August 2015 - Southern California Road Runners of Walnut

Southern California Road Runners of Walnut, Inc.
Road Racers, Cross-Country, and Track Club
El Corre Caminos
Vol. 21, No. 8 August 1, 2015 Walnut, California
VISIT US AT OUR WEBSITE: www.RoadrunnersofWalnut.org
President’s Remarks
Club Announcements
Hello Everyone. Welcome to our August newsletter. We have a lot going on
this month, so read it all and plan ahead. We can’t make this club “go”
without you.
First volunteers are needed. We have our 2 Mile open races set. There will be three race days,
all on Thursdays: August 13th, 20th, and 27th. Each day there will be four races, with the first
starting at 6 PM. Races are planned to start twenty minutes apart, so including the awards
ceremony, the events should end around 8 PM—not much later than our regular training day.
But we do need some volunteers there early for setup and some after for teardown, making each
race day a little longer for some. Any funds made will go to having the club activities you like.
Are you able to volunteer? Let me know. Oh we need runners too! So if you want to register
and run the race, please do! The cost is only $5. Tell everyone—all your friends and family—
about our races.
Board of Directors 2014-2016
Second and very important to our club is
President
Danny Castro
our new vice president Erica Robledo.
Vice President
Erica Robledo
She will play and is already playing a
Secretary
Erin Wong
major role to the success of this club. She
Treasurer
Almario Gonzales
and I are working right now on finding a
site for our upcoming USATF Youth Cross
Country Meet. She has been very easy to
Club Contributors
get in touch with, she makes sure she
Newsletter Mailing Maribel Armendariz
understands what I’m asking her to find
Parent Services
Maribel Armendariz
information about, and can talk to
& Special Events
community leaders so that they understand
what our club is looking for. I am so glad
Member Relations
Del Quevedo
she has volunteered for this position. In
Website Admin
Erin Wong
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case if you did not see her email, here is a note from Erica:
I [want] to take this time to thank you for the opportunity to be an integral part of this
amazing club and serve as Vice-President. I am excited, open and ready to continue a
successful and enjoyable running club. I am looking forward to working closely with
Danny, all board members and fellow runners.
I especially want to thank Irma for her wonderful dedication, passion and bond that she
has created as my predecessor in the position, your (running) shoes are going to be hard
to fill! I am honored and humbled, thank you.
Sincerely, Erica
Special Events
We had two special events in July: a summer camp and a potluck.
Two of our youth were able to attend the Road Runner Big Bear Running Camp this year: Jason
Reggie and Guadalupe Perez. This summer camp is why we hold fundraising events. The cost
of the camp was $250, but since they are youth team members, money was taken out of our
youth account to pay for their registration fees. They got in and had a good experience because
you volunteer to help at our fundraising events.
The potluck special event was held at my house after the long run on Sunday morning. Thanks
to all who attended, and thanks to Erin Wong who put it together. The running started at 8
AM—an hour later than usual because I thought it
would give you more time to prepare the food that
you brought. The course was changed because it
rained hard the day before. The day turned out to
be hot and humid—uncomfortable for running, but
just right for the pool. Yes, after running, the
potluck was on with food galore, and the
swimming pool open. We also had a free drawing with a couple of t-shirts, backpacks, a tank
top, and running shorts, all donated by Top Speed Running Store. (Buy your shoes from Top
Speed!) Looking back at all that went on that day, I would give the event a very high rating for a
really fun day.
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Another club special we have that most other running clubs do not is a free 5K race giveaway.
Who will win the drawing this month? All you have to do is attend the Club Board Meeting.
For the summer months, the meetings are held in Suzanne Park at 7:20 PM. Last month’s free
5K winner was Edgar Polanco. He ran the Rosemead 5K, which was the club race of the
month.
A new special event that I want everyone to be aware of is our very own USATF Youth
Association Race. I say our own because we are putting it on. We are still looking for a site, but
we got the approval from the USATF organization to put on the cross country meet and to charge
all runners to run it. The race will be a SoCal Road Runners event, so we may have to split the
profit with the other SCRR clubs if they work it. Still, some new funds may be coming in.
