GRTC PRESIDENT’S LETTER 9.1.23
OK. I am just not believing its September already! Summer in Rochester is too short. My “to do” list for the summer still has things to “be done.” We have though had great weather for running in our region in spite of national weather issues. The new GRTC summer running clinic is now going full blast Monday nights at the Roberts Weslyan College track. Everyone is enjoying it. The RROY Black Diamond Half Marathon on 8/27 went well with 113 finishers, lead by Jonathy Pinney (1:24:10) for the men and Laura Galeazzo (1:24;39) for the women. And with August being the time for vacations, many of us have simply been “pounding the pavement” before Labor Day and the end of summer. But fall is actually great weather for running events, and GRTC continues with good options for you. There are 3 September RROY races to sign up for. The Oak Tree ½ marathon this weekend on 9/3/23, the Heritage Hero 10K on 9/9/23, and the Potato Run 10K on 9/10/23. And our “flagship ultra” the CanLake50 is just around the corner on 10/7/23. Plus our Bound for the Hounds 6 hour ultra will be on 11/23/23 in Shortsville. Dive into the fall season with these multiple GRTC options as below.
OAK TREE HALF MARATHON 9/3/23: This ever popular ½ marathon takes one through the beautiful rural area surrounding Geneseo. The course offers spectacular scenery and a small town feel, but with all the amenities of a large city race. All proceeds go to support the Genesee Valley Conservancy. If you’ve never run it before, come out for a treat this Labor Day Weekend. https://oaktreerace.org/half-
Heritage Hero 10K 9/9/23: Participate in the Heritage Hero Run + Stroll + Roll to honor a family member enlisted in the armed forces, a survivor of a serious illness, or a loved one who has passed. This race will raise funds for the Heritage Christian Services Foundation and honor the Direct Support Professionals who work in their organization. https://runsignup.com/Race/
The Potato Run 10K 9/10/23: One individual component of the West of the River series of races. Starts 8:30 a.m. at the Towpath Shelter (near the Canal Path) at Greece Canal Park, 241 Elmgrove Rd., Rochester, NY 14626.https://runsignup.com/
CanLakeUltras 25K/50K/50mile 10/7/23:
It’s not too late to train and signup for this fall classic. This group of races around beautiful Canandaigua Lake is just over the horizon in October. Once again you have a choice of the full 50mile, 50K or 25K. If you are new to ultra running, the shorter distances are a great way to try this out. Always a great event. https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
BOUND FOR THE HOUNDS ULTRA: 11/23/23. And to finish our ultra-race 2023 series, the 5th annual GRTC Bound for the Hounds 6-hour Ultra will be on 11/23/23 at Budd Park in Shortsville. In the model of Candlelight12 and Mind the Ducks, participants will run as many 2.3 mile loops on the Manchester Gateway Trail (surface comparable to the canal path) one can do in 6 hours. Proceeds support Gordy and Friends (http://www.gordyandfriends.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/
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://
2023 GRTC OPTIONS/VALUE: 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 and discounts. Get out and do all the RROY series races (a $65 discount value for those doing all). Sign up for our ultra races (discounts for members). Sign up for our spring and/or summer running clinics ($20 off for members). Take advantage of the boilermaker bus and 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. What can you lose? See you out on the road. Join: https://runsignup.com/
Doug Jones (President GRTC)