Tag: cross country

Race director’s report by Tom Chobot

As part of our community service and outreach initiatives, the Pacers are involved in 2 cross country events each year during the third week in October. We do this with the goal of promoting interest in distance running among the youth of Berks County.

The first is the BCIAA (Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association) Conference Run on October 18^th at Kutztown University and involves about 300 high school runners from 16 Berks County school districts. Gwyn and I have directed this race for 8 years, and each year we start with the Pacers for recruiting volunteers, who have always come through for us. Each year, we receive plenty of compliments from coaches, officials, and parents on how stellar our race staff executes the race. One official said, “How appropriate it is that the largest running club in the county manages the county XC championship.” Gwyn and I wish to thank those who offered their time to course marshal, direct traffic, and manage the finish line area. 

The second is an official Pacer event, and it is supported, financed, and presented entirely by the club and its membership. It is officially called the Fall Run Off Invitational, but the kids call it the junior high ( 7^th and 8^th grades) county championships because the field is made up of around 200 runners from the 15 Berks County public school districts who have a junior high cross country program. The coaches, parents, and even the kids tell us each year that this is much more than just another race. It is their “big dance” and the highlight of their season. This was the club’s 14^th year presenting the race, which was held at the Reading Fairgrounds on October 22nd. Gwyn, Phil, and I are grateful beyond words for the unending support for this event by the club and its members. 

I might add that both events provide far reaching and effective PR and community interaction for the club as well. As the leaders of the local running community, this cannot be overstated. Well done, Pacers!

There are two youth specific races each year that the club is involved with, both of which take place during the third week of October.

One is an actual PPAC event, called the FALL RUN OFF INVITATIONAL, and is a junior high (7th and 8th grade) 2-mile cross country race. It was designed to be a copy of the Berks County senior high XC conference run and all of the teams from only those Berks County school districts who offer a junior high cross-country program are invited. This will be the 14th year of holding this event which averages about 240 kids each year. This event takes place on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at the Reading Fairgrounds, starting at 7am, and is usually done by 11am. Tasks include parking and set up from 7 to 9, and course marshaling, finish line management, and clean up from 9 to 11. Most volunteers stay for the whole thing, but many only stay for 2 hours depending on their schedule; either is a big help to us.

The other is the BCIAA (Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association) high school cross country conference run and takes place on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, from 3pm to 5:30pm at Kutztown University. My wife, Gwyn, and I direct this race and one of our responsibilities is to recruit 12 to 18 volunteers. Each year, we approach club members first, as we see this as an excellent opportunity for community outreach and to show those outside of our circle what we do. This will be our 8th year of directing this race and the Pacers have come through with not only providing almost 100% of the needed volunteers, but also executing the race flawlessly and professionally.

Both events have been a huge success in terms of PR and community outreach for the club. If you can help out at either event, give us a shout!

Tom Chobot

484-269-2889

Chobot7957@msn.com