OK now I guess that’s enough about special events and fundraising. I now want to talk about
someone near and dear to me: Olivia Paez. I met her when she was nine years old in the third
grade at the Baldwin Park race. A little girl with glasses who said she wanted to be a long
distance runner. I told her and her mom that it takes a lot of work, a lot of running, and we
practice almost every day. They said fine they will do it. They did it alright! Just after two
weeks, I could see she was someone who was not afraid of failure. She went to practice every
day and didn’t care how hard it was to run two miles—she kept coming back. So with just two
weeks in, I said to myself, I’m going to see if she really has the courage it takes. Knowing there
were elementary school races at Mt. SAC on Saturday, I asked her mom to take her there for
practice, not telling them about the races. Knowing one of the Road Runner parents was a
teacher at one of the schools there running, I figured I might get her in with them. Sure enough,
I got her in. I asked Olivia if she would run in a race on the Mt. SAC course famous for its steep
hills. Looking at the hills then back at me she said that she would if I, her coach, thought it was
good for her to do it. She did it! She succeeded! I was proud of her. I knew then, at nine years
old, she had courage. She did walk a little going up the switchback hill and I pointed that out to
her, and she has never walked again. Now my little nine year old runner has grown up to be a
teenager going to Bishop Amat High School in the fall. She has had plenty of success as a Road
Runner and a student (too much to state here), which I believe has to do with the courage she
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always has in her mind. She is not afraid to fail. She tries and if she fails she will try again
using a different approach. Thinking about it now, she has kept me going, teaching me not to
give up along the way. I will miss seeing her at practice every day and everyday remember
another fun time we shared. Read Olivia’s goodbye story on page 7.
Enough about helping the club. Now I want to know how the club can help you. I’ll bring this
up for discussion at our board meeting. Do you need a road runner uniform? Are you going to
get ready for the LA Marathon? Do you want a speedwork day? Do you want an extra Saturday
put on the program schedule? Do you want a strength-only day? Let me know; I will help you.
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Gather at 7:00AM
August 2nd – San Dimas Canyon Park - From FWY 210 eastbound, exit at San Dimas Ave.
Go north then turn right onto Foothill Blvd. Turn left onto San Dimas Cyn. Rd. then turn left
onto Sycamore Cyn. Rd. Immediately turn right onto the park’s parking lot.
From FWY 210 westbound, exit at Foothill Blvd. Turn right then in about half a mile, turn right
onto San Dimas Cyn. Rd. Turn left onto Sycamore Cyn. Rd. then immediately turn right onto
the park’s parking lot. There are restrooms at the park.
August 9th – Creekside Park - From FWY 10, exit at Grand Ave. and go south toward Mt.
SAC. In 2-3/4 miles, turn right onto Amar Rd. (ON GREEN LIGHT ONLY). Travel about 13/4 miles, then turn left onto Lemon Ave. Turn right onto Creekside Dr. and travel about half a
mile to the park. There are restrooms at the park. Creekside Park’s address is 780 Creekside Dr.
August 16th – Mills Park (Marshall Canyon) - From FWY 210, take the exit and keep right
to merge onto Foothill Blvd. (La Verne). Turn left (north) onto Wheeler Ave. In about a mile,
you reach the park on the left. Mills Park’s address is 5601 Wheeler Ave., La Verne.
August 23rd – Snow Creek Park - From FWY 10, exit at Grand Ave. and go south toward Mt.
SAC. In about 3.5 miles, turn left onto Snow Creek Dr. The park is on the right. There are
restrooms at the park. Snow Creek Park’s address is 20633 Snow Creek Dr., Walnut.
August 30th – Frank Bonelli Park in San Dimas - From FWY 57, exit at Via Verde (Raging
Waters) then turn left if you were southbound or turn right if you were northbound. Meet at the
Park and Ride lot on the north side of Via Verde There are bathrooms at the 76 gas station onehalf block from the parking lot plus several bathrooms along the running route in the park.
September 6th – Annual Beach Run and Potluck at Huntington Beach - From 405 FWY
or 22 FWY, exit at Beach Blvd. and go south toward Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Cross PCH
and enter the parking lot on the left. The fee for parking is $15. We meet at Lifeguard Station
#14.
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Dear Fellow Roadrunners,
It is that time again, the 32nd Annual Albert Rivera Menudo Run. First, I would like to thank our Running
Group, Road Runners of Walnut, for always supporting the Menudo Run. Please accept this invitation to
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participate in this year’s run. The National Latino Peace Officers Association, SGV Chapter, 32 Albert
Rivera Menudo Run, 5K- 10K- Fun Run and Kiddie Run is scheduled for August 29, 2015. We also have
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a category for running groups and enforcement teams for the 5K. A trophy will be awarded to the 1 2
rd
and 3 place teams. Medals will be awarded 3 deep and to all kids participating in the kiddie run. The
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pre-registration cost is $30.00 by August 15 and $35.00 afterward. Groups of 10 can register for $25.00
each. Each runner will receive a t-shirt, bag of goodies, bowl of menudo and beverage, until supplies
last.
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This is my 6 year as chairwoman of the race in memory of my brother, Al Rivera. Each year we strive to
improve the race by challenging every accomplished runner, which will undoubtedly make everyone feel
satisfied upon completion. This race can also be used to reach your personal goal, while at the same
time contribute to an important effort to help other people and improve our community. We will again
have the same timing company as last year that everyone raved about.
