January/February 2015 - Lehigh Valley Road Runners

www.LVRR.org
Established 1993
January/February 2015 Newsletter
Vol. 31 Issue 1
President’s Message
2015 began with the club’s
usual antics--Dip in Da Creek
followed by our 37th five-mile
run and lunch. We had the
largest crowd ever at Fire Co.
#2, in fact there wasn’t enough
room for everyone to sit down
and enjoy their lunch. I’m sure
we can add more chairs and
tables next year.
The winter calendar is well
under way; The Ice Scraper
Series is off to another fantastic
start. I believe this series is
one of the main reasons for
the surge in
membership
during the past
year. Leslie
Billowitch and
Loretta Dodson
put together a wonderful group
of volunteers to conduct the
races. The Super Bowl has
sold out again for who knows
how many times. The Emmaus
4-Miler is open for registration
and is sure to sell out once
more as is St. Luke’s Half
Marathon and 5K.
the number of
races we do,
scholarships,
grant requests and the
ongoing club expenses for the
maintenance of our property. Our
tax return alone is an inch thick.
The LVRR is run totally by
volunteers and it is particularly
gratifying in the case of the
Ice Scraper to see so many
new volunteers pitching in, but
there are many who do the
daily tasks that keep a club of
nearly 800 people functioning
well, as our club does. One
of those who have worked in
the background for decades is
our treasurer, Brian Schaffer.
Brian does a marvelous job of
keeping our finances in order,
a considerable task considering
The wonderful article in the last
newsletter entitled Whatever
Happened to Racing failed
to give credit to its author.
Michael Drabenstott penned the
article that drew many positive
responses.
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Kudos to Leslie Billowitch
for assuming the vacant Vice
Presidency position. Leslie has
been a terrific addition to the
board and has eagerly accepted
the responsibilities of the Vice
President.
Don’t forget the club gear,
uniforms, arm warmers, t-shirts
and club magnets, all sold at
cost. How cool to run your next
race in an LVRR singlet.
As Always, Good Running,
Neal
RACE CALENDAR
January - February - March - April
Sunday 01/18/2015 10:00am
Ice Scraper 5K Winter Series #2
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown PA
Contact: Jerry Steward
610-432-4911
www.lvrr.org
Sunday 01/25/2015 11:00am
Chilly Cheeks 7 Mile Trail Run
11:00am
Reading PA
Contact: Ron Horn
610-779-2668
www.pretzelcitysports.com
Sunday 02/01/15 9:30am
Superbowl 10K
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown PA
Contact: [email protected]
www.lvrr.org
Saturday 02/14/2015 8:00am
Cupids Chase 5K
Rodale Cycling Park,
Trexlertown PA
Contact: michele.reinert@comop.
org
Sunday 02/22/2015 10:00am
Ice Scraper 5K Winter Series #3
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown PA
Contact: Jerry Steward
610-432-4911
www.lvrr.org
Saturday 03/07/2015 9:00am
Quakertown Rotary Run for Youth
10 Mile & 4 Mile
Contact: Bill Tuszynski
267-374-1631
www.tantracking..com
Saturday 03/14/2015 10:00am
WARM HEART 5K
JBN Hanover Township
Contact: Dana Vlasics
610-573-6788
www.racewire.com
Sunday 03/15/201510:00am
Ice Scraper 5K Winter Series #4
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown PA
Contact: Jerry Steward
610-432-4911
www.lvrr.org
LVRR Board of Directors
Neal Novak, President
Leslie Billowitch, Vice President
Brian Schaffer, Treasurer
Nina Skinner, Secretary
Lloyd Trego
Loretta Dodson
Chris Garges
Brian Patterson
Laurie Reinhart
Bob Shively
Jill Forsythe
Sunday 03/22/2015 12:15pm
WEST END ST. PAT’S DAY 5K
Muhlenburg College, Allentown PA
Contact: Mike Drabenstott
484-821-0920 x704
www.westendstpats5k.com
Saturday 03/28/2014 9:00am
FOOLS RUN 10 Mi & 5K
Kutztown PA
www.pretzelcitysports.com
Saturday 04/11/2015 9:00am
BIG HEARTS BRIGHT HOPE 5K
& 1 Mi
Hanover Township Community
Center
Contact: Jennifer Gross
610-821-4000 x 18
www.tantracking.com
Saturday 04/11/2015 8:00am
GARDEN SPOT VILLAGE MARATHON & HALF MARATHON
New Holland PA
www.GardenSpotVillageMarathon.
org
Sunday 04/26/2015 8:00am
ST. LUKE’S HALF MARATHON
& 5k
Contact: Race Director
610-434-9133
www.stlukeshalfmarathon.com
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Bob Bodkin
Meredith Longo
Cross Country National
Championships
On December 6, 2014 the Lehigh
Valley Road Runners descended
upon Lehigh University’s famed
cross country course to tackle
the 2014 USA Track & Field
Club Cross Country National
Championships. The event set
a new meet record with 1900
entries toeing the
start line. The
event, while open
to unattached
runners, is an
annual showdown of some of the
best clubs in the country.
