Author: pagodapacers

Cool Swag (while it lasts) for “Run for the Ages” 10k Trail Chase

by pagodapacers

race #2 of the “Triple Trail Challenge” on June 30, 8:30am, Nolde Forest

Come out for the only trail race with an age graded start (that we know of) on the east coast. Top age group performers have a legitimate shot at the overall title. Even if you aren’t out to win, the race is run on challenging yet very runnable trails in beautiful Nolde Forest with virtually no bottle necks. Challenge your families and coworkers to come out and compete on a “level” playing field.

Hey young speedsters: Here’s a chance to show off a little by passing the whole pack! 

What’s an age-graded start? Those who have more than a few gray hairs or have yet to hit puberty will get a head start based on age and gender. Typically, the oldest female wave starts first. Then the next wave will start, based on 5-year age groups, working toward the 20-30 year-old (faster?) folks. Wave starts will bounce back and forth between sexes, as the handicap derived from the World Masters Association dictates. The actual handicap for each division is posted at http://www.PagodaPacers.com

The first 10 overall finishers get Nolde Forest Pottery plates; Fleet Feet gift cards go to the top three finishers. Top age group bling will also be awarded.

We are also offering cool swag (see below) to those who register early (while supplies last). 

Registration: $35 with swag or $30 without. Race caps at 200. Race-day registration available unless participant cap is reached.

Part of all race proceeds will be donated to the Friends of Nolde for park projects and improvements.

click here to register!

Race Results (May 2024)

by pagodapacers

Want to see your race results in the next newsletter?

Email your race results to Amy Bird at ruseenamy@gmail.com.

Strolling Jim 40 miler

7:16:56Andy Styer

York YMCA Marathon

3:54:30Jennifer Pierdomenico1st F 55-59 (BQ!)

Dirty German 50k

4:36:31Cody Harris

First State Trail Race 50k

5:58:44Karin Tursack2nd Female
6:29:02Laura Yoder4th Female
7:19:42Mike Yoder1st M 60-69

Freedom Steps 5k Walk/Run for Our Troops

47:01Helene Horn3rd F 55-69

Dirty Pony 5k

32:41Cody Harris1st Overall
50:36Mark Yourkavitch1st M 60+

Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon

1:51:47Charlie Fries
1:52:24Jason Karpinski
2:04:05Mihai Sanchez
2:26:11Dale Wiest
2:30:42Sheri Golembiewski
2:43:14Elaine Cook
3:06:43Fred Foose
3:17:16Brittni Harris
3:19:09Andrea Adam
3:20:02Shawn Weller
3:24:34Donna Hey
3:27:53Julia Hager
3:27:59Lisa Domeshek
3:43:40Kristen Rothenberger
3:44:56Amy Bird

Brandywine Brisk 2.85 Miler

26:50Joanne Patti1st F 60-69
33:00Scott Scheidt
41:55Bruce Cronrath

Fox Trot 5k

18:02Mihai Sanchez1st Overall
29:59Yvonne Good
30:11Shawn Weller

May Third Thirsty Thursday (2 of 7)

18:14Charlie Fries1st M 40-49
21:14Mark Yourkavitch2nd M 60-69
21:57Brian Stoltzfus3rd M 60-69
24:47Jason Glass2nd M Clyde
25:35Kevin Monaghan
27:35Lisa Domeshek
27:36Blair Hogg
27:37Jason Tolley3rd M Clyde
27:46Peter Schlegel Jr
28:37Fred Foose
31:07Joanne Patti2nd F 60-69
31:59Larry Drogo4th M 70-77
32:35Julia Hager3rd F 50-59
33:06Dianne Showers3rd F 60-69
40:50Rick Showers
45:20Bruce Cronrath2nd M 78+
49:06Charlie Crowell
49:18Evette Vega

Letter from the President

by pagodapacers

The club had a busy holiday weekend with the Charlie Horse and Dirty Pony. The event was a great success, and I’m seeing a lot of enthusiasm for our new Triple Trail Challenge race series. It’s exciting to watch the club launch a new idea. Thank you, race directors, for supporting and implementing this series.

The Pacer Wednesday Night Run is a fixture on the club calendar, and we rarely interfere with it. But Wednesday, June 5 is Global Running Day, and the club is supporting a community running event that evening (more info at https://news.pagodapacers.com/2024/05/31/global-running-day-june-5-2024/).  We won’t have the typical WNR, but we will be representing the club and trying to draw in some future Pacers.

As always, I welcome your feedback.  Email me.

Steve
president@pagodapacers.com

Global Running Day: June 5, 2024

by pagodapacers

Global Running Day is Wednesday, June 5.  Fleet Feet West Reading is celebrating with “The Big Run 5k” at the Brentwood Trailhead.  The Pagoda Pacers and other community partners will be there with our tents and tables set up to share information and promote the club.  More details are available here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/w2N2dB7rNxYafKn2

The club has a discount code (pacer10) for any Pagoda Pacers running the race. If you use this code, registration is only $10. We will also give a prize to the fastest Pacers who run the race. Check in with us at the Pacer table before the race so we know who’s running. (This is not part of the official race awards from the race directors.)

