The Wicked Running Register January 2012 • Priceless
EST. JAN 2010
Wicked Grand Prix Series — 2012 version
Join the fun in 2012! T.R. Ramsdell
Get ready runners. The 2012 Wicked Grand Prix Series is here! After having a fantastic series last year, Rich “Hammer” Tabbut and I return once again to bring you the ever- expanding race series. We had our largest member participation ever in 2011, with 205 folks taking part in at least one of our races. That’s 2/3 of our entire membership! The team concept really took off with lots of good-natured “smack talk” between the teams. It came down to the wire, with only 40 points separating the top 3 teams. And once all the dust settled, and the scores were tallied, we found ourselves with many new faces in the final individual standings. And did I mention the relays? We sent an unprecedented amount of Wicked teams to all of our relay events. Who doesn’t love a relay, huh? Working as a unit towards a common goal. Love it. Well I’m here today to give you a peek at the series schedule for 2012. We kept a few old favorites in there, added a couple new ones, and even snuck in an extra relay. The races range in length from 1 mile to 1/2 Marathon. And there’s a cross country 5k, and a trail 5 miler in there just to keep it interesting. We’ve also added the Lake Winni relay this year. This is becoming a very popular event, so why not? A little something for everyone’s taste. As was the case last year, you must complete any 6 of the 8 regular series races to be considered a series finisher. The relays are additional, and are worth BIG bonus points people. So get out there and do them. Including the relays, we’ve got races taking place in 9 different cities and towns, and 2 different states. What could be more fun than that? So, I look forward to seeing you all out there, wearing your Wicked gear and racking up points. C’mon, who’s in?
Wicked Grand Prix Series Schedule March Olde Salem Greens 5K, Salem • 3/25/12
You LOVE hills!
May 2nd Annual Patrick Downey 5K, Peabody • 5/13/12 June Kupenda 5 Mile Trail Race, Wenham 6/2/12* July Yankee Homecoming 10 Mile Road Race, Newburyport • 7/31/12 August Derby Street Mile, Salem • 8/17/12* Lynn Woods Relay, Lynn • 8/22/12* September Lake Winnipesaukee Relay Weirs Beach, NH • 9/8/12* Lone Gull 10k, Gloucester, MA 9/16/12* October Green Stride 1/2 Marathon Newburyport • 10/21/12* November Wild Turkey 5 Miler, Salem 11/22/12 December Mill Cities Relay, Nashua, NH 12/2/12* *tentative dates Complete 6 of the regular 8 races to qualify as a series finisher. Relays are extra and reward you with big bonus points.
Lone Gull Guys: Brad Gates, Chris Nolin, Dan Sullivan and Rick Marciano (l to r) lined up along the final stretch of the Lone Gull 10k after they finished, to cheer in other Wicked Runners. The Lone Gull is back, and in the 2012 series!
Questions? Email Rich at hammerwelsh23@yahoo. com, or T.R. at mopartr@comcast.net.
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The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
Race Review Olympic Marathon Trials & Houston Half Marathon Beth O’Grady
OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS Doug (Bollen) and I were lucky enough to squeeze in a long weekend in Houston, TX in January to see the 1st ever combined male and female Olympic Marathon Trials. This was definitely a trip for running nerds, as my mother emailed me asking if I, by any chance, knew a girl named Shalane Flanagan from Marblehead, as she heard she would be running the same race as me. The opening night ceremonies were attended by running dignitaries such as Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Frank Shorter, but only two of the elite runners attended as guest speakers, Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi. USA pride was clear in the eyes of the 230+ qualifiers who made this trip and paraded into the park waving American flags. The night was finished with red, white and blue fireworks, of course.
The marathon trials were impressive to watch- the top males were predicted to be Meb, Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein, but Ritz finished a clearly heartbroken 4th place and 3rd place was captured by Abdi Abdirahman, otherwise known on the course as “who’s that guy?” The women provided one of the most competitive fields in trials history, with the top three spots captured by local athlete Shalane Flanagan, who shows great patience before taking the lead in the final few miles, followed by Desiree Davila, who looked comfortable at the finish and Kara Goucher, who looked a little more strained but still snagged a spot (the same order Doug picked them- he made me say that). Deena hung in for a while but eventually fell back to the 6th spot. We had great viewing spots throughout the race, both from the window of our room less than ¼ mile away and in the front row at the starting line, where
A very enthusiastic thumbs up from Beth O’Grady at the Houston Half Marathon. Congrats on the PR, Beth!
