Tag: shiver

Let’s try this again.  

This month we have 2 Shiver races. The December Shiver had to be postponed and is now Jan 4^th. The January Shiver is scheduled for Jan 11^th.  

We apologize for the last minute cancellation of the December race, but we had about 5” of snow, not the predicted 1-2”. We knew Jim Dietrich Park would not be plowed, and just think of that hill!!!!! We did send an email to all pre-registered runners who had given us an email address, along with posting a message on the Pacer website and the Pretzel City Sports website and Facebook messages. We hope we reached everyone. 

So this month we have back-to-back races!

Dates:  Sunday Jan 4^th and Sunday Jan 11th

Place:  Jim Dietrich Park

Registration: 8:30

Race start:  10:00

Swag:  Running Waist Belt

By the time you read this, pre-registration is closed; however, race-day registration is available for the series and individual races.  

If you choose not to run the race, please consider volunteering. We need volunteers before the race – for parking; during the race – on the road, at the finish line, and in the farmhouse; and after the race – for cleanup. We also need a sweep. Since we have a 40-minute cut-off for a runner to start the 2^nd loop, the sweep will start running at 40 minutes and follow the last 10K runner; therefore, the sweep can still run the 5k. To help us with volunteer assignments, we prefer that volunteers contact us prior to race day. If you have not already talked to one of us, please reach out to Georgine at Facebook or Instagram or gmmccool56@comcast.net.  

If you can help prior to the race, please plan to arrive between 8:00 – 8:15. If you can help with the race itself, please arrive no later than 9:30. Look for one of the race directors somewhere around the farmhouse. Thank you in advance for your support!

Remaining race dates:  Feb 8^th, Mar 8th

Hope to see you there!!!

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

Date:  Sunday Dec 14^th

Place:  Jim Dietrich Park

Registration: 8:30 a.m.

Race start:  10 a.m.

Swag:  Running Waist Belt

Pre-registration is only for the series. Race-day registration is available for the series or individual races. Series runners can pre-register online at www.pretzelcitysports.com until midnight on the Wednesday before the race. You can also print and mail the app with a check. Apps can be printed from our website www.pagodapacers.com.  

If you choose not to run the race, please consider volunteering. We need volunteers before the race – for parking; during the race – on the road, at the finish line and in the farmhouse; and after the race – for cleanup. We also need someone to sweep. Since we have a 40-minute cut-off for runners to start the 2^nd loop, the sweeper will start running at 40 minutes and follow the last 10k runner; therefore, the sweeper can still run the 5k. To help us with volunteer assignments, we prefer that volunteers contact us prior to race day. If you have not already talked to one of us, please reach out to Georgine at Facebook or Instagram or gmmccool56@comcast.net.  

If you can help prior to the race, please plan to arrive between 8:00 – 8:15 a.m. If you can help with the race itself, please arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. Look for one of the race directors somewhere around the farmhouse. Thank you in advance for your support!

Remaining race dates:  Jan 11th, Feb 8^th, Mar 8th

Hope to see you there!!!

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

The SHIVER by the RIVER 5K & 10K is NOW.  The first one is Dec 14^th, at Jim Dietrich Park, in Muhlenberg Twp. Registration opens at 8:30; both races start at 10:00. If you can’t run all 4 races, run 3, run 2, or run 1. The dates for the remaining races are Jan 11^th, Feb 8^th, and Mar 8^th.

The Shiver is unique in that at the end of a 5K loop, runners can decide if they want to go through the chute and finish the 5K or continue and do the loop a 2^nd time, completing a 10K. Runners can run different distances each month or the same distance each month. So come out and join us–it’s great motivation to run through the winter. See old friends, meet new friends, and see how your time compares month to month! Snacks and hot soup will be provided after each race. There will be an awards banquet after the March race that is free to all runners who have completed at least 3 races.  

Runners can register online at Pretzel City Sports or by mailing the registration form and a check. As always, we will have race day registration. Pre-registration deadline is 11/14. Swag for ’25-’26 is a running waist belt, large enough to carry water, your phone, and keys. Register early to guarantee the swag; we will have a very limited number of waist belts at the race!!  

If you choose not to run the race, please consider volunteering. We need volunteers before the race, for parking and registration; during the race – on the road, at the finish line and in the farmhouse; and after the race – for cleanup. If you can help prior to the race, please plan to arrive between 8:00 – 8:15. If you can help with the race itself, please arrive no later than 9:30. Look for one of the race directors somewhere around the farmhouse. Thank you in advance for your support!