Because this is on a Wednesday, it interferes with our regular Wednesday Night Run.  We will not be leading a typical WNR group that night, but please come out and be part of “The Big Run” if you’re free!

register for “the big run 5k”

2024 Charlie Horse / Dirty Pony Recap

by pagodapacers

by Kelly Ammon

The 27th running of the Charlie Horse Trail Half-Marathon and Dirty Pony 5k took place on May 26th without any major problems. The weather did get a little hot as the temperatures peaked in the high 80s, but nothing a few mud pits couldn’t fix for the runners. Even with the heat, every runner that made it to the start line also made it to the finish: 130 for the Charlie Horse and 39 for the Dirty Pony, respectively. 

Both races had near photo finishes. Cody Harris was able to secure first place male and Lindsey Gruber first place female in the Dirty Pony 5k. Brian Wiest crossed the finish line a mere second before runner-up Brandon Fogarty to take first place male in the Charlie Horse. Megan Kane took first place female and Jody Zegestowsky followed behind a few minutes later. 

The course changed slightly this year to bring the Charlie Horse distance closer to a true half marathon. Participants enjoyed the new addition, but, as tradition, everyone is just waiting for the last section. (Or they’re so excited for it, they jump straight to it and run the Dirty Pony.) Judging by the smiles and mud (so much mud!) plastered on the finishers’ faces, Charlie didn’t disappoint.

 On behalf of my co-race directors, Shaun and Libby, I’d like to thank everyone who came out to support the race and Special Olympics of Berks County. Whether you ran, cheered, or volunteered, we really could not have done it without the help of our Pacer community. 

See you on the trails 🤙🏻

Kelly

PS: Anyone who completed the Charlie Horse Half is officially one third of the way through the Triple Trail Challenge! It’s not too late to sign up for Run for the Ages (June 30) and Blues Cruise (October 6).

Racer Report: Strolling Jim

by pagodapacers

by Andy Styer

The Strolling Jim 40-miler is a long-standing classic road ultra that has been around since 1979, created by the iconic race director Lazarus Lake (aka Gary Cantrell). I have been on a quest to do as many of these old ultras as possible before I get too old, or they go away completely. To date I have done JFK 50, Laurel Highlands 70.5, and now Strolling Jim. Before I get into the race itself, let me tell you that it is a LONG drive down to Wartrace, TN, which is buried deep in the state and not so far from Alabama. On the way down, I split it up into 2 legs, stopping in West Virginia where one of my sons lives. The way back, however, was a 13.5 hour straight shot, and after a race the day before, it wasn’t fun, and I wouldn’t recommend it. The states I visited on my trip were PA, MD, WV, OH, KY, TN, and VA.

Now for the race: This is a road ultra, and although I am a veteran of trail ultras and a few road marathons, I had never done something quite like this, and thus I was a fish out of water. Figuring out an acceptable pace was the hard part. The course is a bit rolling, and boasts around 2800′ of elevation, so it’s not flat by any means. It covers backroads, mostly, but it does have one major highway crossing that is manned by Tennessee state troopers to keep everyone safe.

The aid stations are very basic with an electrolyte drink, water, soda, cookies, and chips. No “real food,” but the volunteers are all youth from the local high school, and the race benefits their athletic programs. Also, many people had crews following them on the course, who generously offered other runners ice and water. Some neighbors even had ice pops, water, and other goodies at makeshift aid stations. 

The weather forecast was supposed to be mid 70’s, cloudy and slightly humid with a chance of rain later. What we really got was low 80’s, full sun, with high humidity. Thanks, Weather.com! I started off fine, clicking off consistent mid 9-minute miles for roughly 27-28 miles, but then the heat took its toll and I slowed a bit. At mile 29, I hit a section called “The Walls”, which is a pretty substantial climb that lasts about 2 miles. I threw my trail ultra mindset on, and power hiked this for the most part to the top, hoping to have legs left to run once I got there. Sadly, I spent the next 10 miles to the finish alternating run / walk, and just hoping to survive.

I ended up with a 44th place finish out of 151 finishers at 7:16:56. I was hoping to be around 6:30, and if you go under 7 hours, you get a special red shirt that says, “sub-7 finisher”. Oh well, maybe next time…or…umm..probably not. This is likely a once-and-done race for me!

A few fun facts about this race, some of which came in a nice booklet given to all participants:

1) I was only the 21st person from PA to ever race this.

2) Charlie Trayer (retired ultra runner from Berks) still has the 6th best Strolling Jim finish at 4:15:21 from 1989!

3) I did not get to meet Laz, as he is currently walking across the USA.

Thanks for reading!

Free Tick Testing for PA Residents

by pagodapacers

If you go for a trail run this time of year in Pennsylvania, there’s a good chance you’ll be pulling a tick (or several) off of yourself afterwards.

If one of those nasty little parasitic arachnids latches on to you, and you’re able to remove it and preserve it in a plastic bag, you can also get your tick tested for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses!

Learn more about free tick-testing for PA residents at the Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab!