The cross country Gods treated
runners to what could be
considered “perfect” cross country
conditions, temps hovering in the
30’s, a stiff breeze, overcast skies
and moist course conditions.
The day’s events included 6k races
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for the women’s open and
masters and 10k races for the
men’s open and masters. The
10k course was basically two
loops of the women’s course.
Both men’s fields boasted over
600 runners which made for
some incredible-looking starts.
One thing was for sure, the
temperatures may have been
cold, but the action was hot!
Our club fielded 35 runners
among five teams, one of the
largest clubs of the meet!
And what our teams may
have lacked in speed against
powerhouse teams like the
Atlanta Track Club, the Boston
Athletic Association and
Bowerman Track Club, they
made up for with fun, smiles
and camaraderie that was
unmatched by the competition.
For this wasn’t about winning,
it was about our club, the
Lehigh Valley Road Runners,
being a part of one of the
biggest national championship
events to be held in the Lehigh
Valley in recent memory.
The best place to be
throughout the day was the
team tent,
tucked
amongst
a sea of
tents. That’s where the magic
really happened. The prerace jitters shared amongst
teammates, the post race
stories of personal bests, the
smell of sweat, the stains of
mud, and of course the relived
glory days. The best of these
however, were the memories
forged out there in the heat of
battle in the middle of fields of
muddy grass and asphalt roads.
It was a great day for all, a
proud day for the LVRR and
an honor for each of our 35
runners who pulled a club
singlet over their head. Here’s
to many more. Next time you
hear the club forming teams for
a race, step out of your comfort
zone and hop on board!
Be Better!
Over the course of my 8 year running experience, I’ve
trained for and run over 10 marathons and 20 half
marathons. The level of commitment, dedication, and
discipline I’ve developed to accomplish this I bring to my
clients and Real Estate career as well.
The strong National Brand, Tools, and Support that comes
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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Valley Partners
232 Main St, Emmaus, PA 18049
Office: 610.421.8887
Cell: 610.217.3757
Email: [email protected]
Website: timothylambert.betteragents.com
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Things, They Are
A-Changing
by Tina Hertel
Some of you are already familiar with First Strides, a beginner
walking and running workshop
geared for any woman between
the ages of 12 and 112 (or even
older!). This
coming spring,
you will see
a few minor
changes to the
program.
Last spring, we introduced a
session of First Strides at the
Lehigh Parkway in Allentown
in addition to the one that was
held at Sand Island in Bethlehem. That turned out to be a
very popular addition. The turnout was very strong...better than
expected, actually. In fact, many
who had previously come to
Sand Island switched to Lehigh
Parkway. Sand Island had also
seen decreasing participation,
primarily due to the addition of
other First Strides programs in
the Bethlehem area.
how the program is run in the
fall, two First Strides programs
will be offered on two separate
nights in the Parkway, one on
Tuesday nights and the other
on Wednesday nights, starting
March 17th and 18th.
Another change that will be
implemented this spring involves “Switches”. During the
fall and because both sessions
were in the Parkway, we allowed
people to switch between nights.
This was done as a courtesy
to participants knowing that
sometimes life gets in the way
of things. However, allowing
switches is very challenging to
manage. With a set number of
mentors based on registrations
for each night, it becomes very
difficult to keep everything fair
and equitable when switches
take place. This year we will be
evaluating the process by not
allowing the temporary switches
night to night. This is in line
with other fitness programs
where attendance is only for
the night or class for which you
register.
In order for the program to
be effective, a certain number
of participants need to be a
part of the program. Because
of the number of women who
participate in First Strides in
the fall, and due to the number
that came to the new location last spring, there will be
two sessions offered at Lehigh
Parkway this coming March. No
program will be offered at Sand
Island this spring. Similar to
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Those are the two major changes that you will see for this
coming spring session of First
Strides. There may be a few
other changes as well, such as
new mentors, new participants,
different speakers or topics,
the weather, etc. The important
part of the program will remain
the same: a 12-week progressive beginner walking/running
program that will prepare you
for a 5K race at the end of
the program. Oh, and one last
change you will want to know
about... the color of the graduation shirts will be different than
last year. You’ll have to register,
participate, and graduate to find
out what color it will be, though!
First Strides is a rewarding
fitness program specifically
geared for women. If you are
interested in learning more
about the program and learning
when and where the next session starts, please visit the First
Strides website ( http://www.
firststrides.com/ ) or the First
Strides Facebook page ( https://
www.facebook.com/pages/FirstStrides/247824231952500 ).
www.dstortz.com
BEST WISHES TO THE LEHIGH VALLEY ROAD RUNNERS!
6
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with over 20 years real estate
experience, Mick is able to offer his
unmatched knowledge of the local
market, top-notch negotiating skills,
and utmost dedication to providing the
level of customer service you deserve.
Mick Seislove, Realtor
Prudential Patt, White Real Estate
3261 Rt. 100, Suite 100, Macungie
Main Office:
Direct:
Cell:
Email:
Website:
484-519-4444
484-519-4413
610-657-1758
[email protected]
www.mickseisloveteam.com
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10
Amy Machulsky
Realtor
Corey Hill
Realtor
Lori Bartkus
Realtor
Heather Kramer
Assistant
PRESORTED
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