Author: pagodapacers

Time to Register for the Oley Valley Country Classic on 11/2/25

by pagodapacers

This year’s Oley Valley Country Classic will be held on Sunday, November 2nd at the Oley Valley High School (17 Jefferson Street Oley PA). The 10-miler will go out at 9AM and the 6k run/walk around 9:05AM. Don’t forget that this is the 1st day after Daylight Saving Time ends, so you’ve got an extra hour to sleep in before coming out. As many of you now know, this year we are honoring and remembering the original and longtime OVCC Race Director Barry Goodhart who passed away this past winter.  

Course distances are 10 miles and, new this year, 6K! Both races will start and finish in front of the high school. Given the usually perfect early November running weather, this is a great opportunity to work toward your 10-mile PR or PR a new distance (it’s only 1 more K). If you’re planning for a late fall marathon, the 10-miler course is a perfect way to tune up. If you’re looking for a nice Sunday morning long/short run or country walk, this event is just for you. Getting ready for the Shiver 5K/10K series or Kris Kringle 5-miler, the 6K is a great place to mark a baseline pace. Both courses are set in the picturesque Oley Valley where the leaves can still be near peak color, which makes for a beautiful late fall run. Click here for the 10-miler  course map, or click here for the 6K course map. (Note that these are estimates, as we’re still tweaking the finish.) 

Registration/Cost: The mail-in print application is on Pretzel City Sports here and on-line registration is here via RunSignUp. Fees are $40 for the 10-miler and $35 for the 6K if completed/received/postmarked before October 17th with shirt guarantee (afterwards will be  $45/$40 with no shirt guarantee). Online registration closes on October 31st, but day-of-race registration will be available. 

SWAG

This year’s swag is a long-sleeved shirt like previous years, but now with a hood!!! AND it’s available in both men’s and women’s sizes!!!! Additionally, instead of the usual hex sign, this year’s logo pays tribute to Barry.  

AWARDS: 5-year age groups (including 80+) are available in both the men’s/women’s categories of each race, and the 6K has added an under-14 category. Also, the 10-miler is an RRCA Eastern Regional Championship, so there’s a chance of double awards for some people. 

Post Race Spread: There will be complementary light fare consisting of Philly soft pretzels / bagels / bananas / water. Also, Munchiez and Fresh Frenchy’s food trucks will be on site for those who want to purchase additional food. 

Course Build-up Runs & Preview: Starting this month, we will be having regular build-up runs on the course for anyone who’s run a 5K/10K and is interested in building up to the 10-mile distance. These will take place both Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, with the first couple of weeks shown below. (Follow the Pagoda Pacers Facebook Discussion Group for updates & course routes). We’ll meet in front of the Oley Valley High School gymnasium.  

Wednesday, September 3rd 6PM 3.5 miles 

Saturday, September 6th 8AM 3.5 miles 

Wednesday, September 10th 6PM 4.4 miles 

Saturday, September 13th 8AM 4.4 miles

20th Anniversary Blues Cruise Just a Month Away!

by pagodapacers

The 20th anniversary of the Blues Cruise Ultra is October 5, 2025!

This event features both the classic 50k solo race and the newer 50k relay option!

Lots has been going on at race headquarters! By the time you read this, we will have over 200 runners registered for the 50K, plus at least 12 relay teams! 

As always, we are in need of lots of help. Volunteers are needed for trail maintenance the week before the race, and for course marking on October 4th. There are lots of opportunities to help out from 6am-6 pm on race day, including post-race cleanup and pre-race course check. While some volunteers devote their whole day to helping out, shifts are available for those who can only spare a couple hours! Please log onto UltraSignUp and click the VOLUNTEER Tab and pick the assignments that interest you: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123699 

If volunteering for an aid station, please put your preference in the comments (or Elaine can place you where there is a need).  Any questions, please contact Elaine Cook directly: bluescruiserd@gmail.com. 

Introducing the Pagoda Pacers Trail Maintenance Team!

by pagodapacers
Running is fun! Chainsaws are fun! What could be more fun than…wait a minute…

HELP WANTED: The Pagoda Pacers are assembling an all-volunteer Trail Maintenance Team!

As discussed at the August club meeting, the PPAC trail maintenance program will become more organized in the very near future. Staff cutbacks at Blue Marsh Lake have created an opportunity for all of us to “give back”. As needed, the team will also provide care on the Horse-Shoe Trail and at Nolde Forest. The Trail Maintenance Team will have scheduled workdays with tasks for all levels of ability. (Weed whacking, branch trimming, trash pickup, log rolling, trail surveillance, team shuttle, and more).

Our first scheduled workday at Blue Marsh will be September 28th.

To create a roster of those who are interested, we ask volunteers to either email
Bluescruiserd@gmail.com or click “trail maintenance” under the volunteer tab at this link:
https://ultrasignup.com/entrants_event.aspx?did=123699

Thanks for helping keep Berks trails open for running!

Wine & Cheese Just Days Away!

by pagodapacers

The Pagoda Pacer Wine and Cheese Party is coming up on Saturday, September 6th from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. This event will take place at the Barn at Cacoosing (9 Evans Hill Rd, Sinking Spring)!

