GRTC PRESIDENTS LETTER 7.1.22
Summer is clearly in full swing for the Rochester running community and June in particular was a busy month for GRTC. 45 people finished our successful 7week spring track clinic on 6/10 with the RROY McMullen Mile race at St John Fisher college. It was a great evening with great weather and 95 runners of all paces enjoyed the event. Winning time for elite males was James Anderson at 4:17:07 and for women was Annamaria Kostarellis who came in at 4:52.76. But in fact….everyone was really a winner! Our 2nd GRTC ultra for 2022, Nine hours for 9 lives in Shortsville on 6/11 had 41 finishers, and a good time was had by all. Hand crafted medals went to all runners. Proceeds benefit Colony Caregivers who provide care for feral and colony cats in and around Ontario County. If you missed it this year, put it on your calendar for the future. It’s already scheduled next year for 6/10/23.
PAST RROY RACES IN JUNE: And two more new RROY races are behind us. The Stash Dash in Canandaigua on 6/18 had 178 finishers with a good showing of RROY competitors. Kenny Goodfellow was the top performer with a time of 16:10. The weather was great.The course was challenging in that there were several different types of terrain to run over – road, gravel, and grass. The after party included sub sandwiches, live music, and door prizes. The money raised went to the Blue Foundation which supports men and their families in need – which seemed an appropriate race for Father’s Day weekend. And the inaugural June Jaunt 5K in Hilton came off well on 6/19 with 24 finishers on a sunny day. This adds a welcome new race on the west side. Prem Kumar was first overall male in 20:34 finish! The first female overall at 22:18 was Ilianna Surowiec……..at age 15! Ice cream Sundays at the end were a big hit and individual pictures were taken by race director Vickey Beaver. Lots of other prizes were also given out. Look forward to this event again next year.
RROY RACES STILL AHEAD THIS SUMMER: The next RROY races to sign up for are the 8/28 Black Diamond Express 5K and the 9/4 Oaktree half marathon. The Black Diamond is done completely on the lehigh valley rail trail in Mendon. It’s a fast out and back 5K that has become a favorite of many. 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, and a favorite of many. Put both on your list today.
Black Diamond 5K signup: https://www.
Oak tree half marathon signup: https://oaktreerace.org/half-
CANDLELIGHT 12 ULTRA JUST AHEAD ON 7/16/22: CandleLight 12 Hour and Overnight Relays is scheduled to start at 7 PM on Saturday, July 16, 2022, and we have a NEW LOCATION and a new course for the race – Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp in Rush, NY, will host this year’s race. The new course is about 80% paved, the rest of it a non-technical trail. It’s not too late to register for the race. Not ready for an ultra adventure? You can do it as a relay team as well! Also, we are looking for volunteers that can help us for a few hours at different shifts between 5 PM on Saturday, July 16, and 9 AM on Sunday, July 17. Email Race Director at CandleLight12Hour@gmail.com if you can help out.
Signup: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
BOILERMAKER BUS STILL AVAILABLE: And back by popular demand, GRTC is again hosting a bus to the boilermaker race in Utica on Sunday 7/10/22. There are still a few seats left so signup today. This iconic race, which is a favorite of many, can be even more fun it you don’t have to drive! The departure will be at 4:30 am from St John fisher college, with return at 3:00 pm.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
GRTC SUMMER PICNIC 8/20/22: Save the date also for our upcoming summer picnic on 8/20/22. The picnic will be at the Acorn Shelter of Durand Eastman Park from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. We will have a fun run at 10:00 am, lunch at the shelter and plenty of time for socialization and fun. Put it on your schedule. Further details and signup to follow.
GRTC RUNNING CLINIC STARTS 8/3/22: GENESEE VALLEY PARK The annual GRTC spring running clinic finished last month with 45 participants and the McMullen mile on 6/10. But if you couldn’t join us THEN it’s not too late to join us STILL this summer for fun and training. We are pleased to again offer our “fall” running clinic this August and September. The format of this series, tried out last year, is different from but complementary to our traditional spring track/running clinic. Each of the 7 weeks of the program will focus on another type of running. Each session will have a didactic component as well as running component appropriate to the topic. Together, the sessions will cover a variety of aspects of our sport with important information and training for every runner. This program will again be coached by Mike Reif and Carolyn Smith-Hanna of the Genesee Valley Harriers. The cost for the 7 weeks will be a modest $50 for GRTC members and $70 for non-members (who get back that extra $20 value as a one-year GRTC membership included). If you HAVE NOT been to one of our clinics before this is a great way to “kick start” your training for this fall’s in-person running season and winter Freezeroo series. If you HAVE done our clinics before, the new format will add to your training and knowledge. And as always, the clinic is a fun way to get out and run, spend time with friends, enjoy our sport and meet new runners in the community. What do you have to lose? https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
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 out for our fall running clinic (a $20 dollar discount), and signup for the bus option for the Boilermaker race. 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. And of course, thanks go to all the many volunteers who step to the plate to help out with ALL of these events. 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/
Doug Jones (President GRTC)