August 23, 2026
 Central Vermont Runners |
| President’s Note When I became active in CVR in the mid-1980’s and jumped in to direct the Montpelier Ten Miler, I recall feeling pressure to make a profit on the race. We only sponsored five races at the time, none of which made a lot of money, and the CVR treasury would be close to dry if a race lost money. This tricky financial situation improved when one of the five races – the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon – proved to have the successful formula for making a substantial profit: have a race with good sponsorship at a popular distance on a beautiful course during the height of fall foliage season that will attract a lot of out-of-state runners. Leaf Peepers has continued to be CVR’s most profitable race for more than 30 years. It has been the largest factor in CVR’s financial health for many years and has taken the pressure off other CVR races to secure large profits. However, Leaf Peepers is now at a crossroads. The lack of a major sponsor, increased competition, less CVR volunteer support, and ever-escalating expenses have led to substantially declining profits over the last several years. Some of us will be meeting with Race Director Will Robens next week to come up with ways to improve the financial picture this year, and there will be a focus on long-term prospects after this year’s Leaf Peepers. There is one immediate step we can take to ease financial pressures. Will has paid a person to be a Volunteer Coordinator in recent years. The Volunteer Coordinator previously was a CVR member serving on a volunteer basis. We can save expenses on this year’s race if one of you is willing to step forward to fill this important role as a volunteer. Please contact me within the next few days –carrnoonan@comast.net or 802 249 1666 – if you are interested. – Tim Newsletter Highlights and Contents: August 9 – August 22 Next meeting- Tomorrow! Upcoming Events- Northfield 5k, Groton Forest Trail Run, Sodom Pond Recent events recap Weekly summer events CVR birthdays Member benefit highlight Other news, opportunities, and classifieds |
| CVR Meeting- Monday, August 24th The next CVR meeting will be at The Four Corners Schoolhouse in East Montpelier (945 Vincent Flats Road) on Monday, August 24th. There will be a potluck at 5:30, followed by the meeting which will go from 6-7 p.m. find the agenda and link to join virtually here. the minutes from our last meeting can also be found here. |
| Upcoming CVR/ORO Race Series Races Northfield 5K Run/Walk and One Mile Kids’ Race: CVR and the Vermont Senior Games Association present the 47th Annual Northfield 5k and One-mile Kids race on Saturday, September 5 in downtown Northfield. This exciting community event for young and old kicks off Northfield’s Labor Day weekend festivities. Register here. Groton Forest Trail Run: The Groton Forest Trail Race is coming up on September 12, 2026. Onion River Outdoors is extending the same 15% discount that members receive in their shop to the race’s registration costs. The coupon code is CVRGroton. You can register here. Sodom Pond: This September 16th, join in on a Wednesday evening race around the picturesque Sodom Pond in the hills of Adamant. Register and find more info here. |
| Recent Events Recap Berlin Pond: Sixty-eight starters in the Berlin Pond 5 Miler enjoyed temperatures in the mid-70s, which is delightful for this usually sweltering mid-August evening race. Twenty-five-year-old Seth Weprin from Cambridge, Massachusetts won the overall title with ease in 27:49. Runner-up Seth Jackson from Montpelier, with his 29:03, out-dueled reliable frontrunner Neal Graves. In the women’s division, thirty-nine-year-old Heather Feldman from Colchester set a new course record for her age group, 32:42, holding off Addie Hedges by just twelve seconds. In the 80-plus division, John Hackney’s 46:35 crushed the old course record by seven minutes. As usual, Red Hen bread was the most popular prize for division winners and rafflers alike. Thank you to our intrepid volunteers, particularly those who answered the call in the final few days. – Sue and Bob Emmons Nathan Suter Track Celebration: the rescheduled track celebration had perfect weather and a nice turnout. Participants enjoyed fun competition and live music from Montpelier’s mayor. Weekly Runs: Members are out on the roads and trails multiple times a week as the good weather continues. Race Series Standings: Find out where you are in the race series competition following Berlin Pond here. |
| Calls for Volunteers Northfield 5k: We always need volunteers to put this race on. Reach out to Tim Noonan (carrnoonan@comcast.net) if you can help out with the festivities. Groton Forest Trail Run: ORO is looking for some volunteers! Scroll down on their event page here for details on how to sign up and see the benefits they are offering. Sodom Pond: If you are available to help at this evening race, contact Tim (carrnoonan@comcast.net). 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. |
