May 2018 track time news

MAY 2018

VOLUME 48, ISSUE 5

TRACK TIME NEWS Â ST. LOUIS TRACK CLUB

MONTHLY SOCIAL RUN/WALK

May 21 Schlafly Tap Room June 18 Schlafly Bottleworks

Come out and run or walk 3 or 6 miles with other club members and stay for a free pour of Schlafly beer or cider afterwards!

We are planning some new social runs in 2018 so keep an eye out!

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6136 Southwest Ave St. Louis, MO 63139 314-781-3926 office@stlouistrackclub.com The Saint Louis Track Club encourages running and walking for people of all ages and abilities.

Board of Directors

Race Directors

Rae Mohrmann - President John Harwell - Vice Pesident Renee Parks - Secretary Luke Padesky - Treasurer Amy Cadman Matt Coriell Craig Lindgren Bob Maher Jeff McPherson Jack Riegel Kate Stewart Steve Wasserman

Pace Series Don Denham and Oz Harper Corps of Discovery Mike Orrico St. Louis Half Marathon Kevin Jokisch Marathon Relay Rae Mohrmann and Paul McGee Frostbite Series Mike Bahr and Bob Chitwood

Staff Maggie Siemer - Executive Director Anna Jones - Webmaster ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Track Time News is produced monthly. Reproduction of this newsletter in any form is strictly prohibited without the permission of the St. Louis Track Club.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT:RAE MOHRMANN As I write this, it is only a week before the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon though you are reading it in May. "Running Boston" is just about every serious distance runner's dream. In fact, I'd say the pinnacle.

Where else can an everyday _______________ ( insert your descriptive word here. Mine is "old lady") feel like a rock star??

So heartiest congratulations to all of our St Louis Boston runners.

Running Boston doesn't just happen. We all know it requires a tremendous amount of physical training as well as mental and emotional aspects. Who doesn't get down after a particularly difficult 20 mile run or question just WHY am I doing this again?? Kermit the Frog said, " Dreams are where we want to go but life is how we get there." And sometimes life does get in the way. Injuries, family or personal problems, our jobs, finances etc. 2012 was to be my Lucky Number 7 ( to run Boston) and I had decided prior to going, my final time. While it was by far, the BEST experience ever with the people in the crowd, it remains my worst in terms of time. (For more on this life changing story see TTN May 2012). Yes, life got in the way!

Please let us hear from you and your experiences at Boston or other races. Tell us about life during training, the actual race, etc. We love to hear the stories of others.

Each and every member is a piece of the puzzle that makes us all The St Louis Track Club. Write YOUR story and send to office@stlouistrackclub.com.

Rae

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT To be featured in a future Spotlight, fill out this form: stlouistrackclub.com/member-area/member-profile/

Member and Volunteer Picnic June 10, 2018 4pm - 8pm Join us for a fun picnic with other members!

We have some special activities planned and will also honor our volunteers and award the Volunteer of the Year award.

Bring a side dish or dessert to share with the group!

We will provide meat and veggie main dish options.

RSVP here:Â evite.me/TWaRBgkmvC

Ask Styles You've got questions, he's got answers.

Email your burning questions to askstyles@stlouistrackclub.com

Saint Louis Track Club

2018 Summer Pace Series Where the power of the pace exceeds the need for speed When:

Wednesday nights, June 6 through Sept. 26

Time:

Walkers start at 6 pm, everyone else at 6:15 pm

Place:

The Visitor’s Center in Forest Park

Entry Fee:

$1 per run plus optional donations for snacks

Races are scored based on actual time versus predicted time - of course, you run without a watch!

Each month the best 3 of 4 races will be used to determine ribbon winners for the top 10 closest estimators.

For the entire series, the best 12 of 16 races will determine trophy winners for the top 15 closest estimators.

June series June 6 2M June 13 3K June 20 5K June 27 2.5M

July series 2M July 11 July 18 3K July 25 5K Aug. 1 2.5M

August series 3K Aug. 8 Aug. 15 5K Aug. 22 2.5M Aug. 29 4.2M

September series Sept. 5 2.5M Sept. 12 5K Sept. 19 4.2M Sept. 26 3K

Wednesday, Oct. 3, is the fun run, grab bag, and final series awards.

If you are looking for an easy way to meet new friends or are new to running, the Pace Series is for you!

The Forest Park Visitor’s Center is located near the History Museum and Tennis Complex at: 5595 Grand Dr. St. Louis, 63112 No need to pre-register.

