Pacer Profile: Mihai Sanchez

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)

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.

Pacer Long Run–Reading’s Twin Peaks (5/21/23)

by pagodapacers

May’s group long run will be much closer to home than April’s, and so we hope many of you will be able to join us!

We’re planning a run on Mount Penn and Mount Neversink on Sunday, May 21. We will start at 9:30 a.m., and there will be a couple route options. There will also be road/gravel ride option for those who prefer to bike.

A starting location, exact routes, and a post-run venue are all still TBD at this point, but save the date and keep an eye out on the Facebook Event for more details.

Now for another damn fine cup of coffee…

This is the end of the May 2023 newsletter. You can read older posts by continuing to scroll down.

General Membership Meeting: Thursday, April 13, 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.

Race Report: HAT 50k

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

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
buy tickets now

’22-’23 Shiver Wrap

by pagodapacers

The 33rd Shiver by the River is complete. We had 431 individual runners, with 185 runners completing the series. In looking at all of the months, our fastest runners for the series were Jonathan Thrush (15:57 5k at the January race); Bryanna Urban (18:24 5k at the March race); Brendan Shearn (32:52 10k at the December race); and Mikaela Smith (40:47 10k at the February race).  We thank every runner and volunteer who joined us!

In March we had 229 5K runners and 60 10K runners. Congratulations to the top M/F 5K runners Daryl Weaver (17:21) and Bryanna Urban (18:24); and the top 10K M/F runners Mihai Sanchez (35:37) and Dixie Bonner (43:58).  

Results of each race, plus the series results, can be found on pagodapacers.com. Awards that were not picked up at the banquet are at Fleet Feet (705 Penn Ave, West Reading), and can be picked up any time during normal business hours, until mid-April.  

As always, THANK YOU to all the Pacers who participated either by running, volunteering, or both! We sincerely appreciate all of our volunteers, whether you helped us at one race or every race; whether you have helped us for years, or this was the first time you volunteered for Shiver. Everyone was so willing to do whatever was needed to make this series another success! I don’t want to mention specific names for fear of forgetting someone, but volunteers, you know who you are, and runners, you know who they are – you see so many of the same volunteers parking cars, at the water stop, at the same registration table, at the same intersection, or inside the farmhouse supplying soup and pretzels. THANK YOU!!!!!!!  

Thank you to Andrea Thrush who created and hid small rocks along the course, each with a Shiver by the River design.

The awards ceremony was again held at the Temple Fire Company, in Muhlenberg Township.  THANK YOU to the following for the donation of door prizes:  

Rose Hagy 

Joanne Patti 

Ron Horn & Pretzel City Sports 

Donna Hey (Run for the Ages race)

Michael Oetting 

Fleet Feet 

Lisa Domeshek

Victor Emmanuel 

Isaacs Restaurant

Larry Drogo

Joy & Space (Yuriko Beaman)

Alecia Bradley

Janine Biedler

Giant Food Markets (Mihai Sanchez)

RUSeen (Amy Bird)

Red Barn Bakes (Chantel Paulino)

Gary Stern

Andrea Thrush

THANK YOU to our sponsor:  

Dieffenbach’s

Please contact Sue Jackson at shiverdirector@pagodapacers.com if any door prize donors were missed.

If anyone has any comments, concerns, or questions concerning the series, please feel free to contact one of the race directors. We do value your input and we do read the surveys, making modifications when possible.   

Once again, thanks for all of the Pacer support, both runners and volunteers!!!!!!!!! We hope to see all of you next year.

Sue, Georgine & Tiffany

Race Results (March 2023)

by pagodapacers

Want to see your race results in the next newsletter?

Email your race results to Amy Bird at raceresults@pagodapacers.com.

Naked Bavarian 40 Mile Trail Race

7:04:26Tod Slabik1st M 50-59
7:47:08Andy Styer2nd M 50-59
8:10:00Shane Shin

Naked Bavarian 20 Mile Trail Race

3:06:48Kelly Ammon
3:20:08Dale Wiest2nd M 60-69
3:51:09Emily Trudel
4:31:31Lisa Domeshek
4:38:16Blair Hogg
4:57:18Kristin Rothenberger

Hat 50k

5:47:39Andy Styer
5:51:46.5Dale Wiest2nd M 60-69
6:07:12.3Curtis Musser

Shiver by the River 5k (Last Race)

20:33Curt Minich
24:37Carl Kerchner
26:36Janine Beidler
29:26Aaron Kreider
30:04Shawn Weller
30:15Joanne Beard
31:00Larry Drogo
33:14Yuriko Beaman
33:25Joann Patti
34:08Blair Beard
36:22Diane Gilbert
36:36Michelle Henry
37:25Beth Consugar
39:44Rick Showers
40:29Bruce Cronrath
42:07Rose Hagy
55:49Tracy Vida
55:55Steven Vida

Shiver by the River 10k (Last Race)

35:37Mihai Sanchez
43:55Matt Brophy
45:38Nicholas DiMascio
46:01Ray Ingaglio
57:05Tania Salaneck
58:47Kristen Rothenberger
1:01:56Ellie Alderfer
1:05:08Andrea Thrush
1:06:28Amy Bird
1:13:03Scott Scheidt
1:26:51Michael Oetting

Shiver by the River Winter Series Results

4Mihai Sancheztie 1st Overall Male
10Gabe Batdorf2nd in age group
41Curt Minich3rd in age group
43Matthew Brophy2nd in age group
63Nicholas DiMascio1st in age group
76Carl Kerchnertie 2nd in age group
121Jeffrey Golden
130Kristen RothenbergerOverall Female Master Clyde
133Janine Beidler1st in age group
147Tony Agentowicz
166Ellie Alderfer2nd in age group
181Tania Salaneck2nd in age group
184Scott Scheidt
193Michael Oetting
195Andrea Thrush
208Joanne Beard3rd in age group
210Aaron Kreider3rd in age group
216Shawn Weller
219Larry Drogo
271Yuriko Beaman3rd in age group
275Joann Patti
368Diane Gilbert
374Beth Consugar
388Bruce CronrathOldest Male
427Michelle Henry
452Rick Showers

RU OK? 5K

21:24Brian Stoltzfus1st M 60+
38:21Diane Gilbert
42:21Rick Showers

Garden Spot 10k

1:28:15Rose Hagy1st F 75-79

Garden Spot Half Marathon

1:30:29Kaitlin Gresh2nd Female Overall
2:17:37Michelle Foley

Half Wit Half Marathon Trail

2:34:14Emily Trudel3rd F 0-39
3:02:15Lisa Domeshek5th F 0-39
3:19:54Shawn Weller

Quarter Wit Quarter Marathon Trail

53:58Mihai Sanchez1st M 0-39
59:44Chris Fisher2nd M 40-49
1:17:53Kevin Monaghan2nd M 60-69
2:58:19Evette Vega