Tickets MUST be purchased online in advance!

Your ticket includes wine, beer, soda, a large variety of cheeses, meats, fruits, desserts, and more. The main event will be in the barn, but if it is nice weather, please feel free to bring a chair to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for non-members.

We will not be accepting cash at the door. Advance ticket purchase makes this much easier on club volunteers by helping us get an accurate head count for food and alcohol.

buy tickets now!

Also, you must be 21 to attend; please leave the little ones at home, so you can enjoy an evening out with your friends. We can’t wait to see you there!

  • Unsure if you are current on your Pagoda Pacer Membership? You can check your membership status here.
  • Not a member of the Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club yet? No problem! Join the Pagoda Pacers now to take advantage of the member discount to this and future Pacer events.

Race Results (August ’25)

by pagodapacers

Want to see your race results in the newsletter?

Send them to newsletter editor Matt Brophy at Matthew.L.Brophy@gmail.com!

Labor Pain 12-Hour Race

55 miles in 11:16:48Lou D’Onofrio1st M 40-49

Run-4-Sam

29:07Ben Lego3rd M 30-39

Annapolis 10-Mile Run

1:15:22Matthew Brophy
1:21:33Steven Vida
2:00:02Yuriko Beaman

Eastern States 100

30:20:51Cody Harris

Blues Cruise Group Training Run on 9/6/25

by pagodapacers

Instead of offering our normal “Weekend 10-Miler,” the Pacers encourage you to check out the Blues Cruise Training Run at Blue Marsh Lake on Saturday, September 6.

We will meet at the Lower Stilling Basin lot at 7:30 a.m. and carpool to the Old Church Road lot so that we can run point-to-point on the Blues Cruise course starting about 8 a.m. The run is almost 16 miles, with 1,600 feet of elevation gain. 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. Please comment on the Facebook Event if you need suggestions. Bring water and nutrition! Great day to dial in your race-day gear!

Wednesday Night Runs (September ’25 Locations)

by pagodapacers

Our mid-week group runs have at least two different distance options (3-4 miles and 5-6 miles) with an appointed leader for at least one of the two routes. 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!)

All runs start at 6:15 p.m.

This Month’s Membership Meeting: 9/11/25

by pagodapacers

** Please let us know if you will attend, so we can plan for food.**

We submit a headcount on the Monday before the meeting. You can mark yourself “Going” to the Facebook Event, comment on the event, or contact president@pagodapacers.com.

Mohnton Fire Company Social Quarters
100 E. Summit ST
Mohnton, PA 19540
https://goo.gl/maps/fukZK8BEGAsXUjDv5

The meeting is upstairs. Enter the front door and the stairs are on your left. No need to ring the buzzer for entry.

Food and drink at 6:30pm
Meeting starts at 7:00pm

All members welcome. Members are responsible for purchasing their own beverages.

Minutes from the Monthly Meeting (August 14, 2025)

by pagodapacers

Pagoda Pacer A.C. Monthly Membership Meeting

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Mohnton Fire Company

Steven Vida presided

Jennifer Pierdomenico recorded minutes

25 members in attendance

CALL TO ORDER at 7 pm

Minutes from the July meeting were accepted as posted.

REPORTS

Treasurer Report (Shaun Luther)

  • Balance is ~89% of target balance (target is last year’s budget x3) at $95,414.
  • Blues Cruise and Oley Country Classic registration income is now arriving.

Charlie Horse (Shaun Luther)

  • Final income total is $3,184 of which 50% will be sent to Special Olympics.

Motion:  Shaun Luther motioned to “approve $1,622 to send to Special Olympics”.  Motion approved.

NEW BUSINESS

2025 Elections (Steve Vida)

  • 4 seats on the Board of Directors are up for election
    • These are the seats currently held by Sue Jackson, Michelle Henry & Curtis Musser, and the vacant seat previously held by Jason Karpinski.
    • 2Yr term and meet 4x/year for 1.5-2hrs and typically discuss Pacer business in a more in-depth way.  
    • Good to have a mixture of voices involved (race directing, running only, etc)
    • Reach out to any existing Directors regarding any questions.
  • Office of President is up for election.  Steve does not intend to run for a third term.
    • 1Yr term and you can reach out to Steve, or any past club President, with any questions.

Blue Marsh Trail Maintenance (Michael Whalen)

  • Blue Marsh got zero federal funding for trail maintenance this year. The trails will be OK for Blues Cruise, but park trail maintenance going forward is unclear.
  • Michael will be organizing a Trail Maintenance Team (8-10 people) so look out for announcements on Pacer social media.

Jr. High Cross Country Meet: Tom Chobot has notified the club that 2025 (October 18th) will be his last year as Race Director.

IM ABLE Games at Mid-Atlantic Air Museum on September 20 (Michael Whalen)

  • Looking for help with Race Mates in a 2Mile fun run.  Expecting 3-4 chariots in use for the event.
  • Also need course marshals & hydration station volunteers from 8:30-11:30
  • Reach out to Michael if interested.

MEETING ADJOURNED at 7:37 pm

This is the end of the September ’25 Newsletter. Continue scrolling if you would like to view older content.