We are a non-profit organization with members from various law enforcement agencies and civilian
members. Proceeds from the race are used to support various community activities for youth. Last
month we were fortunate to give 10 scholarships to local youth entering such colleges as Harvard, Azusa
Pacific University and Chapman University, to name a few. Some of our other successful events were
donations of 50 car seats to families in need, supported the Probation Department, Baker to Vegas
Running Team, supported a family with a child battling cancer and donated money to St. Martha’s Church
for family food baskets, to name a few.
If you would like information on the race or how to apply for a scholarship, do not hesitate to call me at
(562) 505-2586 or send me an email at [email protected]
Hope to see many yellow shirts on August 29, 2015
Sincerely,
Lisa Garcia,
Race Chairwoman
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A Good Influence on Me
By Olivia Paez
The summer of 2009 was the first time I ever saw the Road Runners. When I saw them, I
immediately wanted to join the running club. I think that was one of the most important
decisions I’ve made in my childhood.
One of the memories that I would never forget is my very first race. I still remember that day
like if it was yesterday. My very first race was really unexpected. I was going to train at Mt.
SAC with Coach Danny, but there was a race going on for elementary and middle schools.
Surprisingly, Coach Danny entered me in the race. This is where my racing career started.
Every year since third grade, I’ve qualified for the USATF Nationals. The year of 2014 I
became the National Champion for the 3000 meter race. It was an awesome experience
achieving that.
When I first started running, I ran with only adults. They were a good influence on me because I
would try to stay with them. I received a lot of support from them. The Road Runners helped
me a lot over the years. They helped me both emotionally and financially, by sponsoring me for
nationals and camp. They encouraged me by telling me not to give up and to try my hardest in
training and races.
I just want to thank Coach Danny specifically because he is the one that made me the runner that
I am and the best that I could be. He is the one that prepared me for all my races that I’ve done.
He is the one who gave me those talks before races. He is the one who helped me qualify for
every nationals I’ve been to. He is the one who would tell me to be tough, don’t cry, and don’t
let the other runners see your weak side. I couldn’t have done it without you, Coach Danny.
Thank you.
During my years of running, I’ve met a lot of great people and I made a lot
of good friends. I will come back and cheer for my fellow Road Runners.
Friends that I will always cheer for and I will never forget them. We are
like a running family. We stick together no matter what. All of the
experiences I’ve made with the Road Runners will help guide me through
my high school and college years. They will help me make good decisions
when I train and race. I hope someday in the future I can come back and
help Coach Danny train the youth runners. Thanks Coach Danny for the
time and effort you put in my training and thanks, my fellow Road Runners
for all the memories. I’m taking running all the way. You haven’t seen the
last of me yet.
Will always be a Road Runner,
Olivia Paez
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Rosemead 5K, Kids Fun Run and
Tot Trot July 4th Races A Success
July 11, 2015
Rosemead – A few hundred runners and walkers celebrated USA’s Independence Day on July 4, by
participating, volunteering or donating to Rosemead 5K, Kids Fun Run and Tot Trot, announced Race
Director Israel Estrada.
Participants got an early start with the 5K getting underway at 7 a.m. and the cooler weather was a big
help as participants had faster times on the challenging course, said Estrada. The Kids Fun Run followed
at 8 a.m. and Tot Trot at 8:15 a.m.
Veterans who have served the USA and attend California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) will
benefit as profits from the event will go towards a few scholarships for student veterans at CSULA.
The course started and finished in front of Rosemead City Hall on Valley Boulevard, and continued past
major Rosemead landmarks—Rosemead Shopping Plaza, Savannah Elementary School. Rosemead Park,
Encinita Elementary School, and Rosemead High School.
Overall 5K top three male finishers were Daniel Cabrera of El Monte in 16:01.8 for first, Bailey Tang of
Montebello in 16:33.1 in second, and Juan Cruz of La Puente in 17:04.4 in third.
Overall 5K top three female finishers were Valerie Tucker of Downey in 20:33.3 for first, Vanessa
Torres of El Monte in 21:00.1 for second, just ahead of Daiya Cunnane of Pasadena in 21:01.9 for third.
Since this 5K race course is different than the course records set two years ago by overall winners Alex
Esparza and Elizabeth Lyons, Cabrera and Tucker set course records this year, as did the age group
winners.
Female winners in each age category were Kelly Cao of Rosemead (24:50), Erin Wong of San Dimas
(23:48), Wendy Roy (23:26), Micaela Cantor of Rosemead (26:49), Diana Moreno of Walnut (25:36),
Billie Pate of Upland (43:50), and Lola Ackerman of Beaumont (25:25).
