GRTC PRESIDENTS LETTER 8.1.22

HOT has clearly been the theme the last few weeks. Quality runs for many have moved to early morning and one does need to be cautious in the heat. But many events HAVE continued and July was once again a busy month for GRTC.  The Boilermaker Bus trip went well on 7/10 under Wilt Alston’s supervision. Everyone enjoyed the ride and the Boilermaker race itself on a beautiful day. Plan on this yourself for next year’s race. And the Candlelight 12 overnight ultra came off without a hitch on 7/16 at the Rotary Sunshine Camp in Rush. Again, good weather and good times were had by 67 finishers. The Male winner was Roger Bolton with 70 miles and the Female winner was Mirin Brown with 50 miles. But in fact…….. everyone was a winner!. 

GRTC SUMMER PICNIC 8/20/22: Interested in a fun run, good food and good times? The GRTC summer picnic will be at the Acorn Shelter of Durand Eastman Park (on log cabin road) from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Come out and join the group. We will have a fun run at 10:00 am, lunch at the shelter and plenty of time for socialization. Food will be provided by Core Life Eatery. There will be a “make your own” self-serve format with a variety of options to satisfy diverse dietary needs. Menu specifics are on runsignup. Members get in at half price at $10. Guests will be $20. Signup today. https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/GRTCSummerPicnic

GRTC CANLAKE ULTRAS 10/8/22: This iconic group of races around beautiful Canandaigua Lake is just over the horizon in October. Once again you have a choice of the full 50miles, 50K or 25K. If you are new to ultra racing, the shorter distances are a great way to try this out. What do you have to lose? Always a great event for your long-distance enjoyment. It’s not too late to sign up for this fall classic. https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Canandaigua/CanLake50 

RROY RACES STILL AHEAD THIS SUMMER: The next RROY races to sign up for are the 8/28 Black Diamond Express 5K, the 9/4 Oaktree half marathon and the 9/10 Heritage Hero 10K. The Black Diamond is done completely on the Lehigh Valley rail trail in Mendon. On the same day as the half marathon, it’s an out and back 5K on a beautiful flat and fast course. The Oaktree half marathon on Labor Day weekend is also a great way to celebrate the last weekend of the summer. It’s a beautiful rural course through the Geneseo area. With its hills and vistas, it is a favorite of many. The Heritage Hero 10K is a new RROY entry for 2022 taking place at Seabreeze Amusement Park in Irondequoit. Come out and enjoy a day at the park as well. Put all three of these races on your list today.

Black Diamond 5K signup: https://www.blackdiamondexpressraces.org
Oak Tree Half Marathon signup:   https://oaktreerace.org/half-marathon
Heritage Hero 10K signup: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/HeritageHero

RROY SERIES FORMAT: GRTC works with individual race directors to promote the RROY series and provides the awards for winners. GRTC members also get a signup discount for all the RROY races. We encourage all GRTC members therefore to take advantage of their membership value and participate in as many of these races as possible, to support both the individual races and the series. As in the past one needs to run only 4 races over the year to be eligible for RROY awards, and 6 races gives you a consistent participant award. As a GRTC member, consider these YOUR races and a great way to support running in our area. See full list of RROY races for 2022 below. With 6 yet to go it’s not too late to throw in your hat.

3/12 Running of the Green 5 mile
5/22 Lilac Run 10K
6/10-11 Charlie McMullen Mile
6/18 Stache Dash 5K
6/19 June Jaunt, 5K
8/28 Black Diamond Express 5K
9/4   Oaktree half marathon
9/10 Heritage Hero 10K
10/22 Scare Brain Cancer Away 5k
11/5/22 East Ave Grocery Run 5K
11/24 The Feast Thanksgiving Day

Once again, rediscover this year the true joy of running in the upstate New York, and take advantage of the multiple GRTC membership discounts we offer.  Get out and do all the RROY series races (a $50 discount value for those doing all). Come to our GRTC summer picnic 8/20. And as always, if you want to continue to have opportunities for running in the Rochester region, come join (or renew your membership in) GRTC. We have a place for you. A modest $20 yearly membership goes a long way to keeping our sport vibrant and maintaining running events/opportunities for all. See you out on the road. GRTC Membership: https://runsignup.com/Club/NY/Rochester/GreaterRochesterTrackClub

Doug Jones (President GRTC)