again this fall! We put the money toward a fresh batch of neon green hats for new members of the team. They are hugely helpful in keeping our crew of 50+ kids visible, and we are so grateful to the club for the support! –Coach Dylan Broderick

MSMS students in their new high-viz hats!

New Singlets Out in the Wild!

Member Jill Weeks sported her new singlet for a recent 5K in Chicago – so fun to see these new singlets on display in races outside the region – way to go Jill!

Final Club Meeting of 2025 – November 16!

Thank you to all who attended our meeting in Adamant on September 22, both in person and virtually, we had more than a quorum to get some things done. Please find the meeting minutes here. Our final meeting of 2025 will be held November 16, at the home of Denise Ricker in Montpelier. This meeting will include discussions on accepting the 2026 race and CVR/ORO series schedules and ongoing ways to manage liabilities. If you have other agenda items to suggest please reach out! The draft agenda is here, please feel free to comment in the Google doc or reach out to me directly if you want to see something added. We look forward to seeing you in 2 weeks, either in person or virtually! 

2025 CVR/ORO Race Series Standings

And that’s a wrap on the racing part of the CVR/ORO Race Series! The updated standings through Sodom Pond are here, and we will be hanging onto the final results to keep you all in suspense until the annual dinner. Note that volunteer slots have FILLED at the next two Fallen Leaves races – final opportunities to qualify for a series prize if you hadn’t volunteered yet this year. If for some reason you are someone who needs to volunteer and hasn’t, but also didn’t sign up yet for Fallen Leaves – reach out to Tim and see if he can squeeze you in. But – don’t count on it! 

A sincere thank you to our sponsor Onion River Outdoors and specifically Allee Pineault for her excellent work putting this together. We will have printed copies of the poster available if you want to share this with any local businesses or publicize at your upcoming races, just let me know!

Fun Run – That’s a Wrap on Fun Run!

The clocks have changed and it’s definitively dark at 5:30pm for the next few months. Fun Runs from the DoL are on hiatus until the spring, but if you are worried about a run-sized hole in your Tuesday evenings, a hardy group still gathers to run but from the Bear Naked Growler instead. Grab your lights and reflective gear!

Other News, Regional Opportunities, and Classifieds

**New This Week** Head Coach and Assistant Coaches Wanted for Middle and High School Track and Field!
Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools seek a Head Coach for the High School and Assistant Coaches for both the middle and high school Track and Field programs for the Spring 2026 season. Prior experience with track and field is a plus, but not required.  Please email Dylan Broderick and Jim Eikenberry to learn more. dbroderick26@gmail.com  and  james.eikenberry@gmail.com.

Candidates are invited to submit employment materials via SchoolSpring.com or send a letter of interest and resumé to:

Matt Link, Athletic Director
Montpelier High School
5 High School Drive
Montpelier, VT 05602
matthewl@mpsvt.org

**New this Week** Coming to the GMCF pool in January: H2Go!

This water workout is designed to get gravity off your back and legs while strengthening and maintaining your running specific muscles. Designed to simulate a run, this 45-min interval workout will have you donning an Aqua Jogger waist vest ensuring your vertical position in the water. With heads above water, you can chat with fellow runners as you use the resistance of the water to cross train effectively, facilitate recovery from a challenging run or race, or maintain fitness while recovering from an injury.

Join Jill in the deep end for a new way to workout in the pool with no laps involved, cap and goggles not needed. Full piece bathing suits recommended to prevent chafing from the waist vest. Water vest provided.

H2Go! will meet on Wednesdays from 8:00-8:45 AM, from January 7 – March 11.

Registration fee: $97 for members; $157 for non-members

Register here: https://gmcf.clubautomation.com/calendar/event-info?id=167188&style=0&isFrame=0

**New this Week** Save the Date – Williamstown Turkey Trot 5K on November 22!
More details to come but keep your calendar open for this fun event coming up ahead of Thanksgiving!

2026 Vermont City Marathon Registration Open – Note that registration is now open for the 2026 Vermont City Marathon races! Sign up now to lock in the lowest price (and motivate yourself to start training?)

Still Available – Men’s Hoka Cliftons!
Sal has a brand new pair of Men’s Hoka Clifton 8 in size 11 2E. The price is “pay what you can afford.” They are a navy blue color. Sal notes these would make a great gift!!
Sal Acosta at slacosta@gmail.com

CVR Birthdays – Nov 1 – 15

• Phyllis Arsenault-Berry
• Brian Bushey
• Eliza Gardner-Morse
• Asa Lloyd
• Manny Sainz  (new age group!)
• Leslie Welts
• Jennifer Dickinson
• Chris Cote
• Karen Cote
• Kevin Nadzam
• Holly Fowler
• Jim Rohr
• Matt Dugan
• Simon Eikenberry
• Emily Byrne (new age group!)
• Hazel Zachai

Club Details and Information on Benefits

Member 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:
  • **updated** Ski Rack –  15% off regular price running shoes/hiking shoes, run and fitness clothing, nutrition, and run accessories. Discount applies to non-sale items only. 5% off Garmin and Shokz headphones. Discount does apply to special ordering.
  • 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
  • Mountain Valley Lotus Massage Therapy — 15% off massages. 

Quarterly Newsletter Support – Now “Special Editions” Rather than publish a newsletter, we will plan to send out the periodic “special editions” – see above for a call for stories! Membership Renewal – Reminder  John Hackney is our new membership coordinator and is spearheading a change in our membership signup system, stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. However – you can still renew membership via the link on the website at any time!  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 SeriesWe agreed on some new rules for the next year so check out the Race Series site for more details.   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 John Hackney: club membership tracking Jackie Jancaitis: Race director support Katie Hulbert: 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