Hope to see you there!!!

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

Dates:  2^nd Sunday:  Dec 14^th, Jan 11^th, Feb 8^th, March 8^th

Time:  10 a.m.; Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.

Location:  Jim Dietrich Park, Muhlenberg Twp.

Come out and join us for the best winter series in the area!! If you have never run a Shiver race, or it’s been a few years, this is a great reason for running through the winter, not to mention seeing runners you haven’t seen for years! If you are one of the many runners we see year after year, we look forward to seeing you again.  

Online registration for the series is open and can be found via Pretzel City Sports.     

We are not mailing apps; however, we will accept mail-in registrations.  Apps can be printed from the Pagoda Pacers website or can be picked up at one of the many races timed by Pretzel City Sports. Pre-registration is only available for the series; however, we will have race-day registration for both the series and individual races.   

This year’s swag is a great running waist belt!

Each race includes a post-race buffet of soup, pretzels, and snacks. The end-of-series party includes a hot and cold buffet, plus lots and lots of door prizes; overall awards and 5-year age-group awards. As always, this buffet is free to any runner who registers for the series or runs at least 3 races. (There is a nominal charge for all others.)

Come out and join us for our 36th season!!!!!!

Race Directors,

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

Online registration for the 25-26 Shiver by the River series is open and can be found at Pretzel City Sports!    

As always, pre-registration is only for the series. We have day-of registration for the individual races. 

Dates:  2^nd Sunday:  Dec 14^th, Jan 11^th, Feb 8^th, March 8^th

Time:  10:00 am; Registration opens at 8:30

Location:  Jim Dietrich Park, Muhlenberg Twp.

Come out and join us for the best winter series in the area!! If you have never run a Shiver race, or if it’s been a few years, this is a great reason for running through the winter, not to mention seeing runners you haven’t seen for years! If you are one of the many runners we see year after year, we look forward to seeing you again.  

Once again, we are not mailing apps!  However, we will accept mail-in registrations.  Apps can be printed by CLICKING HERE, or you can pick one up at any of the many races timed by Pretzel City Sports. We plan to also have copies at our monthly meetings 

This year’s swag is a running waist belt.  

Each race includes a post-race buffet of soup, pretzels, and snacks. The end-of-year party includes a hot and cold buffet, plus lots and lots of door prizes; overall awards and 5-year age group awards. As always, this buffet is free to any runner who registers for the series or runs at least 3 races. (There is a nominal charge for all others.)

Come out and join us for our 36th season!!!!!!

Race Directors,

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

The 35th Shiver by the River is complete!!!! We had 854 finishers throughout the series, with 171 runners completing the series. In looking at all of the months, our fastest runners for the series were Glen Heck (16:13 5k at the Dec. race); Brittney Miller (20:06 5k at the Dec. race); Brendan Shearn  (33:20 10k at the Dec. race); and Brittney Miller (42:24 10k at the March race). We thank every runner and volunteer who joined us!

In March, we had 215 5k runners and 61 10k runners. Congratulations to the top 5k runners, Austin Strohl (17:20) and Ty Diaz-Cruz (20:16); and the top 10k runners, Jordan Slifka (36:50) and Brittney Miller (42:24).  

Results of each race, plus the series results, can be found on pagodapacers.com. Awards which were not picked up at the banquet are at Fleet Feet West Reading (705 Penn Ave), and can be picked up any time during normal business hours, until April 10^th.

Special thanks to Elaine & Alan Cooke and Steve Maguire who brought the Pacer trailer to the races. This is such a huge help!!! 

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!!!!!!!  

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:  

Joanne Patti 

Fleet Feet 

Victor Emmanuel 

Brittney Miller

Andrea Adam

Alecia Bradley

Janine Biedler

Nate Pantoja

Tiffany Pantoja

Justin Kershner

Amy Hamilton

Isaac’s Restaurant

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 to contact one of the race directors. We do value your input, and we do read the surveys, making modifications when possible.   

We have already begun preparations for next year. Jim Dietrich park is reserved for the 2^nd Sunday in Dec, Jan, Feb and March; and Temple Fire Co is reserved for the 2^nd Sunday in March. We’ve started conversations about swag for next year. We hope to see everyone next year–bring a friend!!!!!!!

Sue, Georgine, & Tiffany

Thank you to the 87 5k runners, 52 10k runners, and the many volunteers who helped us have another successful Shiver by the River on February 16^th. Admittedly, it was one of our smaller races, but after postponing a week, and then the rain, we are thankful for each and every one of you who participated. To those who did race, you most likely got a low number of points to count towards end-of-year awards.  