| Summer Fun! Official Fun Runs: On from DOLTuesdays at 5:30! Saturday Trail Runs: Saturday trail runs are on! Email Mark (howardms@gmail.com) or Heather(hetomlins@gmail.com) to be added to the mailing list. Stay tuned for the end-of-season Oktoberfest run at Trapp on September 26! Wednesday Trail Runs: Meet at the North Branch Nature Center for a run through North Branch/Hubbard trails. Get there 5:20 pm for a little orientation, depart at 5:30 pm. |
 CVR Birthdays!  Happy birthday to members with birthdays August 23 – September 5 – Mike Gillis – Jarred Cobb – Charles Windisch – Henry Marcy – Mark Seltzer – Beth Diamond – Richarda Ericson – Sue Emmons – Christopher Meyer – Hannah Chauvin – Scott Widmer |
| Thank you to our community partners! Don’t forget about the awesome benefits that you receive with your CVR membership from our community partners! See all benefits here! 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. |
| Additional News New Book by a CVR Member: Gordon MacFarland has published a book titled “Staying With It: Reflections on Running and Aging”! Read about the book here. This ties in nicely with recent member special editions by Dot Helling and Elizabeth McCarthy, so we are wondering if anyone would be interested in a longer collection of musings on this topic. If you would like to contribute, email Addie (addiemariehedges@gmail.com). Nathan Suter Scholarship: A component of the track celebration was collecting donations for a scholarship in honor of Nathan Suter. If you would like to contribute, you can Venmo “MRPS Partners in Education Corporation” and include “Nathan Suter” in the description. NEK Weekly Runs: Fun runs are popping up around the Danville and St. Johnsbury area! If you’d like to see what’s happening in that corner of Vermont, follow the Kingdom TNT Run Club on Strava and Facebook for upcoming group runs. Trapp Trail Races: Head to the Von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort Thursdays at 5:30PM from June 25 to August 27 for a 5K trail running race. Whether you are looking to set your PR or just enjoy fresh air and mountain views, we welcome you to come run with us in this series of low-frills races. There will be a well marked course that has some uphills and downhills, but is relatively flat for being on the side of a mountain. The 5K is open to all and is $5 for juniors and summer season passholders and $10 for everybody else. All races will start right at 5:30PM from the Outdoor Center meadow at 800 Trapp Hill Rd. Please park in the large Outdoor Center parking lot and pick up your bib by the green yurt. Register online here or arrive at least 15 minutes before to pick up your bib. Central Vermont Council on Aging Hit the Trail: Sunday, September 27 at 9:00 a.m. This year’s Hit the Trail promises to be an unforgettable day with an essential mission! Celebrate and recreate on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail by lacing up your sneakers or climbing onto your bicycle. Funds raised make it possible for your neighbors to age with dignity and choice, accessing essentials like groceries or emergency fuel as well as affordable prescription drug plans and free evidence-based exercise classes. Take your bike to Johnson (15 miles round-trip) or Cambridge (30 miles round-trip), or lace up your sneakers for a timed 5K run or walk on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Following your excursion, we’ll have music, lawn games, and prizes to award during lunch. Free lunch and registration for all volunteers. Find details here. Membership Renewal – Reminder: Mark Howard is our new membership coordinator. Although the renewal window has closed, check on the details on the website here. CVR Equipment Use: Anyone wanting to use equipment send Sal (and cc Tim) 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) an email to let us know when the equipment has been returned. |
| Air Peyton: This 5k run/walk is returning in September to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Find more information here. Sign up for the race here. |
| Elected Officers President – Tim Noonan Vice President – Nick Becker Finance – Graham Sherriff Secretary – Jennifer Dickinson At Large Executive Committee: Dot Helling, Hannah BrownAppointed Positions John Hackney: website and timing Donna Smyers: timing Sal Acosta: Equipment tracking/storage Mark Howard: club membership tracking Jackie Jancaitis: Race director support Jessica Ball: Winter Group Run organization Mark Howard: Summer Trail Runs organization Jeff Prescott: MailChimp Administrator Sean Sheehan: Youth Running Program Grants Joe Merrill: Race Series Tracking and Awards Dinner MC Addie Hedges: Communications Coordinator / Instagram manager Darrel Lasell and Jim Flint: CVR Facebook page managers |