Male winners in each age category were Kohki Ito of El Monte (17:13), Abraham Esparza of Rosemead
(18:41), Peter Kim of San Gabriel (19:12), Robert Gazzale of Pasadena (19:25), Martin Vega of
Montebello (21:17), and Pedro Rojas of Rosemead (19:40).
“The volunteers enjoyed giving out the beautiful custom finisher medals as much as the runners and
walkers enjoyed receiving them,” said Estrada. “There also was free Starbucks coffee and Nature’s
Bakery bars, and Driftwood Dairy donated little milks for everyone and the top two overall female and
male finishers started a tradition by drinking fresh Driftwood Dairy milk after the awards ceremony to
celebrate.”
Major contributors were City of Rosemead, Rosemead Chamber of Commerce, Rosemead Kiwanis,
California American Water, California State University, Los Angeles Associated Students, Rosemead’s
Dinsmoor House Museum, Driftwood Dairy, Golden Rose Florist, Irwindale Speedway and Events
Center, Jim’s Famous Burgers, Nature’s Bakery, Pasadena Star-News, Republic Services, Road ID,
Roadrunner Sports, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Starbucks (Rosemead Plaza), UFC Gym, Vikon, and
Whittier Daily News.
“Rosemead 5K also recognizes Los Angeles County Fire and Sheriff departments and American
Medical Response who helped make the event safe and enjoyable,” commented Estrada. The entire event
happens because of dozens of volunteers, he continued. “Our volunteers are who make this fun and
glorious event possible on our country’s Independence Day,” he
emphasized.
R5K
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August
08/01/15 – 21st Annual Pride of the Valley 5K Run – Tike Trot @ 7:30 AM, 5K Run/Walk @
8:00 AM. Registration is $25 with t-shirt or $20 for just the run. Tike Trot is $15 with t-shirt or
$10 for just the run. All prices increase by $5.00 after July 10th. Race is at Morgan Park, 4100
Baldwin Park Blvd, Baldwin Park, CA 91706.
08/13/15 – SCRR-Walnut 2 Mile XC Race #1
08/20/15 – SCRR-Walnut 2 Mile XC Race #2
08/27/15 – SCRR-Walnut 2 Mile XC Race #3
08/29/15 – ***”Club Race of the Month”*** 32nd Annual Albert Rivera Menudo Run –
5K/10K Run & Fun Walk: Race begins at 8:00 AM at Legg Lake Park – Santa Anita Ave &
Lexington-Gallatin Rd, South El Monte. Register at menudorun.itsyourrace.com
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Rosemead 5K
Rosemead, CA
07/04/15
Jasper Junio
20:53.2
4th Div
PR
Aaron Bravo
22:55.7
6th Div
PR
Tom Castro
23:00.1
3rd Div
Erin Wong
23:48.0
1st Div
Edgar Polanco
24:11.5
8th Div
Diana Moreno
25:36.8
1st Div
PR
Jimena Muro
27:28.5
2nd Div
debut
Jasmin Gamboa
27:37.9
5th Div
PR
Eric Polanco
28:54.5
12th Div
Laura Miller
31:44.6
8th Div
Elva Miller
34:27.9
9th Div
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debut
2015 USATF Youth Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
3000m Girls 13-14
*Olivia Paez
10:39.95
3rd out of 19
Guadalupe Perez
11:40.53
12th out of 19
3000m Boys 13-14 Finals
Trevor Benson
10:56.54
19th out of 24
1500m Boys 13-14 Prelims
Trevor Benson
5:18.51
29th out of 31
1500m Girls 13-14 Prelims
Olivia Paez
4:57.52
1st out of 27 (Q)
Guadalupe Perez
5:11.25 (PR)
14th out of 27
1500m Girls 13-14 Finals
*Olivia Paez
4:57.11
* indicates medal won
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6th out of 12
Edgewood HS 2 Mile All-Comers Race #2
07/16/15
Boys
Anthony Cisneros
13:17
1st Div
14th out of 34
Johnathan Cisneros
14:23 2nd Div
26th out of 34
15:46
3rd Div
32nd out of 34
1st Div
9th out of 31
18:55 2nd Div
25th out of 31
Eric Polanco
Girls
Jimena Muro
Dynasty Villanueva
15:06
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Club Notice
Roadrunners meet to run at 6:30 PM Mondays, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays at Suzanne Park, Walnut.
Contributions for the newsletter would be greatly appreciated, so if you have a story
or an event you would like published in the newsletter,
please submit the article to Erin Wong @ [email protected]
Please also forward your race results to coach Danny as soon as you complete
the run so that they can be published in a timely manner.
Thanks to our club sponsors:
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