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ST. LOUIS TRACK CLUB First quarter 2022

THE TRACK TIME NEWS Running Together for a Better Future

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRACK TIME NEWS

04-05 Recent races and results

07 Introduction to the Social Runs and a thank you

06 Introduction to the Summer Pace series

08-09 Recap of the Frostbite series

A mom and daughter’s experience at the Frostbite series

The oldest runner at the Frostbite series’s history and praise

A reminder to not get caught up in race compartison

How to prevent race injuries

Member spotlight: Ty Kulik

Opening day for Running Niche

All about SLTC’s shoe collection

Track Club Info

TRACK TIME NEWS

PRESIDENT’S LETTER Hello fellow track club members! I am Anna Zelinske and I am the new president of the St. Louis Track Club. It’s such an honor to be leading such an important and well established board in our community. My running story starts like many others do: I started a walking program at age 34 as an attempt to keep up with my young children who were 5 and 2 at the time. About 3 weeks into the program I thought maybe I could run some of my miles. After thinking I was going to die on those first few runs, they slowing but consistently became easier and before I knew it I was running a 5k race about every month. The next year I met former track club president, Dave McNaughton, who lead the St. Louis Trail Running Club. The following years were filled with running and trail racing long and ultra distances until I got to the peak of my running journey this past year taking on the 100 mile distance. I haven’t quite made it the full 100 yet, but one day I’ll get that finish. I’ve been lucky enough to serve as the Treasurer of the track club board under former Presidents Rae Mohrmann and Matt Coriell, who have both taught me so much. I was also involved in the hiring of our incredible Operations Coordinator, Aletta Martin. I’ve worked in the non-profit disability field for over 22 years, so the skills honed over my career combined with my love of running and our incredible St. Louis community have me proud and excited to lead the board into our next adventures. Be sure to follow our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages to stay up to date on all of our current happenings. Feel free to reach out if there is anything you’d like to chat about.

ANNA ZELINSKE Board President St. Louis Track Club

TRACK TIME NEWS

RACES AND RESULTS

A look at upcoming Track Club races and recent race results

DECLUE LOOPS TRAIL RACE Date: October 22, 2022

Come run some DeClue Loops with us! The race is held in Greensfelder Park and offers 4 distances, including our first Ultra Distance Trail Race- a 50K!

ST. LOUIS HALF MARATHON & 5K Date: November 6, 2022 This Classic St Louis Road Race returns again to Forest Park this November. WIth a USATF Certified course and Prize money, this race is always fun and exciting. Starts and finishes in front of the Muny.

FROSTBITE SERIES Dates: December 10 and 24, 2022, January 7 and 21, 2023, and February 4, 2023 This year’s Frostbite series will once again take place in Forest Park over the following five Saturdays. More info and registration coming soon!

2021-2022 RESULTS HERE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The Track Times News is printed quarterly. Reproduction of all or part of this newsletter in any form is strictly prohibited without the permission of the St. Louis Track Club.

TRACK TIME NEWS

TRAIL SERIES

Dates: September 3, 2022 and March 25, 2023 We will be hosting the trail series again this year. It will consist of the Corps of Discovery Half Marathon and 5 Mile on September 3, 2022 and the Weldon Spring Marathon and Half Marathon on March 25, 2023. Register Here:

CORPS OF DISCOVERY WELDON SPRING MARATHON

MARATHON RELAY Date: October 22, 2022 Grab a partner or group of friends and come out to Tower Grove Park to run the Marathon Relay with us. This is a fun and relaxed event in a great setting. Teams of 2 and 4 runners, as well as some solo runners will complete a marathon within the park.

TURKEY TROT

Date: November 26, 2022

The Trail Turkey Trot is a timed event on Turkey Ridge Trail in Wildwood, MO. Turkey Ridge is a 1.8 mile loop with approximately 347 ft of gain per loop. We will run counter clockwise loops starting and finishing at the trail head. You have the option to run the 2-hour or 4-hour race. Each time option will have awards for the top male and top female. The race is capped at 75 people.

REGISTER HERE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The Track Times News is printed quarterly. Reproduction of all or part of this newsletter in any form is strictly prohibited without the permission of the St. Louis Track Club.

TRACK TIME NEWS

SUMMER PACE SERIES

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

TRACK TIME NEWS

SOCIAL RUNS We are happy to offer two options again!

Dates:

Second Thursday of every month starting April 8th

Location:

Queeny Park. Parking lot near the Dog Museum on Mason Rd.

Time:

6:15pm

Come join us for a fun group run in Queeny Park! The route will be 3-5 miles but can easily be made shorter or longer depending on your needs. The pace is open to all- from walking to sprinting! Everyone is welcome! Waivers required and can be found below. Restroom and water bottle filling station is available near the start of the run. Contact Dennis Martin with any questions at dman1973@gmail.com

Dates:

Third Monday of every month starting October 18th at the Tap Room

Location:

Alternating between the Schlafly Tap Room and the Schlafly Bottleworks

Time:

6:00pm

Join us for a fun run and stay for some refreshments afterwards. Your first beer is on Schlafly! For more information contact: Roger Moore at moorethatguy@ yahoo.com lease fill out this waiver prior to joining us. This only needs to be P filled out once per season.

