Run for the Ages 10k Trail Chase Will Knock Your Socks On

April 30, 2023 by pagodapacers

Run for the Ages -where anybody might win the race!

Come out for a quite different kind of trail race on Sunday, June 25, 2023!

Run For the Ages has an age-graded start. Top age group performers have a legitimate shot at the overall title.

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 back toward the younger (faster?) folks. Wave starts will bounce back and forth between sexes, as the handicap derived from the World Masters Association dictates.

Even if you aren’t out to win, the race is run on challenging (yet very runnable) trails in beautiful Nolde Forest, has great schwag (this year it’s socks), and virtually no bottle necks. Challenge your families and coworkers to come out and compete on a “level” playing field.

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

Run For the Ages is held annually in BEAUTIFUL NOLDE FOREST – READING, PA with a portion of the proceeds going to the Friends of Nolde Forest, a non-profit group helping to maintain Nolde Forest.

Use the below QR code or visit: https://www.pagodapacers.com/Races-Results/Races/Run-for-the-Ages-10k-Trail-Chase.aspx for more information or to register.

USATF-MA sanctioned race

Donna Hey, race director

Monthly Membership Meeting: Thursday, May 11, 2023

April 30, 2023 by pagodapacers

May’s Monthly Membership meeting will be held on Thursday, May 11th, 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.

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

** Please remember to RSVP by Monday (the week of the meeting) if you plan on coming so we can have an accurate headcount for food & seating.

RSVP can be sent by selecting your correct response on the Facebook event page or via email to mhenry.pacers@gmail.com.

Pacer Profile: Mihai Sanchez

April 30, 2023May 2, 2023 by pagodapacers

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

Running has taken me to places I would’ve never thought of otherwise. When I first started running in high school, my goal was to learn to enjoy the ride and improve everyday from the beginning stages to the next levels of progression to help my team win. As I progressed, I ran in college where I built on my running abilities and maturity while learning how to compete and win in a team environment. Now that I’m not competing on a team anymore, I’ve learned to continue to pursue my running dreams in various capacities whether it’s individually, running with friends I’ve made in school, or with new running friends I have or will make along the way. I believe the sky is the limit to achieve my goals and maximize my potential in the sport that has given me so much opportunity. Aside from individual accolades, in addition to proper training and nutrition, I strive to keep active, appreciate nature, think bigger, expand my social network, and most importantly, have fun since we all only live one life. I want to make the most of it with running being a huge part of my daily life.

What do you enjoy most about being a Pagoda Pacer?

Since joining the Pacers in the Fall of 2020, there is a lot I enjoy about our club, especially the community and family environment of the local running community. I get the opportunity to make new friends from different demographics keeping me active physically and socially for life. I believe we are leaders in the running community with goals to promote the sport and demonstrate appreciation for healthy living and recreation.

What is a bucket list race for you?

I am on the Boston Marathon Mission first and foremost, but along the journey, other bucket list races include the November Philadelphia Marathon, every Pagoda Pacer event, and Pretzel City Sports events. That includes the Blues Cruise 50k, the April Foolish 10 Hour Endurance Run, and the Labor Pains 12 Hour Endurance Run to name a few.

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?

Every Pacer has been inspiring in the current stage of my life, but Dale Wiest especially, has been the most influential in helping me get out of my comfort zone. Dale has inspired me to pursue trail races I would’ve never attempted or imagined I’d enjoy, since I thought I was going to be strictly a road runner for the rest of my running life. Each time I interact with Dale, we’re always talking about trail racing as he motivates me to pursue local trail races to not only improve my trail racing techniques, but to also learn to be brave and courageous in challenging settings I’m not familiar with. To date, I’ve run four trail races, and I thank Dale for believing in me to pursue something that makes me stronger in this journey both in running and in life.

Want to introduce yourself to the club in the next newsletter? We’d love to feature YOU in an upcoming Pacer Profile. Click HERE to find out how!

Wednesday Night Runs (May ’23 Locations)

April 30, 2023 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!)

May 3: Blue Marsh Lake Holls Trail Head — Post-run at PJ Whelihan’s

May 10: Wyomissing Quarry Soccer Fields — Post-run at Paolo’s

May 17: Monocacy Hill Recreation Area — Post-run at Island Pizza

May 24: Hampden Park / Reading HS — Post-run at Pike Cafe

May 31: Galen Hall Golf Course (park across the street) — Post-run at Juliana’s

All runs start at 6:15 p.m.

