June was great. Warm weather, kids out of school and plentiful running opportunities. Its clearly great as a runner to live in Rochester. The RROY series pushed forward with three more races under our belts. We had the McMullan Mile on Friday 6/9/23, the Stache Dash 5K on 6/17/23 and the June Jaunt 5K on 6/18/23. All came off well and were well attended. And the GRTC 9 hours for 9 lives race on 6/10 was a great time for 40 ultra participants. For July the RROY series goes forward with the ever-popular Jungle Jog 5K on 7/16 at the zoo. Signup today and spend the day there.
And GRTC continues a great slate of other running options for everyone this summer. We will again have a bus to the Utica Boilermaker race on 7/9/23. There are still seats so take advantage of this opportunity. The Candlelight 12/24 ultra event will be the weekend of 7/15 (see details below). We will also have our third annual summer picnic in Durand Eastman Park on 7/29/23. And a new 7 week “westside” running clinic will start Monday 8/21/23 on the track at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili. GRTC truly has a great lineup of running activities for 2023 to fit our club mission of supporting running throughout the Rochester area. Take advantage yourself of all these opportunities. A modest $20 yearly membership gives you discounts on everything. It clearly pays for itself in “short order.” What can you lose?
BOILERMAKER BUS TRIP: 7/9/23. As in the past, we will again have a bus to the boilermaker race for participant convenience. If you are signed up for this great run, travel to Utica in style with a contingent of fun and enthusiastic Rochester runners on the GRTC bus. Plans are to leave at 3:45 AM from St John Fisher College and return back by 3:00 PM. Participants DO need to sign up for the race themselves. This has been a well-received and fun trip for many years. Don’t wait. Sign up today.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
CANDLELIGHT 12/24 ULTRAS: 7/15/23
And don’t forget to sign up for the third of GRTC’s long distance ultra-events for 2023. Based at the Rotary Sunshine Camp in Rush, this event gives one the option to run as many one mile loops as possible in either 12 hours (through the night) or for a full 24 hours. You can do it at your own pace, you will never be alone, and there is a fully stocked aid station every mile, guaranteed! It’s a great site, course and a great event for runners of all paces. Don’t miss out on the fun. And if you are not able to participate but would like to check out this event for the future, volunteers are also needed (contact egils.robs@gmail.com).
Signup: https://runsignup.com/Race/
JUNGLE JOG 5 K AT THE ZOO: 7/16/23 Join in for the annual Jungle Jog 5k, Sunday July 16th at 8:00 AM at the Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St Paul Street. This year is the 2nd of a three-race series celebrating the transformation of the Zoo. This year’s medal will interlock with 2022 bringing together another piece of “the puzzle” as the zoo moves another step closer to new experiences for visitors. https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
GRTC SUMMER PICNIC 7/29: This third annual GRTC summer picnic is a great time for fun, fellowship and food. It will again take place at the Acorn Shelter of Durand Eastman Park from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. There will be a fun run at 11:00 AM followed by games, fun activities and good food (with options for all dietary needs). Sign up today. https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
GRTC SUMMER RUNNING CLINIC STARTS 8/21: A new offering from GRTC. This is a similar format to our “traditional” spring track clinic, but on the “west side” and with more of an emphasis on running in the heat. This 7-week program will run Mondays 6:00 to 7:30 pm on the track at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili. It will start on Monday 8/21. Coaching will be by Vickey Beaver with weekly speakers and topics to be announced. Each session will have a didactic topic, group warmups, workouts and cool down exercises. It will conclude with a 1mile race on the track on 10/6/23.Sign up today.https://runsignup.com/
ROCHESTER RUNNER OF THE YEAR SERIES: GRTC works with individual race directors to promote the RROY series and provides the awards for series winners. GRTC members also get a signup discount for all the RROY races. We therefore encourage all GRTC members to take full advantage of their membership value and participate in as many of these races as possible, to support the individual races, the series and running in our region. 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 at our Banquet. As a GRTC member, consider these YOUR races throughout the year.
RROY races for 2023:
RROY series: https://
GRTC ULTRA RACE SERIES for 2023: And with additions to our ultra series this year, we have a broad race selection for everyone’s enjoyment, including the new 24 hour option at the Candlelight event. With tremendous course support for all, join in on the fun. If you’ve never given an ultra a try, this should be your year.
2023 GRTC OPTIONS/VALUE: Once again for 2023 make a point to take the time to rediscover the true joy of running (and the running community) in our area. GRTC has lots to offer over the whole year. And take advantage of the multiple GRTC membership discounts we offer. Get out and do all the RROY series races (a $65 discount value for those doing all). Sign up for our ultra races this year (discounts for members). Sign up for our spring and/or summer running clinics ($20 off for members). Take advantage of the boilermaker bus on 7/9/23. And come out on 7/29 for our annual summer picnic. 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 pays for itself and goes a long way to keeping our sport vibrant and maintaining running events/opportunities for all. See you out on the road.
Join: https://runsignup.com/Club/NY/
Doug Jones (President GRTC)