Author: pagodapacers

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.

Race Report: Double Trouble 15k

by pagodapacers

by Blair Hogg

This race has never been on my radar. I’m not sure why–maybe because it is in July, and it’s usually too hot to consider a longer trail race? This year, a few people I knew said they were running it, and I needed a nice long run, so I decided to give it a try. Besides, Ron Horn and the Pretzel City Sports crew usually put on a decent race. 

The race is held in French Creek State Park, and I have done the Dirty Bird race there several times, so I figured it would be similar. Dirty Bird is fairly hilly, and with the heat and humidity, I wasn’t expecting to set any records. Besides, it would be fun to try to run with some friends. 

Michelle Henry, Julia Hager, Michelle Foley, Shawn Weller, Jason Tolley, and Lisa Domeshek were all running the race as well. Lisa and Jason were planning on running two loops for 30k; Julia was going to try for it as well. The rest of us were too smart for that stuff. 

The race started near the pool, but it didn’t follow the DB course. It was similar, but not too much. Shortly after the start, the course hit some narrow single track, and it became one big conga line. Eventually things sorted out and everyone could start doing some running. Once we crossed the main road and got onto the trails, things settled down. 

It was hot. And humid. And you were tempted to walk the hills. But when you started walking, you got ambushed by mosquitoes. It was horrible. At least it was good motivation to keep running. 

The hills weren’t nearly as bad as I expected, given my experience with DB. You could keep a decent pace going most of the time. Some of the trails used were very technical, though, and it was hard to get into a nice rhythm. 

Lisa and Jason needed to keep a decent pace going, since there was a cutoff at 2 hours and 10 minutes to do the second loop. Julia and Michelle Foley got ahead as well, so I tried to stay with Michelle Henry, but needed to keep some pace going to stay ahead of the bugs. We eventually met back up later in the race and ran the last mile together. 

Unfortunately, Julia and Michelle got off course by missing a turn, and ended up finishing behind us. It was a bummer for them and several others. 

I finished in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I probably could have made the cutoff if needed, but I kept expecting bigger hills and held back. Most of the hills were pretty manageable. 

But the bugs! They were awful!

And the heat and humidity! By the end of the race, I looked like I had gone for a swim in the lake!

All things considered, though, it was a fun event, and something I’ll probably consider doing again. 

Registration Is Open for the Kris Kringle (12/28/25)!

by pagodapacers

The Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club is happy to invite you to the 39th annual Kris Kringle 5-Mile Run!

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 2025 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 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 November 27th, 2025
  • $30 per runner from November 28th to December 15, 2025 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 color will be revealed in August
  • Hoodies are not included with the race registration cost but can be added to your order during the checkout process for $22 until November 27th, 2025
  • Deadline to order: November 27th, 2025
  • 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 80, plus a 80+ category

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

Register now!

Buy Your Wine & Cheese Tickets before the Price Goes Up!

by pagodapacers

The Pagoda Pacer Wine and Cheese Party is back for 2025 at the Barn at Cacoosing (9 Evans Hill Rd, Sinking Spring)!

This fun event will be held on Saturday, September 6th from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. and is a great way to relax and mingle with fellow Pacers.

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 $20 each for Pacer members and $25 for non-members through 8/25. After that, prices go up: $25 for members and $30 for non-members, so buy yours NOW and save $5!

Tickets must be bought in advance online; 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.

Blues Cruise Group Training Run on 8/10/25

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 Sunday, August 10.

This group run is open to everyone–not just registered participants of the Blues Cruise race.

The event will start at 8 a.m. We’ll meet at the Old Church Road parking lot (porta potties available) and run a lollipop route featuring Skinner’s loop. This run is a10k.

For those looking for a longer run, it is easy to add the ski loop directly on, for a half-marathon distance. All of these miles are on the actual Blues Cruise course, and we’ll get a nice mix of terrain, especially for those doing both loops. We will have at least 2 pace groups, more if numbers allow. Please bring a hydration belt or vest and needed nutrition. Insect repellent is a good idea too!

Follow the Facebook Event for this run for updates.