Doug noted the “lines were drawn in the sand” as Kara and Shalane looked jovial and friendly on one side, and Deena Kastor lined up, looking much more contemplative on the other side, with Desiree front and center. One of the competitors also sang the national anthem at the start with tears in her eyes, clearly a highlight of her life to be remembered always. It was great to see clumps of groupies who came to town to support their friends, with Boston being well represented in the race as noted by their BAA apparel. We also bumped into New England Running editor “Fitzy” who recognized my Wicked Running shirt, and the former President of Mystic Runners Dave Colbert, who we recog-
Opening night ceremonies: YES, that’s running legends Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Meb Keflezighi. How cool is that?
The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
nized from his logo jacket. That’s why we always say “Wear Wicked!” Even without running the Houston Half the next day, the first ever combined marathon trials was a trip well worth taking. HOUSTON HALF MARATHON We’ve traveled to many destination races, and Houston is one of the more well-organized events we’ve found and one of the few we’ve traveled to again, and will most likely be back. They offer race distances from a kid’s run the day before, to a race day 5k, half and full with over 40,000 total runners- allowing all abilities to participate in the weekend. The weather is generally mild and in the 50s, but don’t believe the hype about the totally flat course because both the half and full have their share of inclines. There is a long, hangy out and back five mile stretch, but otherwise both races give you a good tour of Houston. While I did the half, I hear the full is more
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scenic, and President George Bush, Sr. was on the course in a wheelchair surrounded by secret service, cheering the runners on around mile 19. Interestingly, at each mile a volunteer was calling out your average race pace to that point which I thought was a great idea.
race, but otherwise I recommend you head on down and yee-ha your way to a possible PR, but to enter you either need to qualify (I was able to use a 10k time for the half) or enter the lottery. Either way, book early as this race gets sold out.
Post race is done up right with photo opportunities, Under Armour finisher shirts and a hot breakfast buffet for the half and full participants- very different from Boston where they toss you a banana and bagel in a bag and tell you to move along. There are many hotel choices close to the convention center, which hosts the expo as well as start/ finish line. The Texans game was scheduled to start post race, so there was a lot of enthusiasm from the locals, and I was also passed by a Tim Tebow runner in full uniform including a football and shoulder pads.
By the way, I had a fantastic 11 mile race, but the last few miles not so much. I still beat my best half marathon time with a PR of 1:51:47, repeating in my head the entire race that running to hit a qualifying time is no fun at all (I was chasing the last year I can qualify for NYC at 1:50 half before they change their times like Boston), but reminding myself that life is still good because at least I’m healthy enough to try.
The only downside for Houston is worrying about travel weather for a January
I give it 4 1/2 cats out of five, only because I really dislike long out and backs when you can see how far you still have to go, and how many people are ahead of you! Thanks for reading!
Sunday May 13, 2012 8:30 am Peabody, MA
www.patrickdowney5k.com
Beth and Doug having a blast at the Olympic Marathon Trials.
978-825-0040 www.BodySoulSalem.com
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The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
Presidential Perspective Tim Short
Denise Ramsdell and Tim Short enjoying the Wicked Frosty Four post-race party at Tavern in the Square.
A New Year has begun for the Wicked Running Club and 2012 is going to be a great one! I’d to extend a big welcome to our new Board members: Jason Carraro (Clothing Director), John Mahoney (Membership Director) and Tennille Doyle (Member At Large) Of course, welcome back to our returning Board members as well: T.R. Ramsdell (Vice President), Dawn Cobak (Secretary), Rich Tabbut (Treasurer), Alison Phelan (Member At Large) and Shari Hewson (Past President). I’m looking forward to working with each of you this year! For those who are not sure who I am, my name is Tim Short. I’m the one that is usually leading the group at Forest River Park on Saturday Mornings. T.R Ramsdell likes to refer to this as the “Circle of Love.” I’ve been a member of the Wicked Running Club since 2006 and had the distinct honor of serving on the Board of Directors for our Club from 2007-2010. Most notably I served as President from 2009-2010.