Just come on out before 6pm to check-in.

News and notes from the St. Louis running scene.

by Donna Springer GO! St. Louis Marathon and Family Fitness Weekend More than 15,000 participants entered the Go! St. Louis Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Relay and 7K run on Sunday, April 8. In the marathon Victor Pataki, of St. Louis, finished in first place among men; Jackie Pirtle-Hall of St. Charles finished first among women. Clinton Cahall, of Durham, NC, took first place in the half marathon; Jocelyn Todd, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was first overall female in the half marathon. Overall winners of the 7K were Drew Shotwell, of St. Louis, and Deb Withington, of Ballwin. The top-finishing relay team was the KPMG League Extraordinary Joggers, of Edwardsville. Temperatures reached a low of 29 degrees this year, in contrast to a previous year when the races were stopped due to heat.

Among the half marathon finishers were octogenarians - Ben Uchitelle, former chairman of the Zoo-Museum District, and Mayor of Clayton from 1991 -1998, 2004-2007, as well as stalwart Saint Louis Track Club volunteer Pat Britt. SLTC President, Rae Mohrmann, new to the70-74 age group, took first place in her age group amidst competition from five other women. SLTC Board of Directors representation included Matt Coriell, Steve Wasserman and John Harwell in the half marathoners and Bob Maher in the marathon.

All routes featured a riverfront start and finish and crossed the Mississippi River via the Martin Luther King and Eads bridges. The half marathon route extended into Soulard, Anheuser-Busch brewery grounds and Ballpark Village. The marathon route traveled through Forest Park and The Grove, additionally.

The mission of GO! St. Louis, a local non-profit organization, is to encourage individuals and families in the St. Louis region to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle year round. The organization works toward this goal through community collaborations, school based programming and creation of new and fun fitness events.

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GO! St. Louis Inaugeral Awards Ceremony

On April 4, GO! St. Louis honored Mark Spewak with it's inaugural Athlete of the Year Award, Paul Gallant with the Founder’s Award for Service to the Community and Sue Stepanak with the Volunteer of the Year Award. The awards took place at a VIP reception at Three Sixty in downtown St. Louis.

Mark Spewak, Athlete of the Year, won the 2017 Cowbell Half Marathon, is head coach for Ladue and Clayton youth cross country and track teams, and has been Race Director for Run and Run S'more 5k and More Miles More Smiles 4 Hearts 5k. He has raised more than $50,000 for the Jackson Hill Memorial Foundation, which builds wellness centers in hospitals.

Mark said that he was ‘truly humbled’ by his award and complimented GO! for its many activities that encourage healthy lifestyles.

“It's truly a team effort,” Mark said. "I believe there are several of people in our community who are just as deserving. I am truly grateful to awarded for my personal running accomplishments, as well as my work in the community, through coaching and charity running events.”

Paul Gallant, 84, winner of the Founder’s Award, has been involved with GO! St. Louis since its inception in 2000 and has served as Board President. He was enthusiastic about enhancing the Saint Louis marathon scene, and helped found the non-profit organization. His other community activities include serving as Board President of the Jewish Community Center. He began running in his late 50s, and recently completed a half marathon accompanied by his son and grandson.

(Julia M. Johnson, Town and Style: St. Louis, March 21, 2017. townandstyle.com ) Volunteer of the year Sue Stepanek, President of South City Consulting, was particularly valued as Food Captain for GO! St. Louis events.

New Running Store Opening in The Grove Best wishes for the Running Niche, a running specialty store scheduled to open this May, in “The Grove.” Co-owner Jennifer Henderson said that the Running Niche will offer “a niche within the niche” to deal with needs particular to women, such as fittings for comfortable running bras.

WWW.STLOUISTRACKCLUB.COM

St. Louis Track Club Member Takes on Boston Marathon

Among the Saint Louis runners at the 122nd Boston Marathon was Michelle Dillon.

“This was my fifth Boston [Marathon], and by far the most challenging” she said. ”It was also the most memorable. The volunteers were amazing, all smiles even though they were soaking wet, and, I’m sure, freezing. As I stood waiting to start, I saw more clear-plastic ponchos than I have ever seen in one place. As I made my way back towards Boston, I was surprised to see so many spectators braving the weather.”

“As I passed the iconic Citgo sign, I only had a mile left and was looking forward to dry socks.