General Membership Meeting: Thursday, April 13, 2023

April 1, 2023 by pagodapacers

April’s Monthly Membership Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 13th, 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.

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

** Please remember to RSVP by Monday (the week of the meeting) if you plan on coming so we can have an accurate headcount for food & seating.

RSVP can be sent by selecting your correct response on the Facebook event page or via email to mhenry.pacers@gmail.com.

Proposed Changes to Club Bylaws

April 1, 2023 by pagodapacers

The changes to our club’s bylaws, outlined below, were proposed at the March Membership Meeting and will be voted on at the April Membership Meeting.

Race Report: HAT 50k

April 1, 2023 by pagodapacers

by Andy Styer

Hat 50k is a race that has been on my mind since I DNF’d it back in 2016 or 2017 ( I can’t exactly remember!) due to a rolled ankle. This year, it didn’t sell out, so I had the luxury of signing up a week before the race knowing I was well trained for a 50k on the fly. I had just completed the Naked Bavarian 40-miler a few weeks prior and was hoping to have a nice, clean race.

Well, as my luck (and the weather) would have it – no, it would be muddy like most of my races have been.

The race started of well enough. All the runners line up in a field and then launch into a 3-mile baby loop, which allows us to separate into packs before we head into the larger loop with single-track trails. I kind of held back, knowing I usually go out too fast, but for once, I had a plan. My goal was a 5:45 – 6 hour finish, which I felt was respectable for my ability as a runner, with the amount of vertical gain (4200′-5000′ depending on whose watch you believe). I didn’t use a drop bag or plan on changing shoes , socks, shirt, or anything. I didn’t use a pack, just a handheld water bottle.

At about 10 miles into the race, the rain came, and we had a steady downpour for about an hour. I knew this would be trouble for the course conditions, and it turned the nice, flowing course into a peanut-buttery, muddy mess, with the downhills being treacherous and the uphills tough to get a grip on. As I came into the end of the first loop, I passed a TON of people who stopped at the pavilion to change shoes and socks. It was a calculated risk on my part not to change, but I tend to use aid stations as a “gas-n-go” type of pit stop, topping off fluids and grabbing some food.

The second loop was fun for me, as I was passing people who don’t like mud the way I do! The trail conditions were worse than ever, and a few people I spoke with who did this race numerous times said this was the worst they had ever seen the course. I kept moving steadily while passing people the entire loop. It was a good feeling knowing I would avenge an old DNF and get some really nice swag in the process! A handheld Orange Mud water bottle, a long sleeve tee, a winter beanie / skull cap, and of course, a really nice running HAT. I highly recommend this race since it’s a well established race with some of the best volunteers you’ll find out there!

Below are my stats:

46th out of 248 finishers

4th out of 45 in the M50-59

Baby loop time: 27:29 ( 77th place)

1st large loop time: 2:33:36 (75th place)

2nd large loop time: 2:46:34

Final time: 5:47:39, 46th place, passing 29 people on the final loop!

Movie Night @ GoggleWorks

April 1, 2023 by pagodapacers

Apr 29 / 12:00-2:00pm

A LONG WAY FROM NOWHERE – Film Premiere & Discussion

Presented by Boscov Theatre

What compels a person to run 150 miles through the desert at the height of summer? Is it the need for achievement, the competitive instinct, or something deeper—a spiritual need for hardship, for catharsis, and from it, healing? A LONG WAY FROM NOWHERE is a different sort of extreme sports film—one centered not around winning or extraordinary spectacle—but instead one focused upon the human spirit—on why individuals, knowingly or not, seek out some of the harshest climates on earth—in this case, the southern Utah desert in June—and push themselves to, and sometimes beyond, the breaking point. Amongst the disparate cast of characters in this film are a veteran, a single father, and two sisters—a detective and a reporter. Each undertakes the 150-mile Desert Rats stage race, each reaches their darkest hour, and each, through the curious alchemy of extreme hardship and desert solitude, emerges with a new understanding of what it is to be human.

Phil Pinti, a 2001 Exeter Township graduate, West Chester University alum, U.S. Marine Veteran, widower, single father and adventurer is highlighted in the documentary as one of the featured runners and storytellers. Mr. Pinti will attend the screening and be joined by Connor Moriarty, licensed professional counselor and founder and director of Reset Outdoors for a post-screening discussion.

Tickets: $5
Seating: General Admission

~Box Office & House will open at 11:30am
~Concessions, including wine and beer, will be available

Watch trailer now

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