Enough about me though! My goal for Wicked this year is to make our membership…yes, YOU, the top priority. Our club has become very successful over the past several years and the main reason is because of our terrific members. Without all of you Wicked Runners we wouldn’t be able to host super successful races like Wicked Frosty Four, North Shore Cancer RUN, Wicked Kidz Race and our newest addition; Wicked Presents Miles Over the Moon. We wouldn’t be able to host fun social events like the Wicked WiffleBall Throwdown. And we surely wouldn’t be in the position to give back to our community through the Wicked Running Club Holiday Toy Drive and our Frosty Four Scholarships. This year I would like to bring back an old club motto: “We walk, we run, we generally have fun!” I believe that this motto represents everything that is good about the Wicked Running Club, but it also represents the diverse nature of our members. Some members are just starting to find their place in the running world by taking part in the Couch to 5K program. Others might be seeking to run a PR for 5 miles. Then we have some members that are able to qualify for the Boston Marathon. While we all have different talents, it’s great to see so many members becoming friends with other members. This is a benefit of the Wicked Running Club that is sometimes overlooked. Next time you go out for a beer with another Wicked Runner, ask yourself, Would I have met this awesome person if I was not a member of Wicked?”
If you ever have a question about anything that is going on with our club, I encourage you to email me at tim.short1@gmail.com. I’m always happy to talk about running and what your thoughts are about our Club. Together we will make 2012 a great one for the Wicked Running Club. Keep on Running Wicked Nation! PRESIDENTIAL REMINDER: Don’t forget to renew your dues! Check out the Membership section of the Wicked web site to download an application. Or, register on active. com: http://wickedrunningclub.com/ about-2/membership/. We would like to have all members renew by March 1st. Help make this possible be renewing your membership today!
The Short family enjoying a race: Nicole, Lily and Tim.
Did you know? This is WRC’s 8th year..wow we are getting old! WICKED FUN FACTS
The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
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Interesting Running-Related Products John Childs
While reading the January edition of Competitor Magazine I read an article about Elliptical Cycling’s new champion, Paul Thomas. I had never heard of Elliptical Cycling and I’ve never been a cyclist so I think it was the accompanying action photo that caught my attention. It depicts a small group of athletes rounding a curve in the world championships. I got a kick out of the fact that there were only 34 participants in the world championships but I guess it’s a new sport and has to build its numbers just like road racing in the 50s and 60s. A relatively new product called an Elliptigo, which is like an elliptical machine on wheels, is the basis for this new sport. The article claimed that it simulates the motion of running without the physical side effects caused by the pounding. The thousands of miles over the years have not been kind to these knees. In fact, I had all but given up on running after so many failed attempts related to knee, hip and foot injuries. While elliptical machines provide much less wear and tear I find training indoors on typical treadmills and elliptical machines to be extremely boring, so this outdoor product peaked my interest even more. So, with some skepticism I checked out the website and learned that many ex-runners, mostly out west, have been training (and racing) on these things. I also learned that there was a local dealer that encouraged people to test ride them. I’ll try almost anything once so last Friday I took one for a ride. I couldn’t believe how much fun it was. I rode it for 30 minutes and had no knee or leg pain except that my quads were fatigued. It had 8 speeds and travels
Learn more about Elliptigo products on elliptigo.com. Photos courtesy of Elliptigo.
up to 20 MPH so it’s faster but very similar to running. It climbs hills with no problem and is so stable you can even peddle/stride on turns. Try that on a bike and it will probably be your last bike ride for a while. The experience was so positive that I’m considering buying one and using it to begin training again and just run the races without it. I may even use one to lead some of the races that I’m organizing in 2012. If you know of anyone who has stopped running because of recurring injuries from the pounding I recommend that you pass this information on to them. To check it out go to www.elliptigo.com. I think you’ll be glad
you did. They aren’t inexpensive but they look to be very well built and you get what you pay for. For those of you who don’t mind training indoors on the treadmill I would recommend that you check out another new product which I believe will enhance the experience. It’s called Virtual Runner and is available from Outside Interactive (www.outsideinteractive. net). It involves high resolution video of a series of famous race courses and spectacular running routes. It can be used with practically any treadmill and costs about the same as an average pair of running shoes. I met the company owner on Saturday and he told me that it’s available at Bill Rodgers Running Center and will be at other running retailers within a few weeks.