Special thanks to Charlie Crowell for his heads up about this service!

Wednesday Night Runs (June 2024)

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 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!)

June 5: Since this is Global Running Day, we’ll be teaming up with Fleet Feet West Reading for the “Big Run 5k” at the SRT Brentwood Trailhead — $10 registration fee with discount code “pacer10”!

June 12: — Kelly and Mark’s place (1113 Carsonia Ave, Reading) — Post-run to follow at same location

June 19: Bartram Trail, Hamburg — Post-run to follow at Copperz

June 26: Exeter River Trail / Neversink (Trout Run) — Post-run to follow at Lenny and Julie’s (221 Gibraltar Rd, Reading)

All runs start at 6:15 p.m

This is the end of the June ’24 Newsletter.

Charlie Horse & Dirty Pony Set for May 26, 2024!

by pagodapacers

Mark your calendars: Sunday, May 26th is this year’s date for the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon and the Dirty Pony 5k at Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club in Mohnton, PA.

The last day to pre-register online is 5/23. Day-of registration will be available starting at 7:30 AM. If you haven’t run the race in a while, please note that we are making some course changes that have added a bit more trail in beautiful Brecknock Twp.

And if you aren’t feeling up to running the races, we are always looking for volunteers. Please sign up for volunteering by clicking the “Volunteer tab” at the race page on Ultrasignup.com. 

And new for this year, the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon is the first race in the new Triple Trail Challenge 50.3. Complete the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon, the Run For the Ages Trail Chase 10k, and the Blues Cruise 50k to qualify for extra goodies and bragging rights! Runners completing these three races will get some sweet running swag at the Blues Cruise finish line. No special registration required–just sign up for all three races.

register now!

Race Results (April 2024)

by pagodapacers

Want to see your race results in the next newsletter?

Email your race results to Amy Bird at ruseenamy@gmail.com.

Bull Run Run 50-Miler

8:05:14Jim Blandford5th Overall
12:29:22Melissa Lin

Eagleton Trail Challenge 50k

8:43:11David Dunkelberger

RU OK? 5K

30:01Joanne Patti2nd F 60-69
44:35Rose Hagy2nd F 70+
48:51Bruce Cronrath
52:00Denise Wagner

Kutztown Fools Run 5k

21:12Brock Kline1st M 40-44
30:15Joanne Patti2nd F 65-69
31:46Dianne Showers3rd F 65-69
40:46Richard Showers

Kutztown Fools Run 10-Miler

1:04:25Mihai Sanchez1st M 25-29
1:13:34Matthew Brophy3rd M 40-44
1:27:16Elaine Cook1st F 55-59
1:31:02Vicki Menet3rd F 35-39
2:11:41Scott Scheidt

Butterfly Trail Run 10k

34:34Charles Fries1st Overall

Nun Run 5k

26:10Laura Werner1st F 50-59
32:45Diane Showers2nd F 60-69
34:18Larry Drogo3rd M 70-79
41:12Helene Horn
41:59Richard Showers3rd M 60-69
43:33Rose Hagy3rd F 70-79
47:19Bruce Cronrath2nd M 80+

Coastal Delaware Running Festival: Marathon

4:03:31Emily Trudel
4:27:27Lisa Domeshek

Coastal Delaware Running Festival: Half Marathon

1:37:06Matt Brophy
1:39:40Cody Harris
2:15:22Michelle Foley
2:45:37Brittni Harris

Coastal Delaware Running Festival: 9k

1:00:36Yuriko Beaman

Coastal Delaware Running Festival: 5k

29:56Michelle Foley

Hyner 50k

5:40:34Kelly Ammon
6:09:41Andy Styer
6:27:25Karin Tursack
6:27:26Mark Weaver

Hyner 25k

3:48:20Jess Gockley
4:15:11Elaine Cook

April Third Thirsty Thursday 5k

17:52Mihai Sanchez2nd M 20-29
18:57Charles Fries1st M 40-49
21:33Brian Stoltzfus1st M 60-69
25:44Jason Tolley4th M Clyde
26:05Kevin Monaghan
26:43Sandie Kincaid3rd F 40-49
27:48Nicholas DiMascio
27:55Blair Hogg
28:22Peter Schlegel, Jr
30:14Joanne Patti2nd F 60-69
32:33Larry Drogo
33:28Julia Hager4th F 50-59
33:49Dianne Showers
41:08Rick Showers
46:47Bruce Cronrath2nd M 78+
49:25Evette Vega
50:36Charlie Crowell Sr

Dr. Jeffrey F. Zackron Memorial 5k

22:50Brent Sparks
31:53Kristen Rothenberger1st F 40-49
33:57Dianne Showers1st F 60-69
43:44Richard Showers
43:48Bruce Cronrath

April Foolish 10 hr Trail Race

44 milesCharlie Fries1st M 40-49
36 milesMichael Whalen1st M 60-69
20 milesJoanne Patti
16 milesHelene Horn
12 milesScott Scheidt

Jim Thorpe Area Running Festival: Marathon

2:57:36Mihai SanchezBQ