After finishing, I walked with all the other runners, all drenched, shivering and, of course, smiling.

Although my time was far slower than I had wanted, I didn’t quit. An epic race was in the books.”

Michelle describes herself as relatively new to running, as she began running in her mid 40s. She has enjoyed the Frostbite Long and Short Series and has run the St. Louis Track Club Half Marathon several times. She is a member of the Big River Racing Team and Training Team.

Forest Park is one of her favorite places to run.

Congratulations to all 25,746 finishers (95% of male starters, 96.2% of female starters) who braved the elements and completed the Boston Marathon this year!

Use Your Awards for Good Congratulations if you’ve been accumulating ribbons, trophies and other awards during your athleticism. If you’re becoming space-challenged by your earnings, consider their re-use.

Medals4Mettle attaches branded lanyards to donated finishers’ medals (from marathons, triathlons, half marathons and triathlons) and awards them to children and adults for the mettle and courage they demonstrate battling cancer, chronic illness, trauma and other life challenges.

“These medals are awarded to those who must run a much more difficult race; a race they did not choose to run: a race where the finish line might not be known. Medals4Mettle's mission is to provide an opportunity to unite endurance athletes with all compassionate human beings to create a new POWERFUL IMPACT. Since the first medal awarded by our Founder Dr. Isenberg in 2005, more than 55,000 medals have been awarded by approximately 70 chapters in 80 hospitals worldwide.” (reads medals4mettle.org) The local contact is Kathy Peters at kmprunnergirl2@gmail.com.

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A contingency of St. Louis Runners completed the Carmel (Indiana) Marathon/Half-marathon March 31st.

“The race was good—fast; lots of fluid stops; good, small town; small, but good Expo,” said former SLTC board member Brian Kratz, who ran the half marathon. “The weather was windy, the more you were out there, the more windy it got, which doesn’t make sense," he said. “22.5 percent of the marathoners ran a Boston-qualifying time.” Roger Moore achieved 2:58:53, second in his age group of 103. Kara Jackson took first place among 55 runners in her 40-44 age group, time 3:23.34.

More than 4,000, representing 43 states and four countries, participated in the weekend events. Unique features included the AmeriFirst Sprint to the Finish challenges for the Marathon and Half Marathon. All participants were automatically entered into the challenge, which rewarded runners for greatest difference in pace between their 12.6 mile or 25.7 mile average paces and their final half mile speeds. The courses, with minimal changes in elevation, wound through the streets of Carmel and started and finished at The Palladium. The official charity for the 2018 Carmel Marathon Weekend was PrimeLife Enrichment, which provides programs and services promoting independence, optimal wellness and socialization for persons 50 and older.

SLTC President Rae Mohrmann was featured in the column, “The Best of Ferguson,”

by Ruffina Farrokh in the April 2018 issue of Ferguson Times.

Among Rae’s accomplishments are completing her 100th marathon in 2015, running marathons in all 50 states, breaking a Missouri resident age-group record for the marathon distance by over 32 minutes, teaching elementary school for 30 years, teaching a fitness/wellness program at UMSL for 18 years, teaching the aqua fitness program at January Wabash Park since 2015, and coaching cross country for grades one through eight at Immanuel Lutheran School in Olivette, which her grandsons attend. Rae has lived in Ferguson for forty years and raised her son, Greg, in Ferguson.

“Ferguson is proud of Rae and her accomplishments,” Farrokh wrote.

Email your news to office@stlouistrackclub.com. May your May be a healthy, safe one, with smooth travels.

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Member Discounts Check the Member Discount page in the Member Area of our website to find special discounts just for you! $5 off Heart to Heart 5k/10/Dog Run June 2 10% off Heart of America Marathon September 3 15% off Kansas City Marathon October 20 $5 off Four Legged Running’s Half Marathon, 5K & Dog Mile November 18 10% off written training plans from Spewak Training.

Log in to the Member Area to find the discount codes.

CALENDAR SOCIAL RUN/WALK MAY 21, 6PM SCHLAFLY TAP ROOM

PACE SERIES WEDNESDAYS BEGINNING 6/6 FOREST PARK

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED PACE SERIES WEDNESDAYS BEGINNING 6/6 FOREST PARK

MEMBER AND VOLUNTEER PICNIC JUNE 10, 4PM STACY PARK, OLIVETTE, MO

SOCIAL RUN/WALK JUNE 18, 6PM SCHLAFLY BOTTLEWORKS

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