The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
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Question of the Month:
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Are you running races this winter? Melissa Jaynes Member Derry 16 miler (one of my favorites!, 16 miles and 16 “moderately challenging” hills and the Hyannis Half marathon.
Julie Arrison Member I’m looking forward to running the Hyannis 13.1 at the end of February with about 25 other Wicked runners. I think I’m the only one hoping for snow again!
Tim Short President and Member I hope to pick up the Stew Chase. The course can be challenging and there is a decent hill that seems to get longer every time I do this race. Overall it’s a well-organized race with fantastic post race food.
Amber Woolfenden Member Half at Hamptons!
James DeLuca Member I am running the Marathon de Napoli in Naples, Italy on January 29th.
Shari Hewson Past President and Member Will probably run the Stew Chase and am running the Hyannis Half - using as a training run for the Boston Marathon. May do Olde Salem Green.
ROAD RACE
guide
Tired of trying to locate a race on the North Shore of Massachusetts on coolrunning.com or other running websites? Well, North Shore Road Race Guide is for you! NSRRG is focused only on the fantastic races on the North Shore of Massachusetts and can be found at www.northshoreroadraceguide.com. You can also become a fan of NSRRG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ northshoreroadraceguide.
Fun SHOTS! Wicked Caught on Camera
Mickel McClish Member Hampton Half in Hampton, NH on Feb. 19th and the Hyannis Half on Feb. 26th.
Miles Fartlek WRC Mascot Race you to the nearest square of sun on the floor.
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Dave Long Member Sweetheart Snowshoe Race - Feb 19th at Brooksby Farm in Peabody.
north shore
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Attack of the blondes! Michele Campbell, T.R. Ramsdell, Sarah Carrier, and Allison Leah pose for a pic at the Miles of Margaritas fundraiser for the FPC Boston Marathon Team. A good time was had by all.
The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
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New Member Spotlights: PETER GAGNON Peabody, MA Joined Wicked because: I’ve always run alone and I’ve seen the Wicked gear all over the local races and decided it would be fun to get out and meet new people who share the same interests.
Secret talent: Creating my own diabetesfriendly recipes, making sure it still tastes like the real thing When I’m not running I like to: Spend time with my family down at the Barton Center helping other families like mine deal with their child’s diabetes.
KIM SHIELDS Salem, MA Joined Wicked because: I enjoy running around Salem, wanted to meet more runners in the area, and sometimes need a push to run longer distances Favorite race: Wild Turkey 5-mile Favorite Distance: Half marathon Goal for this year: Run a half marathon Secret talent: I can juggle. When I’m not running I like to: drink wine, cook, travel.
Favorite Race: So far the 2011 Wild Turkey 5 Miler was the most fun I’ve had. Favorite Distance: Half Marathon Goal for this year: I’d like to complete the 2012 Salem Road Race Series and the BAA Distance Medley. Secret talent: I can space manage with the best of them. I once moved an entire apartment in a pickup truck and Honda Accord (one trip).....and yes, I will help you move for a small fee of pizza and beer. When I’m not running I like to: Play with my 2 year old son and relax with my wife and a nice glass of wine or two, or three, or .... KELLYANN PHEULPIN Beverly, MA Joined Wicked because: I needed to find a running partner that was at my level
Kellyann with daughter Ali.
BRIAN HANCOCK Marblehead, MA (formerly of South Africa) Joined Wicked because: friends with Sally Holtzman Favorite race: Wicked Half Marathon
Kim gives a thumbs up after the San Diego Marathon.
