FLRC Newsletter - September 2004
News and Upcoming Events
 

Rusby Tribute Coming Next Month

Apologies again to Frank & Sally Rusby on the delay of their very deserving volunteer-of-the-year tribute. I want to do your service justice, and am swamped with writing assignments and the prospects of another delayed newsletter. In our October issue, I hope to capture your loving friendship and outstanding community action in living color.

—Diane

Cross-Country, Summer and Fall, and Other Fast Stuff

Cross-Country Training Runs

My Time Trial adventure is over for the season—I am quite pleased with the turn out over all. My original idea was to use the time trials as a tool for recruiting new interest into cross-country as a sport and encourage new runners to join our High Noon and FLRC teams. I think things went very well, and people seemed to enjoy the opportunity. I was a little skeptical of the turnout since I was not able to advertise as much as I should have, but was happy with the results and logged in 35 runners for all four weeks.

I made it a point to mention the trail races that the club puts on, as well, and noticed that some newcomers decided to try Forge the Gorge. It was nice to here comments such as "this is so much fun!" and "when are you doing this again?" Some runners asked about other XC training, including speed and hill workouts—-which may be good ideas for next summer. I have also learned some new trails to run on at Ithaca College, and have been exploring them on Thursday mornings with a small group of happy runners. I plan to continue as long as it's light enough in the woods. Thanks to Jim Nichols for all your help, Thaisa's expertise in painting and wheeling a course, and Nancy's positive encouragement throughout.

I was hoping for a better turn out in Watkins Glen for the final time trial, as it is a wonderful challenging course entirely on grass. I was happy to have a few extra's present to run the time clock so I could join the run, even if we had to import them from England. Thank you to Kathryn for running the watch and to Ian for his positive comments as he filmed us each time we passed. I also need to thank Chris and Joe for setting up the course and running with us. I decided to try some large spikes for the first time that night, and once I learned to avoid hooking branches or apples on them, I felt they were a big advantage on the hills.

I hope many of you will join us for a few races during the Upstate NY Cross-Country Series, regardless of speed or age. We have a great time, and I promise you'll enjoy yourself every time you come, even if it's only once. I have included all the results from the four time trials in the Results section of the newsletter; hopefully we'll do it all again next summer.

—Karen Grover

Fall Cross-Country Series

The Upstate New York Cross Country series will begin on Saturday, September 11 with a noon 5K race at Center Park in Fairport; it will culminate with the $5000 GVH Invitational at Genesee Valley Park on Sunday, November 14.

An entry form and information is posted at www.peteglavin.com.

Listed below are all the pertinent XC dates for this fall:

—Tim Ingall

USATF National Masters 5K XC Championships

The national masters 5K cross-country championships will be held Oct. 17 on the famed Saratoga Spa State Park course in Saratoga Springs. Competition is open to runners ages 40-over, both team and individual. There is team competition for 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. You must have a current USATF membership number, and a declared USATF Association team affiliation for team competition.

Information and applications (online and hard copy) are available at www.usatfadir.org/USAMasters5K.htm. It's a beautiful Web site, chocked full of all kinds of information.

Let's see FLRC and High Noon teams competing at the national level! We are fortunate to have this national event near our hometowns. You can drive up race morning if necessary. So much energy is put into the Upstate NY XC Series. Shift your energy toward a national championship!

8K Championships---The national masters 8K XC championship is Nov. 7 in Boston.

—DS

Outdoor Track & Field Rankings

If you had sprint, distance, or jumps and throws performance(s) that you're proud of this summer, be sure to submit it to www.masterstrack.com for rankings. Masters in track & field is age 30 and up, and rankings are done by five-year age groups. Go to www.masterstrack.com. Click on rankings; then indoor/outdoor, as appropriate; then submit results for the online form. Our outdoor track meets count, and so do the ESGs and Senior Games, just to name a few meet sites.

—DS

USATF Membership Perks

Some of you already have a USATF number, and some of you will be getting one in the near future. Adults pay a $20 fee, but you do get some nice membership perks that almost repays that fee to your bank account. You apply for new memberships in November or December, and that lasts for one full year.

Go to www.usatf.org, and click on the membership icon. You can renew or become a new enrollee there. Just follow directions. The Finger Lakes RC code is 063. I have no idea what High Noon's code number is, but ask around.

Among the membership perks: $20 off your first pair of shoes ordered from Road Runner Sports. Members can get into the system and find the code number you have to give when you place your order. It's not your first-ever pair of shoes, but one pair per year.

Other perks: 10% discount on M & F Athletics purchases; subscription discounts on Running Times, Track & Field News, National Masters News, and Trail Runner magazines. Also discounts on Thorlo socks. Check it out by logging in the membership page with your number and password.