Congratulations to the top M/F 5k runners: Alex Epler (18:03) and Ty Diaz-Cruz (21:05); and to the top 10k M/F runners: Tim Hartung (36:38) and Brittney Miller (43:22). 

Thank you to ALL the runners and volunteers who continue to support us!!!!!!

Shiver#4 will be held on March 9^th.   Take note – this is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time!!!  

As always, we need more volunteers for this race. Specifically, we need 3 or 4 people willing to take results off of the board, so that the race directors can calculate results as soon as possible. We also need the usual help with parking, registration, on the road, at the finish line, cleaning up, at the water stop, and within the house serving soup. Anyone helping with registration should plan to arrive at Jim Dietrich Park between 8:15 & 8:30; anyone helping during the race should plan to arrive by 9:30.   To help us with volunteer assignments, we prefer that volunteers contact us prior to race day. If you have not already talked to one of us, please reach out to Georgine via Facebook or Instagram or gmmccool56@comcast.net.   

However, for as much as we need volunteers, we would really like to see more Pacers RUN THE RACE!!!!   

The awards ceremony will be held immediately after the race, at the Temple Fire Company, 4963 Kutztown Rd, which is about 3 miles from Jim Dietrich Park. This is the same location as the last couple of years.

We are looking for more door prizes. If anyone can donate personally, or secure a door prize, please bring it to the race. Donations can be given directly to any of the race directors or dropped off at the front table where we are selling old swag, etc. It would be appreciated if you could let us know in advance if you will be able to donate. 

To be eligible to win a door prize, simply complete the survey at the awards banquet.  A cold buffet, including a hot vegetarian item, will be served starting around 11:00, followed by door prizes and then the awards. Due to the costs associated with the party, we will follow the guidelines we established a few years ago.   

The party is FREE to everyone who has either:

1. Finished 3 or more races in this year’s series – please bring your race number from the 4^th race to the party, it will be your ticket for free entry.  There will be a sticker on your bib, indicating your eligibility.  
2. Assisted with any of the races.
3. Paid for the series.  

We will be charging all others (including Pacers who do not fall into one of the above categories) a $13 fee to help cover some of our costs.

Remember, to help us maintain accurate results, DO NOT COMPLETE ANOTHER REGISTRATION FORM if you already ran this year. If you paid for the series, registration is in the front room of the house. If you are paying race-by-race, we have a number for you at the “Single Race Registration” table in the 2^nd room. If you have not previously registered for the 2024-2025 series, registration is at a different table, also in the 2^nd room.  

Thanks for all the support we have received! We hope to see many of you at the Shiver, either running or volunteering!!!!!

Sue, Georgine, and Tiffany

GO EAGLES!!!!!!!

Shiver #3 is Super Bowl Sunday – February 9th . So before going to your favorite bar or hanging out with friends to watch the Eagles in the Super Bowl, join us for the Shiver! Burn off those calories before you hit the big party!!!

If you have never run this race or maybe you haven’t run it for a few years, come out and join us and maybe reconnect with runners you haven’t seen in ages! The race is at Jim Dietrich Park, in Muhlenberg Twp. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.; both races start at 10:00 a.m.

What makes this race unique is that runners can decide at the end of the 5K loop if
they are going to finish the day with a 5K or do a 2nd loop to complete a 10K. However, we do have a cut-off of 40 minutes to be eligible to start the 2nd loop.

The January 5K had 149 finishers, with 72 runners completing the 10K. 1st male and female finishers in the 5K were Glen Heck (16:13,) and Brittney Miller (20:33); Brendan Shearn (33:20) and Lissa Kutz (44:47) finished as top male/female runners in the 10K.

As always, we thank the volunteers and the runners who came out to support us!!!

Please remember to only complete the registration form ONCE during the series. As we have done in the past, we will have 3 separate areas for registration. We calculate the series results by bib#, so each runner will have the same bib# each month. If a runner completes more than 1 application, he/she will have more than 1 bib#.

(1) Pre-Registration is in the front room, for those runners who have paid for the entire series.

(2) For those runners who are paying for each race, individually, and who ran in December and/or January, registration is in the 2 nd room, at the table marked “Post Registration Single Race Entry.” We have a number with a label with your name. No need to complete a new registration form. If you do, there is the potential of being recognized as a different runner when it comes time to calculate the series results. If any information needs to be changed, just let them know when you get your number; no need to complete a registration form with the changed information.