Favorite Distance: Half marathon
Favorite race: The Barton Center for Diabetes 4 mile St. Patrick’s Day Race
Goal for this year: Run an International Marathon - looking at Geneva in May
Favorite Distance: 5 Miles
Secret talent: making sushi
Goal for this year: to complete my first ½ marathon
When I’m not running I like to: travel, cook or relax
THANKS to Ann Sousa for helping with new member profiles. If you are a new member contact Ann at aesousa@verizon.net to be featured.
The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
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THANK YOU!
The late change from a snowshoe race to trail race brought out a flurry of late registrants and Wicked was a big help in assisting Dungeon Rock Racing (DRR) and Salem Park & Rec in putting on this event. Thanks to Dan Cooper and former Wicked members Bill Morse and Jay Curry (DRR Captains) for course layout/setup/cleanup and volunteer; thanks Lou Chinappi, Bruce Campbell, Amber Woolfenden and Steph Cooper for volunteering on course; thanks Mara Mendelsohn and Denise Murphy for working registration and finish: thanks Team Touchette (Liz, Deb and Steve) for the pre-test run and post cleanup; and thanks Beth O’Grady for playing run sweeper. We had a fantastic weather day for the 240 finishers, and even better volunteer support. Thanks all! Pray for Snow Next Year! — Patrick Smith
Wicked Kudos From Shari Hewson: Thank you T.R. Ramsdell for pacing me to a PR in the Disney Marathon Relay! Congratulations to Teri Doherty on completing her second half marathon - yeah! Thank you Karen Giroux for leading the CORE class - you always bring a smile and humor! Thank you to the WRC 2011 Board - Alison and I really enjoyed serving with you. Thank you to all who volunteered at the 5th Annual Wicked Frosty Four - another phenomenal success! From Tim Short: Wicked Congratulations to Beth O’Grady on running a PR at the Houston 1/2 Marathon! From T.R. Ramsdell: To Shari Hewson who, despite feeling like crap, and coughing and sniffling the whole way, set a new 1/2 Marathon PR recently at Disney World. She and her team mate, Lano Popova, ran the marathon relay and came in 10th place out of 259 female teams entered. Probably the most amazing part of this is, Shari didn’t talk the whole race! WhooHooo. :o) From Julie Arrison: Thanks to everyone who came out for the FPC Boston Marathon Team Kickoff Party from Wicked. We had a great turnout and the team raised $3700 to support youth and athletics in Franklin Park.
Decadent treats for Birthdays, Holidays and Every Day! Nicole Short www.shortcakesonline.com 978-436-1932
From Melissa Jaynes: Congrats to all who ran in Disney with a special shout out to T.R. Ramsdell for returning after surgery and to Shari Hewson for her awesome PR despite running sick! Special thanks for Mike Higgins, Dan Cooper and the Phel-
ans for all your support on tempo and long runs in January. Dan...sorry about those few extra miles! From Mickel McClish: Awesome job to everyone who went to the Walt Disney World race. Especially, Shari Hewson...cold and all!
Seen and Heard on the Run Disney Distractions Rumor has it that Teri Doherty was only yards from the race Finish at Disney when she stopped to have her picture taken with Donald Duck! T.R. Ramsdell to Shari Hewson before the Disney Marathon Relay: “No coffee, peeing or talking!” (gheesh!) Wicked Friendly Shari Hewson and Julie Arrison were out running with one of the members of the FPC Boston Marathon Team. She ran the Tufts 10K this year with her twins in a double jogger and said that someone with a Wicked singlet came up behind her and gave her the encouragement she needed to finish the race running. Frozen Fingers Don’t take your gloves off when it is below 10 degrees on a run...they seem to freeze while off and become difficult to get back on. (Hands belonged to Kerry Phelan as witnessed by Melissa Jaynes). Melissa’s trick...take your thumb (and fingers if gloves) out of the glove and tuck it against your hand inside the glove so all your fingers are in a little ball for a “full mitten”...nice and warm! Miles’ trick....padded paws!
The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
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Where in the World is Wicked? Jamaica! No Wait, That’s Jamaica Plain. And Beverly.