—DS


Wineglass Names New Race Director

Mollie Jarvis of Horseheads has been named the new race director of the Wineglass Marathon. The 39-year-old mother of three teenage daughters is not a runner, but she brings expertise as a former trade show and event planner for Corning, Inc., as valuable assets needed for the management of the annual event. As an event planner, Jarvis has organized golf tournaments, arranged hotel accommodations, and created customized meetings and in-house projects.

"I thought I would like to someday own my own event planning business, and I was researching that [when I saw the want ad]," said Jarvis, hired in June by the Wineglass Running Club executive board. "I love sports, and knew I could do the job, so I applied."

Jarvis, who grew up in Portville (near Olean) but has lived in Horseheads for 19 years, was one of 30 applicants, then one of four finalists interviewed for the race directorship position.

"The Wineglass Running Club is a group of incredible people, with dynamic men and women who all have their areas of expertise," said Jarvis, who has coached an 18-under softball team. "[During the interview] we all liked each other, and it all fell into place. I've never run a race or been to a marathon, but I'm an event planner, and that's planning things A to Z, just like in a marathon."

The Wineglass event, which has been renamed this year as the Corning Hospital Wineglass Marathon and HealthWorks Team Relay, celebrates its 23rd edition on October 3. The 26.2-mile race begins at Philips Lighting in Bath and finishes near the Corning, Inc., headquarters in downtown Corning.

Jarvis might not bring a runner's vision to the marathon, but her marketing sense foresees the race becoming a destination event. She wants marathoners and relay runners to bring family and friends to the Finger Lakes region and soak in the sights and sounds.

"I think we can make the race into something different [in the future]," Jarvis said. "Our area is absolutely beautiful, especially in October. We need to let the world know about it. Wineglass can become a beautiful weekend for families. Just step outside; we live in the most beautiful place in the world, and their are tons of things here to do with the family."

Jarvis' crystal ball predicts a time when the Wineglass Running Club will expand and become an active force in the running community, like the Finger Lakes Runners Club in Ithaca and the Triple Cities Runners Club in Binghamton.

Additional goals for the future include increasing the field of runners beyond the traditional 1000; promoting participation in the three-person relay race; turning the race expo on Saturday into a festival-for-a-day; and enhancing community involvement, especially in Bath and Painted Post.

Jarvis also wants the community to get to know the local runners up-close-and-personal via prerace media attention and profiles. She wants you to care enough about the individuals to come out and cheer each one to the finish line. Spectator support has been weak in past years.

And it takes 400 volunteers to make the Wineglass marathon come alive. Jarvis will be contacting community groups and schools in surrounding cities to recruit help.

"The more people involved, the bigger our race can be," she said.

During the interview, Jarvis was asked which part of the job she would find most frightening. Her answer: The runner part.

But she's not afraid to learn what makes us tick, and she wants us to be well cared for along the way. Jarvis' number one priority in her first year is safety for the runners.

"I want this event to be incredible for the runners," Jarvis said. "I want them to walk away and say, 'What a wonderful event!' I look at runners, and it amazes me how they enjoy (their sport) so much."

If Jarvis had a campaign platform, it might be: Spice it up! As the new race director, she's the head chef.

"The race isn't about me, it's about the runners," she said. "I'm the one who makes sure everything gets done. I'm the checklist person."

To put yourself on that list to volunteer, or for more information, go to the official website: www.wineglassmarathon.com. Alternatively, e-mail wineglassrace@aol.com, and Jarvis will be in touch soon.

Editor's note: Attention Wineglass marathoners and relay runners: Early entry deadline (translation: cheaper fees!) is Sept. 14. Go to the website where you can register online or print off an application for either the marathon or relay.

—DS

Women’s Distance Festival Musings

Different year; same story…

We offer our heartfelt thanks to friends, family, teammates, and runners (known and unknown to the group) who came to our Women's Distance Festival at Dryden Lake Town Park. Many thanks to all the men and women who volunteered to help, and to all the participants who showed up despite the forecast of rain and cool temperatures.

I could tell you so many stories, like:

Most touching for me: I delivered our one big box of donated food to the Kitchen Cupboard in downtown Ithaca days after the race. Too heavy to carry on my own, I entered the building to ask for help. An older woman, with a perpetual smile and a halo (I swear!), came to my aid. She followed me outside, and helped pack the food into smaller boxes. When we were done, she looked me in the eye and said how grateful the organization was for this food. How people come every day with nothing, and are given hot meals and food to take home. You don't know how much this means—one can of soup, or a box brimming with cans soup, she said. It all is put to good use.

I burst into tears.

So, many thanks to everyone who remembered to grab a can of beans or a bag of pasta as you left for the race. Your acts of kindness spread through Ithaca like wildfire.

—DS & LT

One More Marathon

New York State adds one more marathon to the list. The inaugural Lake Placid Marathon & Relay will debut June 12, 2005. The race will feature a marathon, half marathon, and four-person relay. The course will be two loops, finishing on the Olympic speedskating oval, and will cover portions of the famed Lake Placid Ironman course. Web: www.lakeplacidmarathon.com; www.active.com.

—DS








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