Monthly Membership Meeting–January 2023

January’s Monthly Membership meeting will be held on Thursday, January 12th, at Mohnton Fire Company Social Quarters, 100 E Summit St., Mohnton, PA 19540.  The meeting is upstairs. Enter the front door and go up the stairs to your left. There is no need to ring the buzzer for entry. 

Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps.

Food and drink at 6:30pm | Meeting starts at 7:00pm. All members are welcomed.

*ZOOM: Members who are unable to attend in person will be able to join us virtually via Zoom upon request. Please email mhenry.pacers@gmail.com prior to the meeting to request a Zoom link if you would like to attend virtually.

**Members are responsible for purchasing their own beverages. Please bring cash.

***If possible, please RSVP on the Facebook event page or email mhenry.pacers@gmail.com if you plan to attend the meeting. 

New Year = New Pacer Passport

And the results are in…17 people completed the 2022 Pacer Passport! 

Congratulations to Ellie Alderfer, Brandon Beane, Matt Brophy, Lisa Domeshek, Larry Drogo, Katie Frederick, Julia Hager, Brittni Harris, Cody Harris, Michelle Henry, Sue Jackson, Jason Karpinski, Shaun Luther, Curtis Musser, Karen Rule, Mihai Sanchez, and Steve Vida.

They each earned a PPAC branded hydration pack to wear when they head out and hit the trails. Thank you to all for your time and dedication to the club!!

Interested in completing the 2023 Pacer Passport?

Here’s how to participate…

  1. Print out the passport or pick one up at a monthly membership meeting or WNR. Passports can also be requested by emailing mhenry.pacers@gmail.com.
  2. Each time you complete one of the boxes, get it initialed. 
  3. Once all 10 boxes are initialed, turn in the passport.

Participants are responsible for keeping track of their own progress and getting passport signed at the time of the completed requirement. All passports MUST be submitted by 12/31/2023

Swag items will be ordered once all passports are turned in at the end of the year.

What is the earnable swag item for 2023? Stay tuned for that announcement in February’s newsletter!

Scholarship Deadline: February 28, 2023

The Pagoda Pacers award four outstanding high school seniors each with a $750 scholarship for their continuing education. Students are recognized for their participation and achievements in athletics, academics and community service.

Pacer Member Scholarships – Two (2) scholarships are open to all high school seniors whose parents are current members in good standing for at least one year of the Pagoda Pacers.

XC Scholarships – Two (2) scholarships are open to all high school seniors who participated on a Berks County high school cross country team.

Applications and additional details are online at: www.pagodapacers.com/Scholarships/About.aspx

Applications may be mailed to Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club, Attn: Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 4115, Reading, PA 19606, with postmark by 2/28, or may be emailed by midnight on 2/28 to scholarshipcoordinator@pagodapacers.com 

All applicants will be notified by email of the receipt of their application and will be notified by mail of the final decision.

Shiver #2 Only Days Away!

The first Shiver of the ’22-’23 series is in the books! Race day lived up to its name –off/on rain with temps in the low to mid 30s. As always, we thank the volunteers and the runners who came out to support us!!! The volunteers and runners are who make this race a success!!! 131 runners completed the 5K, with 64 completing the 10K. Results are posted on both our website and Pretzel City Sports’ website. 1st male and female in the 5K were Daryl Weaver (17:34) and Cassandra Miller (21:01). In the 10K, our 1st male and female finishers were Brandan Shearn (35:52) and Mikaela Smith (42:49).

Now we are ready to move onto race #2 on Sunday, Jan 8th.  We need RUNNERS!!!! We need VOLUNTEERS!!!!! Come out and help us get our numbers back towards pre-Covid.  

If you have never run this race or maybe you haven’t run it for a few years, come out and join us and maybe reconnect with runners you haven’t seen in ages! The race is at Jim Dietrich Park, in Muhlenberg Township. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.; both races start at 10:00 a.m..  

Please remember to only complete the registration form ONCE during the series. As we have done in the past, we will have 3 separate areas for registration. I know you have all heard this before, but trust me, we will still have runners (including Pacers) who will complete a form for each race. We calculate the series results by bib# so each runner will have the same bib# each month. Obviously if a runner completes more than 1 application, he/she will have more than 1 bib#. 

  1. Pre-Registration is in the front room, for those runners who have paid for the entire series. 
  2. For those runners who are paying for each race, individually, and who ran in December, registration is in the 2nd room, at the table marked  “Post-Registration Single Race Entry.” We have a number with a label with your nameNo need to complete a new registration form.  If you do, there is the potential of being recognized as a different runner when it comes time to calculate the series results. If any information needs to be changed, just let them know when you get your number; no need to complete a registration form with the changed information.
  3. For those runners who have not registered for the 2022-2023 Shiver, registration is in the 2nd room at the table marked “Post-Registration.” When completing the registration form, if you have paid for the series, please circle YES; otherwise, we will expect you to pay again at the remaining races.  

A few other notes.  

  1. On the registration form, we ask for your email address so that you will be included in any future emails we send regarding the remaining races for this series and for future series. We ask for your mailing address so that applications for future races can be mailed to you. It is certainly your choice as to whether you provide us with either or both of these, but it does help with keeping our runners in the loop.
  2. Because of the rental agreement we have for the farmhouse, requiring us to leave the farmhouse by noon, we ask that runners who complete their first loop in over 45 minutes NOT go out for the 2nd loop.  

If you choose not to run the race, please consider volunteering. We need volunteers before the race, for parking and registration; during the race – on the road, at the finish line and in the farmhouse; and after the race – for cleanup. If you can help prior to the race, please plan to arrive between 8:00 – 8:15. If you can help with the race itself, please arrive no later than 9:30. Look for one of the race directors somewhere around the farmhouse. Thank you in advance for your support!

Hope to see you there!!!

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

Race Results (December ’22)

Want to see your race results in the next newsletter?

Email your race results to Amy Bird at raceresults@pagodapacers.com.

Dirty Bird 15k

1:23:10Dale Wiest1st M 60-69
1:46:52Blair Hogg
1:56:51Lisa Domeshek
1:58:58Sandie Kincaid
2:28:39Paul Makurath2nd M 70 +
2:32:29Amy Bird

Dirty Bird 30k

3:52:19Jason Tolley

5k Reindeer Run (Souderton)

39:53Bruce Cronrath2nd M 70-79

Funky Santa 5k (Pottstown)

32:33Dianne Showers2nd F 60-69
36:06Diane Gilbert
39:28Richard Showers
40:15Bruce Cronrath2nd M 70+
43:11Rose Marie Hagy1st F 70+

Humbug Bustle 5k

18:37Lou Donofrio1st M40-49
24:42Blair Hogg3rd M60-67
30:18Mark Mazurkiewicz
31:18Colleen Fitzpatrick3rd CLYDETTE
33:45Joanne Patti
34:35Scott Scheidt
36:49Paul Makurath2nd M75+
37:07Diane Gilbert
39:11Barbara Raifsnider
40:12Bruce Cronrath
41:28Amy Bird
41:30Michael Oetting
42:48Rose Hagy3rd F68+
61:16Helene Horn

Shiver by the River 5k, Race #1

17:40Mihai Sanchez2nd Overall
24:38Shaun Luther
28:03Jonathan Durand
28:19Tony Agentowicz
29:33Jill Rothenberger
30:57Larry Drogo
32:27Yuriko Beaman
32:29Andrea Thrush
33:10Joann Patti
39:14Scott Sheidt
39:57Bruce Cronrath
40:47Jerrold Atwell
41:23Julia Hager
42:08Diane Gilbert

Shiver by the River 10k, Race #1

44:20Raine Fussner
44:43Matt Brophy
45:29Jeff Fussner
52:21Vicki Menet
57:53Kristin Rothernberger
1:03:29Ellie Alderfer

Kris Kringle 5-Miler

30:59Jason Karpinski2nd M30-34
31:54Dee Koutsourais1st Female
34:36Karin Tursack1st F45-49
34:37Mark Weaver1st M45-49
35:58Andy Styer2nd M50-54
36:08Dale Wiest1st M60-64
40:08Melissa Lin1st F50-54
44:33Jonathan Durand
47:28Blair Hogg
48:50Heather Nowicki
48:59Tony Agentwoicz
51:49Sandie Kincaid
54:51Joanne Patti
55:12Andrea Thrush
56:42Michelle Foley
57:09Diane Showers
60:26Scott Sheidt
63:03Kitty Wiest
68:14Bruce Cronrath
71:36Rick Showers
73:23Rose Hagy
73:33Rebeckah Musser
73:35Curtis Musser
74:28Helene Horn
75:47Michael Oetting

Run Fleet Feet’s “Teddy Bear Trot” on Saturday, February 11

Join Fleet Feet West Reading for their 5th annual Teddy Bear Trot!

The Teddy Bear Trot is the perfect blend of running and giving back to our community. All participants bring a brand NEW Teddy Bear to the event and we run them to the Opportunity House in Reading for them to use in their Learning Center.  After making our donations, we will continue on route to finish our 4 mile fun run. We will start and finish our run at B2Bistro

The $15.00 charge for this event will be entirely donated to Opportunity House as they continue to serve our homeless community.  Additional monetary donations will be accepted at the event and will be given to Opportunity House to support their endeavors.

Everyone will have a chance to wear-test Karhu shoes, an exclusive Fleet Feet product. Karhu is Finnish for the word, Bear, making their brand a perfect partner for this event!  Fleet Feet will also donate 15% of the sales of any Karhu shoes sold between February 12-19 to the Opportunity House. You will receive a $10.00 coupon for this time frame for a pair of Karhu’s at Fleet Feet West Reading.

Runners will be sent to Opportunity House to make our donations in 3 groups.  Groups will depart at 9:00, 9:10 and 9:15 to donate the teddy bears.  Please take a look at the pace ranges for each group and sign up for the time that best suits your abilities.

9:00am – Walkers and 13+ minute milers

9:10am – 10-12 minute milers

9:15am – 8-10 minute milers

Pacer Long Run for January ’23

This month’s group long run will take place on the Horse-Shoe Trail!

When: Saturday, January 14, 9:30 a.m.

Where: Charlie Crowell’s Residence (151 Alleghenyville Rd., Mohnton, PA)

Route: 15 mile “out-&-back” on the Horse-Shoe Trail, with options to run longer or shorter. (Just follow the yellow blazes until you want to turn around and head back the way you came.)

Post-Run: Stampede Barbecue

Runners of all paces are welcome–no one will be dropped.

Please RSVP on the Facebook event page if you plan on attending.

Coming Soon with Your Help — Pacer Profiles!

To continue with our mission of making the club as welcoming as possible, we thought it might be nice to share brief profiles of club members in the newsletter each month. Our hope is that this will help seasoned members and new members get to know one another, and thus facilitate an even greater sense of community!

For this to work, we need your help!

Please review the questions below and CHOOSE THREE that you would be willing to answer and share with the club. Type up your answers and send them–along with a picture–to Newsletter Editor Matt Brophy at Matthew.L.Brophy@gmail.com.

Both new members and long-time members are encouraged to participate. Your answers can be as brief or as detailed as you want them to be. Thanks for taking the time to share a little bit about yourself with your fellow Pacers!

The Questions — (Choose 3)

Besides running, what other hobbies, interests, or passions do you have?

How and when did you first get into running (or other sport of choice)?

How has your relationship with running evolved over the years? (changes in goals, motivation, preferences, etc.)

Write about some of the races–or other running events–that are most memorable for you. 

What do you enjoy most about being a Pagoda Pacer?

What is a bucket list race for you?

BONUS QUESTION: Would you like to give a shoutout to another Pagoda Pacer member who has been super influential and inspiring in your life? Who and why?

Wednesday Night Runs (January ’23 Locations)

Our mid-week group runs have at least two different distance options (3-4 miles and 5-6 miles) with an appointed leader for each route. Each run will have its own Facebook “event,” and the routes will be posted a couple days before the run. After each run, those who can will stick around for food, drink, and good conversation, either at a nearby restaurant or a club member’s residence. Come for the run; stay (if you can) for the fellowship. (If you don’t have time to stick around, no worries–just come run with us!)

WEAR REFLECTIVE GEAR AND BRING A HEADLAMP OR FLASHLIGHT!

January 4: Wyomissing High School — Post-run at Alebrije on State Hill Rd.

January 11: Alvernia University (park in lot by intersection of Greenway Terrace and Adams St) — Post-run at Mimmo’s

January 18: Giant, West Lawn (Van Reed and State Hill) — Post-run at Ganly’s (or maybe PJ Whelihan’s?)

January 25: Wilson West Middle School — Post-run at Bar-B-Q Pit

All runs start at 6:15 p.m.

This is the end of the January 2023 newsletter. You can read older posts by continuing to scroll down.