Top left: Jay Carraro at Doyle’s Cafe in Jamaica Plain, at a benefit for the Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team. Top right: Christmas morning run at the Hewsons - a Wicked good time! Good, festivity, people!
Q&A
Ask the Coach
With Mike Toomey
From Shannon Downey: I am contemplating doing my first marathon in the fall. I’ve run several halfs already with a training program I devised but I would like to take the clinic if I do the marathon. Where should I be in terms of mileage (specifically for my long run) when the clinic starts in July? To be ready for the marathon training, it would be ideal to be able to complete an 8-10 mile run with no problems. We go up gradually and eventually hit the 20 mile mark for those people ready for that and on target. We will get you ready...the best way to start the clinic is to start HEALTHY! Shannon Downey will receive a free Toomey Sports shirt for having a question published in the WRR. Contact Mike at mike@mypersonalrunningcoach.com to get your gift!
TRAIN WITH TOOMEY 8 Week Spring Running Clinic (Session 1) Thursdays (6:30pm) 3/15– 5/3 $75 ($65 for Wicked Running Club Members) Ideal for ALL levels and will focus on events from 5k to 1/2 marathon. Sign up at mypersonalrunningcoach.com
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The Wicked Running Register • January 2012 • newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com
Wicked Board 2012
Running Personals
President: Tim Short tim.short1@gmail.com
BOSTON FOR A GOOD CAUSE Julie Arrison, Jason Carraro, Shari Hewson and Paula Renzi Gibbs are running the Boston Marathon for the Franklin Park Coalition. If you have any questions regarding donating or fundraisers, they would be more than happy to answer!
If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to say “hello” feel free to email us:
Past President: Shari Hewson shewson@cellsignal.com Vice President: T.R. Ramsdell mopartr@comcast.net Treasurer: Rich Tabbut hammerwelsh23@yahoo.com Secretary: Dawn Cobak dmcobak@gmail.com Membership Director: John Mahoney reconfig@gmail.com Clothing Director: Jay Carraro scoobysnaxe@aol.com Member-at-Large: Alison Phelan alphelan2@gmail.com Member-at-Large: Tennille Doyle tennilledoyle@gmail.com
Non-Board Positions Newsletter Editor: Michele Campbell newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com Grand Prix Series Co-Coordinator: T.R. Ramsdell mopartr@comcast.net Grand Prix Series Co-Coordinator: Rich Tabbut hammerwelsh23@yahoo.com Webmaster: Tim Short tim.short1@gmail.com
Get Out and Race From James DeLuca: The Jones 10 Miler in Amherst is February 26th; this is the first race of the USATF-NE GP series so get those racing flats ready! From Mickel McClish: Black Cat Road Race, March 4th, in Salem MA. From Melissa Barker: I would like to list a couple of races that are local: Black Cat Race which is a charity run for Allie Castner; it is a 10 mile run, 20 mile run or a 4 person relay done by B&S Fitness almost same route as the Wicked Half Marathon. Next is the run for Jared Raymond from Swampscott: it’s the Gold Star Run For Jared Raymond 5k or 10k and the money goes to a fund for Raymond and for the military; it’s a good run for a good cause. From Julie Arrison: Save the date for the Doyle’s Emerald Necklace 5 Miler on April 22. Wicked Running Club is invited to set up our own personal tent again in the middle of the post-race action. If you are interested in volunteering for the race instead of running, feel free to contact Julie Arrison at julie@franklinparkcoalition.org
From Kellyann Pheulpin: I would like to share a race that is very close to my heart. My daughter was diagnosed with diabetes 14 years ago and for the first 6 years we struggled alone, then we found the Barton Center for Diabetes Education. They help families that are diagnosed with the disease. They run two camps during the summer for kids affected by diabetes where they can be with others just like themselves. They have never turned away a child would could not afford camp due to a campership fund. This race helps raise money for that fund. It is not required to fundraise for the race, but it does go to a great cause. Annual St. Patrick’s Road Race/Walk Saturday, March 17, 2012 (All day) Registration begins at noon. Walkers start at 12:30 p.m. Runners start at 1 p.m. http://bartoncenter.org/bcsite/ node/726
WRC Mascot Miles Fartlek is back on Facebook!