(3) For those runners who have not registered for the 2024-2025 Shiver, registration is in the 2nd room at the table marked “Post Registration.”

Looking ahead, our 4th race in the series will be held on March 9th. The awards banquet will be at the Temple Fire Co, immediately following the race. It is free to all runners who completed 3 or more races and free for volunteers; there is a minimal charge for everyone else. We are always looking for door-prizes to be given at the awards ceremony. If you own a business, or know someone who owns a business, or you would like to donate something yourself, we would be very grateful for merchandise, gift certificates, gift baskets, or any small item that a runner would
appreciate. Door prizes can be brought to either of the next 2 races or the February Pacer meeting. We plan to send a thank you email to all of our donors, so if you donate or secure an item for us, we would appreciate knowing exactly what was donated and contact information for the donor.

We hope to see more Pacers run the remaining Shiver races. If you choose not to run the race, please consider volunteering. We need volunteers before the race, for parking and registration; during the race – on the road, at the finish line and in the farmhouse; and after the race – for cleanup. If you can help prior to the race, please plan to arrive between 8:00 – 8:15. If you can help with the race itself, please arrive no later than 9:30. To help us with volunteer assignments, we prefer that volunteers contact us prior to race day. If you have not already talked to one of us, please reach out to Georgine via Facebook or Instagram or gmmccool56@comcast.net.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Hope to see you there!!!
Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

The first Shiver of the ’24-’25 series is in the books! As always, we thank the volunteers and the runners who came out to support us!!! The volunteers and runners make this race a success!!! 150 runners completed the 5k, with 65 completing the 10k. Results are posted on our website and Pretzel City Sports’ website. 1^st male and female in the 5k were Glen Heck (16:25) and Brittney Miller (20:06). In the 10k, our 1^st male and female finishers were Brendan Shearn (33:54) and Cheryl Kundek (48:46).

Now we are ready to move onto race #2 on Sunday, Jan 12^th.   We need RUNNERS!!!!  We need VOLUNTEERS!!!!!  

If you have never run this race, or if you haven’t run it for a few years, come out and join us and maybe reconnect with runners you haven’t seen in ages! The race is at Jim Dietrich Park, in Muhlenberg Twp. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.; both races start at 10:00 a.m.  

Like last year, we have re-opened online registration on Pretzel City Sports, so you can still preregister for the series and not have to stand in line on race day.  

Please remember to only complete the registration form ONCE during the series.  As we have done in the past, we will have 3 separate areas for registration. I know you have all heard this before, but trust me, we will still have runners (including Pacers) who will complete a form for each race. We calculate the series results by bib#, so each runner will have the same bib# each month. Obviously if a runner completes more than 1 application, he/she will have more than 1 bib#. 

1. Pre-Registration is in the front room (for those runners who have paid for the entire series). 
2. For those runners who are paying for each race individually, and who ran in December, registration is in the 2^nd room, at the table marked “Post-Registration Single Race Entry.” We have a number with a label with your name. No need to complete a new registration form. If you do, there is the potential of being recognized as a different runner when it comes time to calculate the series results. If any information needs to be changed, just let them know when you get your number; no need to complete a registration form with the changed information.
3. For those runners who have not registered for the 2024-2025 Shiver, registration is in the 2^nd room at the table marked “Post Registration.” When completing the registration form, if you have paid for the series, please circle YES; otherwise, we will expect you to pay again at the remaining races.  

A few other notes.  

1. On the registration form, we ask for your email address, so that you will be included in any future emails we send regarding the remaining races for this series and for future series. We ask for your mailing address so that applications for future races can be mailed to you. It is certainly your choice as to whether you provide us with either or both of these, but it does help with keeping our runners in the loop.
2. Because of the rental agreement we have for the farmhouse, requiring us to leave the farmhouse by noon, runners who complete their first loop in over 40 minutes will NOT be allowed to go out for the 2^nd loop.  

If you choose not to run the race, please consider volunteering. We need volunteers before the race, for parking and registration; during the race – on the road, at the finish line and in the farmhouse; and after the race – for cleanup. If you can help prior to the race, please plan to arrive between 8:00 – 8:15. If you can help with the race itself, please plan to arrive no later than 9:30. To help us with volunteer assignments, we prefer that volunteers contact us prior to race day. If you have not already talked to one of us, please reach out to Georgine at Facebook or Instagram or gmmccool56@comcast.net.  

Thank you in advance for your support!

Hope to see you there!!!

Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja