I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to the September General Membership Meeting, which is coming up on Thursday, September 12th. Why? Two reasons:
Vice President Lisa Domeshek will be conducting the meeting! (Don’t worry–Steve is fine; he’ll just be vacationing in Scotland.)
And…we’ll be welcoming representatives from Berks Nature for a special, interactive presentation.
Berks Nature is a non-profit land conservation organization that is involved in land preservation, water protection, and trail maintenance. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary during 2024, and throughout the year they are hosting a series of public input forums to collect feedback on priorities of the Berks County community.
The Pagoda Pacers invited Berks Nature to our next meeting on Thursday, September 12. The opening 30 minutes of the meeting will be a forum for us to discuss the outdoor resources and natural spaces in Berks that are important to us. Consider attending to share your input.
As usual, please rsvp if you plan on attending the meeting. You can respond through the Facebook event or send an email to president@pagodapacers.com. It helps us plan for enough food.
That’s Thursday, September 12th at the Mohnton Fire Company Social Quarters. Food will be served at 6:30 p.m. — meeting starts at 7 p.m. All members are welcomed to attend.
We will meet at the Old Church Road parking area at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, September 7th, and carpool to the lower Stilling Basin lot, to run point-to-point on the Blues Cruise course, starting about 8 a.m.
The run is almost 16 miles. Runners can easily shorten it to just under 14 miles by skipping the Skinner’s Loop portion, and of course adding miles is easy too.
(For those looking for a shorter option, an out-and-back of your desired distance is also an easy option. Just meet us at the Stilling Basin so we can run the first few miles together!)
Please comment on the Facebook Event Page if you have questions or need suggestions. Bring water and nutrition! The route features about 1600 feet of climbing.
This will be a great day to dial in your race-day gear! This includes some of our favorite parts of the Blues Cruise course!
For those who have the time, several of us usually grab lunch together after. Hope to see you there!
The Pacers’ most challenging event is the Blues Cruise 50K, which requires about 100 volunteers and lasts 12 hours from set up to clean up. This year’s race is on Sunday, October 6, with set up starting at 6am, and clean up finishing at 6pm.
While a number of folks are there for the long haul, most of our volunteers work a shift of a few hours. As we did last year, we’re asking volunteers to go to the Blues Cruise page on UltraSignUp and click the green volunteer button next to the registration button in the banner. There you will agree to the waiver which allows you to be covered by our insurance. Then you can select one (or more!) volunteer duties.
We’d love to get some of our newer members out to volunteer! I think all the veteran volunteers will agree that this is a truly rewarding day and a great way to meet more of the club. Many of the BC runners are new to ultra running and our volunteers make all the difference–as the runner surveys indicate.
If you are an experienced ultra runner, your expertise is invaluable; and if you’ve never run an ultra, beware! Spending a day at this event is likely to get you signing up as a runner next year!
If you’d like to volunteer, but can’t participate on the 6th, check out the list. We need course maintenance throughout September, and we need course markers on Saturday October 5th, as well as gear cleanup on Monday October 7th.
Finally, our final Blues Cruise training run is Saturday September 7 for a 14 mile course preview–check out the Facebook event page for details! Thanks everyone, you are the ones who make this race great. Looking forward to seeing you there!
The Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club is happy to invite you to the 38th annual Kris Kringle 5-Mile Run on Sunday, December 29th!
Looking to squeeze one last fun event in over the Christmas break? This race is always a family favorite, with proceeds benefiting the Berks County Cross Country Coaches Association. So grab your friends & family and close out 2024 with us!
Course: The course features a mix of road and easy trail sections through Blue Marsh and the Union Canal Trail.We’ll be running counter-clockwise this year. Strollers and walkers are welcome. Dogs are not permitted at this event.
Registration Fees: ALL registration fees are RACE ONLY
$25 per runner through December 3, 2024
$30 per runner from December 4 to December 15, 2024 at midnight
Day-of registration: $30 (hoodies will not be available for purchase)
ONLINE REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON DECEMBER 15th at 11:59PM EST
Option to add a hoodie for an additional cost during checkout.
Hoodies:
This year’s hoodie will be Dark Heathered Green, as voted on by you! You can get a sneak peek when you go through the registration process.
Hoodies are not included with the race registration cost but can be added to your order during the checkout process for $18 until December 3, 2024
Deadline to order: December 3, 2024
Must be picked up at the race; no holds. No additional hoodies will be sold at the event.
Race Day Info:
Registration: 8:30 AM | Race Start: 10:00 AM
Same-day registration will be available at $30 per runner (no hoodie option)
Leave your doggy pals at home, please. No dogs permitted at this event.
Awards:
Overall: Top 2 male and female (not eligible for age group awards)
Age Groups: Top 3 male and female in 5-year brackets from U14 to 69, plus a 70+ category
Top High School Teams: Teams in Open (all male or mixed) or Female (girls only) divisions. XC scoring used (lowest point total wins).This will be the last year for the team competition due to low participation.
**NEW THIS YEAR!**: Awards for the oldest male and female finisher
Weather: In case of inclement weather on race day, updates will be sent to the email address used for registration.
Keep up with the latest updates and race fun by joining our Facebook Group: Kris Kringle 5 Mile Run
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!)
September 4: Blue Marsh Ski Loop (Old Church Rd trailhead) — Post-run to follow at Blue Marsh Italian Restaurant
September 11 — Angora Fruit Farm (502 Angora Rd, Reading) — Post-run to follow at Knight’s Pub (Stokesay)
September 18: Blair Hogg’s residence (13 Kenny Dr, Mohnton) — Post-run to follow at same location
So, I ran a super cool race in Europe back in June.
The TLDR version is that I rain the Grainau Trail Race, which is part of the Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail – Germany’s largest trail running event. This distance is just under 10 miles with about 2,500 ft elevation. If you get the chance, definitely check it out!
If you’ve got a bit more time, let me take you on a little adventure!
Earlier this year, I found out I’d be jetting off to Germany for work in June. Naturally, I thought, “Why not turn this work trip into an epic personal getaway?” So, I went into full “travel-planner mode.” The big questions were: Where to go? Why? And for how long?
My solution, of course, was to start Googling! I started searching for concerts and trail races in Europe. While the concert scene didn’t have anything that piqued my interest, the trail races were overflowing. After sifting through a ton of great options in a ton of cool places, I stumbled upon something truly exciting: the Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail.
Picture this: Nearly 4,000 runners from 67 countries and 46 exhibitors coming together for an event featuring six distance options, a professional livestream, and a vibrant festival atmosphere spread over three exciting days. Here’s the lineup:
Grainau Trail: 9.94 miles | 2,493 ft elevation | Saturday 12 PM
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Trail: 18.02 miles | 4,725 ft elevation | Friday 10 AM
Mittenwald Trail: 27.34 miles | 6,102 ft elevation | Saturday 7 AM
Leutasch Trail: 42.28 miles | 9,409 ft elevation | Saturday 9 AM
Ehrwald Trail: 53.43 miles | 13,349 ft elevation | Friday 11 PM
Ultratrail: 65.90 miles | 16,663 ft elevation | Friday 10:15 PM
It’s a trail runner’s dream, amiright?! And the timing was perfect! Still feeling a bit bruised from an Oil Creek DNF last fall and a not-so-stellar first half of 2024 with minimal running, I wasn’t exactly oozing confidence. I decided to play it safe and signed up for the beginner-friendly Grainau Trail. With that commitment in place, I built the rest of my trip.
I finalized my itinerary, and it was pretty awesome: a couple of days in Belgium with co-workers, followed by a few days in Germany for work and the race, and then a 7 a.m. flight to Poland for some solo exploration before heading home.
But, plot twist! If you follow me on Strava, you know my plans hit a snag. Two days before my departure, our work trip was canceled. Cue the panic and scramble! Now, what’s a runner to do when their well-laid plans go awry? Adapt, keep moving, and make it work to get the finish. And that’s what I did.
Within hours, I rebooked my flight, this time flying into Poland with absolutely no plan other than meeting up with a co-worker on Sunday and making it to Germany by Friday, the night before the race. As per usual, I found myself thinking: “It’ll all work out,” a phrase my brother (PPAC President Steve Vida) often says as a sincere reassurance. However, sometimes it is accompanied by a knowing laugh, which suggests a hidden subtext: things might not actually work out, but roll with it anyway, hold on tight, and hope for the best. This was one of those times. Sure, this motto might bite me in the ass someday, but for now, it’s still going strong because everything really did work out!
After road-tripping through Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany, we arrived in Farchant, a small village in Bavaria, late Friday afternoon. We checked into the hotel and took the short train ride to the race expo in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I grabbed my bib, checked out the vendors, got my first official pre-race photo, and soaked up the energy and excitement of the event. Since some of the races had already started, the town was lively and buzzing, especially near the finish line. It was time to find some food and get back to the hotel to get everything situated.
Race day:
With a later start time, I avoided the dreaded early morning wake up and rush to the start line. Instead, I relaxed on the balcony taking in the amazing (and slightly intimidating) mountain view before grabbing breakfast and catching the train into town. Once there, I walked a short distance to Olympia-Kunsteisstadion, a skating stadium built for the 1936 Winter Olympics, to board the shuttle bus to Grainau, where my race began.
At noon sharp, the race started – German punctuality at its finest! For the first few minutes, my mind was filled with all the typical thoughts. For me, these are: “Why am I doing this? I don’t belong here,” “Am I going to make the cutoff?” and “What if I don’t finish?” But soon, these thoughts faded as I settled into race mode. They were instead replaced with the sound of spectators lining the streets to cheer on runners as we winded through the town and into the trails. The cheering was replaced by the sound of roaring cowbells–on actual cows–as we ran through the herd. This happened randomly throughout the race, and it was fun to see and hear them as they roamed alongside (and sometimes on) the trail.
“Keep moooving, Michelle!”
The scenery was breathtaking and the views of the towns from atop the mountain were stunning. The climbs, though challenging, didn’t feel as difficult as I anticipated.
I reached the highest point of elevation right around the 5-mile mark – greeted by cows again 😊. Before I knew it, I was at the aid station with only 3 miles of mostly descent left until the finish. After a quick Coke and a smile, I continued. The overcast skies hinted at rain, which also pushed me to wrap this up.
After descending the mountain, the race finished with a brief jaunt through the town, leading into the home stretch and across the finish line. As I finished, I heard the announcer say, “Michelle Henry of the United States and a Pagoda Pacers Athlete” – the highlight of my day!
Afterwards, I changed into fresh clothes and grabbed some post-race food and hit the road again – this time off to Prague! Perfect timing, as the sky opened up and it poured almost as soon as I closed my car door.
Final thoughts:
This race was top-notch with excellent communication and organization. I’d love to go back and tackle one of the longer distances.
Next year’s dates are June 12-14th and there’s already a big announcement for 2025: the debut of the ZUT100, the first major 100-mile trail running race around Germany’s highest mountain. Registration opens in November.
Pagoda Pacers News 