The summer is heating up, and here are some fun ways to get outside and enjoy the warm weather:
Outdoor Membership Meetingand “Prediction Run”: July’s monthly membership meeting will be held on Thursday, July 14th, at Birdsboro’s Rustic Park (1314 Haycreek Rd., Birdsboro, PA 19508). We will be set up at Pavilion #4. The club will provide pizzas and soda. Show up early (6:00 p.m.) to participate in a special “prediction run” organized by Swamp and Mike Gallen. Food and drink at 6:30pm. Meeting starts at 7:00pm. All members are welcomed.
Rustic Park in Birdsboro
Outdoor Yoga with Yuriko: Get your vinyasa on as you groove and flow with Yuriko on Saturday, August 6th, at Fawn Hill Hop Yard (141 Wilma Ave, Reading). Practice begins at 9:30 a.m. — all levels welcome, including “yoga virgins.” More info at https://www.pagodapacers.com/Group-Runs/Social-Events.aspx
Yoga with Yuriko
Gring’s Mill Run: The classic 5k and 10k races will take place on Sunday, August 7th, at the Berks County Heritage Center. Races begin at 9:00 a.m., as runners take off along the scenic crushed-stone trail with views of the picturesque Tulpehocken Creek. Interested in volunteering? Contact race director Jason Karpinski at gringsmilldirector@pagodapacers.com. Interested in racing? Register now by clicking the button below:
Registration with Shirt has been extended to 7/28,
AND Day-of-Registration WILL BE AVAILABLE
We will continue to start this race from the Berks County Heritage center, but NEW this year the race will be chip timed by Pretzel City Sports.
This race is a great one whether you are a new runner or a seasoned pro. No need to decide what distance you want to run ahead of time; you can simply decide on race day which one you want to line up for. It’s fast, it’s flat, and it often leads to PRs!
Happy to say that we will be offering the “Kids Fun Run” again this year. The Kids Run is less than a mile long, and it goes right through the red bridge!
So come out and run the race or come volunteer. Either way, it’s always a great day!
The race directors for our summer races have announced that, sadly, both races must be canceled due to the ongoing public health crisis.
The Run for the Ages 10k Trail Chase (originally scheduled for June 28th) and the Gring’s Mill Run (originally scheduled for August 2nd) will hopefully resurface next summer, once the spread of COVID-19 is under control.
The next Pagoda Pacers race in 2020 currently on our schedule is Blues Cruise (10/4/20). Race directors Dan Govern and Mike Yoder have not made a final decision yet about whether or not this race will take place. The Army Corps of Engineers has NOT ruled out events for the fall at Blue Marsh, but there is a good deal of uncertainty about what specific restrictions will be in place by October. Please stay tuned for more information, and be sure to follow the Blues Cruise Facebook Page for updates.
Did anyone else realize it’s been a month since the Gring’s Mill race? I looked back at the August Pacer Newsletter with Matt’s cool new format and we were requesting volunteers and runners to attend for what was expected to be another great race. Well the race directors, volunteers, runners, and Mother Nature didn’t let us down. Post-race, the Discussion Group on Facebook was filled with a host of action shots and award photos capturing the day.
A special mention goes out to Lynne Reddington, who, with the craft of a carnival pitchman, brought focus to the raffle tables and sponsor donations at a level that would make ShamWow jealous. Also, over the last few weeks, Laura Yoder has personally distributed many thank-you cards to our race sponsors. We appreciate that our club members and community support many of these local companies that give back through their sponsorship.
I have to say we probably missed a marketing opportunity as our own Barb Raifsnider felt running the Gring’s Mill race alone was not enough. Did you see Barb’s picture was featured in the Reading Eagle, running up to the Pagoda at the Radsport Festival just a couple hours after running Gring’s Mill?
Barb crushing the Radsport Pagoda run after Gring’s Mill
Another impressive feat that should be mentioned is April Zimmerman’s completion of Eastern States 100 miler. Hopefully she’ll be kind enough to let us share her race report.
Look for April’s report in next month’s newsletter.
How the time is flying and it’s not even Labor Day yet. Kris Kringle and the Shiver Series are already in the news. The recent Shiver Facebook post is a reminder to take advantage of the lower rates and register early. The Kringle post was a thank you. The Club donated $4,500 to the Berks County Cross Country Coaches Association from the Kringle proceeds. When the cross-country season starts, it’s a good time to get the coaches together with a large check before the rivalries kick in. We wish both the coaches and the athletes a great season. Polly and the coaches would also appreciate if you’ll mark your calendar again for Sunday December 29th for this year’s Kris Kringle race.
Before noting all the great things Dan Govern and Mike Yoder have going on with the Blues Cruise 50k, I’d like to acknowledge that one of our own, Christine Le, is doing The Rut 28k Race out in Big Sky Montana. Traversing epic views and terrain, I think even the great climbers in the club would be humbled by the course. She will start at 7,500 feet and climb to 10,000 in the first 6 miles. Then, typical of the ski resort, she’ll plummet over the next mile to 8,500 feet. This has to be the point I’d look for the chair lift or an exit because no sane person looks up to 11,140 feet and thinks “Where is a good direction to run?” for the next 2 ½ miles. The race is 10 miles up and 7 miles down.
Back to the race Dan and Mike are organizing: They’ve designed some great shirts, hats, and a finisher medal, so if you’re on the fence this is definitely a year to run. Putting the numbers in perspective, Dan estimates 400 plus runners; each runner covers 31 miles. Total up those miles and you have a distance that’s halfway around the earth. Thankfully it’s not a relay! To support this great event it takes the help of many. There are 7 themed aid stations, each with a captain supporting the runners. Volunteering on race day or contributing to some of the prep work will make great memories. Bring the family–it’s a full-day event; however, many of the volunteers simply peek in and out as needed. Don’t forget to mark this event– October 6th–on your calendar today.
New Blues Cruise swag
I’ve probably gone long on this entry, and Matt Brophy (Editor-in-Chief) has reminded me I’m late so……got to run….
Pagoda Pacers News 