Greater Rochester Running Club President’s Letter
July 11, 2024
Dear Members and GRRC Followers:
I hope everyone has been able to get some miles done in this early part of summer and even gotten a chance to race. This letter recaps June club activity, highlights upcoming GRRC-related races, events, and volunteer opportunities, and provides a couple of reminders. Given the impending warmth of the season, I’m also including some summer training and racing tips.
Before we get to the traditional parts of the letter, I do have one sad note to share. One of our members, Frank Colavecchia, passed away July 2nd. There are many fond remembrances at https://www.bartolomeo.com/obituary/663685/frank-j.-colavecchia/wall/ and in our Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/greaterrochesterrunningclub.
June Club Recap
- The double-sided cards I mentioned last month have gotten their first distribution at June Jaunt and you should be seeing them at other RROY races and events.
- We’ve gotten some candidates to succeed Jim Moragne as treasurer and others considering filling our two vacant board seats.
- Once again, the Spring Track Clinic coached by Mike Reif and Carolyn Smith-Hannah culminated in the McMullen Mile, a Rochester Runner of the Year race. Happily, many people who availed themselves of the training also took advantage of the inclusion of the race in their registration fee.
- June Jaunt, the fifth RROY race, saw some great GRRC member participation with nearly half of racers being members. It also gathered several pounds of food, in addition to ongoing monetary donations, for the Hilton-Parma Food Shelf. As the race director, those both make me super happy!
- Our June ultra, put on by GRRC VP Martha Doody, 9 Hours for 9 Lives, had some super performances and raised $1,300 for the Colony Caregivers in the process. Congratulations to new course record holders Gary Thompson (47.12 miles) and Jennifer Toti (38 miles). Martha added an impromptu “72 years old and kicking butt with a 50K” award for Fred Baldwin.
- MILEStone Patch Challenge Update
Current Top Three (We’ve got some switch ups with altogether new names for 2nd & 3rd!): Jennifer Toti: 792.08, Gary Thompson: 513.45, and Theresa Puckett: 266.26
Number Registered: 39
Number “On the Board” (submitted one or more races): 31
Other Notable Numbers: Those within 10 miles of a bronze patch: 1; at bronze (50-99.99 miles): 13; at silver (100-199.99 miles): 3; at gold (200-299.99 miles): 3; at platinum (300 and more miles): 2
Coming Events (July to August)
July
7/13 & 14 – Candlelight 12-Hour/24-Hour is the third of the GRRC ultras for 2024. Directed by our own Gil Robs, this not-too-flat, not-too-hilly 1-mile course at the Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp offers a mostly asphalt path through woods and camp buildings. No need for trail shoes even in the “trail” bits. Do as many miles, hours, or both as you’d like in your preferred duration. Solos and relays welcome. New this year: cupless! BRING YOUR OWN hydration container! It’s not too late to get in at https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/NY/Rush/CandleLight12HourOvernightUltra. Also, Gil could still use a few volunteers, especially on Saturday.
7/14 – Boiler Maker 15K Bus, the renowned way to make it to the 15K start line from Rochester, has only 14 spots left! With Wilt Alston on hand and Jim Moragne behind the scenes, the bus is sure to be a great way to relax on the trip there. Do note, it will NOT get you to the 5K and it doesn’t include race registration. Get in before it’s too late at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/EastRochester/GRTCBoilermakerBusTrip!
7/21 – Jungle Jog, put on by the Seneca Park Zoo Society and directed by Angela Giuseppetti), is our sixth 2024 RROY race. This is the race’s 35th year and this year the featured animal is a lemur. Also a cupless race! See complete details at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/SenecaParkZooJungleJog.
7/22 to 9/9 – GRRC Summer Clinic. I’m the coach for this one and I would be delighted to have you in the bunch! By popular request, we’re starting earlier than last year’s debut and we’re racing on an eight Monday instead of the Friday following the final Monday workout. Hosted at Roberts Wesleyan University’s track on Mondays 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the format starts with a short presentation, moves into a warm-up, ramps up with a track workout, and ends with a cool-down. The first day includes a baseline mile and the final one is a 1-mile Summer Finale Race for clinic participants. Hone your skills and pick up some tips! Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/GreaterRochesterTrackClubSummerClinic.
August
8/4 – SAVE THE DATE for GRRC Summer Picnic! Switching up to give folks a different experience, we’re in a new location and have new food options! Registration is not quite ready, but there will be a separate announcement in the next several days when it is.
8/25 – RROY Race #7 is Black Diamond Express Half Marathon, held by the Mendon Foundation and directed by Fran Celona. This largely shaded race takes racers through what may be the only flat path through Mendon. The rail-to-trail course is packed earth with very few roots or rocks, making it about the foot friendliest non-asphalt trail you could possibly get. No need for aggressive trail shoes and road shoes will work perfectly well. Claim your spot at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Mendon/BlackDiamondExpress.
Reminders
Rochester Runner of the Year (RROY) Participation
Don’t forget: RROY races are discounted for GRRC members and members need six to be a Frequent Participant! See the full list at https://rochesterrunneroftheyear.org/.
MILEStone Patch Challenge
Don’t forget to log your in-person race miles this month so you can get on the board or move up the rankings. Put the name of your race in the log comments and have fun! The sooner you sign up, the less backlog you’ll have. Sign up at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/GreaterRochesterRunningClubMILEStonePatchChallenge.
Volunteerism
RROY Races – Check with races directly; they nearly all need help! https://rochesterrunneroftheyear.org
GRRC – Want to be part of what keeps bringing people back to our events and attracting new members to our club? Let me know at president@grtconline.org. Expressing interest doesn’t oblige you, but it does give us a chance to share what’s involved. You do not have to be a board member to help with or do the following:
- Equipment Manager (succeeds Jim Moragne)
- Freezeroo Helpers
- Marketing
- Website
- Social Media
- Special Events (Banquet, Picnic, etc.)
- Outreach
- Volunteer at Large
Thank you for being a member or being interested enough to follow us in email and social media. Members can renew before their membership lapses and followers can become members by registering at https://runsignup.com/Club/NY/Rochester/GreaterRochesterTrackClub. Lots of reasons to become a member, here’s one: being part of a growing, supportive community.
See you out there!
Vickey Beaver