AND A THANK YOU! Harry Jones and John Finkenkeller were recognized as the 2021 Volunteers of the Year! If you have run any Track Club races you have seen Harry and John out on the course rain, shine, snow or ice, handing out water and gatorade. We were able to thank them for their dedication and present them with their awards at our annual Open Board Meeting, which was generously hosted by the Schlafly Tap Room in January.

TRACK TIME NEWS

FROSTBITE RECAP

A look at the recent 2021-2022 Frostbite series and its results MIKE BAHR & BOB CHITWOOD Frostbite Series Co-Directors

he 2021-2022 Frostbite series concluded in February, and across the five race days, with a long- and a shortrace each day, more than 3,200 participants enjoyed their frosty runs and walks through beautiful Forest Park. The Frostbite is a gem that allows participants proximity to many Forest Park

landmarks—the Muny, Jewel Box, Science Center, Art Hill—on quiet cold mornings when there are not a lot of other patrons in the park. Historically, the Frostbite has two courses certified by USA Track and Field (USATF)—the 2- and 10-mile runs on race day two. This year, the Track Club had the USATF certify the Half-Marathon, which takes place on race day four. Three

hundred and thirty-one runners from Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, inaugurated the newly-certified Half-Marathon course on January 22, which was a breezy day with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. The Frostbite enables athletes of all abilities to compete against others or themselves—we love PRs right?—or to simply enjoy a noncompetitive run or walk in the park. We congratulate all the

TRACK TIME NEWS

winners of their age brackets. In the long series, Michael Fussner (45-49 age group) and Caleb Lind (17-19) won their age groups and were consistently among the top male runners for every race. For the women’s long races, Mary Timmons won the 25-29 age group, and she was among the running leaders in each race. For the short series, Cami Couch won the 17-19 age group for the women, and she was always among the top runners each race day. Charlie Krasnoff (17-19 age group) and David Proudfoot (35-39) won their respective age groups and were always in the top group of runners

for the men. More than 20 Missouri state age records were set during this year’s series in the 2- and 10-mile races. In the 10-mile race, Euan Makepeace from St. Louis set the male state overall record for the distance with a time of 48:34. You can view all Frostbite results on the Fleet Feet website. Missouri state records are available on staterunningrecords. com. The Frostbite is an impossible event to stage without the contributions of all the hearty volunteers who brave cold temperatures in December through February each year. We are espe-

cially grateful to our volunteers who provide such strong and unwavering support to the running and walking communities of the St. Louis metropolitan region. Please consider joining our volunteer team. Congratulations to all 20212022 Frostbite Series participants—they love the challenge of running and walking during the coldest time of the year. If you’re one of those participants, thanks again for coming out to the Frostbite. We look forward to seeing everyone in December 2022!

TRACK TIME NEWS

RUNNING WITH MOM

A member and her daughter’s history and experiences at the Frostbite series DONNA SPRINGER contributor

ongtime member Debbie Kerber has been encouraging multi-generational participation in Saint Louis Track Club events. She and high school daughter, Aryn Rehr, participated for the second straight year in the Frostbite Long Series. “We absolutely love the Frostbite races and enjoy the camaraderie in any kind of weather,” Debbie said. “It is always a great

day and so full of positive ener- track runner at Parkway Cengy.” tral High School. She is co-capDebbie placed tain of her team. Debbie and her second of fifteen family have been women in her age It is always a great group in the series members of SLTC day and so full of totals, garnering since 1994. Her positive energy.” three second place son, Alex Rehr (from Denver), finishes and one DEBBIE KERBER and niece Emily third-place finish. Aryn, 18, took first place in her Kerber (from Ohio) also joined age group, with two first-place Aryn and Debbie for the SLTC finishes and two second place half-marathon in November. finishes. “Another super-fun amazing Aryn is a cross country and event,” Debbie said.

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TRACK TIME NEWS

AGE IS BUT A NUMBER

Dave Lundgren, the oldest runner at the Frostbite series, shares his history and praise

DONNA SPRINGER contributor

ne notable runner of the 2021-2022 Frostbite Series was Dave Lundgren. “I was the oldest at 83,” Lundgren said. “I started doing events like the Frostbite in the mid 1980’s. After retiring I continued doing those events and started doing half and full marathons. In The Frostbite Series, this year, there were four in the 80 and older group. Three were 80.” “For almost two decades, the Frostbite Series has been one of the highlights of my year. I’ve been doing marathons and

half-marathons ever since I re- race. All the inspiring and entired 22 years ago. My age has thusiastic conversations I’ve had with racers out been keeping me away from the on the course has been a huge longer races, so The Frostbite Series encouragement the Frostbite Sehas been one of the for me to just ries became such keep going and an important part highlights of my year.” of my pursuit of going. That’s a DAVE LUNDGREN big deal when healthy living you’re about to and recreation.” “I can’t begin to express my turn 84. So I want to thank everysincere gratitude for the organiz- one who has made this race posers and all the volunteers of this sible. Right now, I am the oldest race series! It was so profession- racer on the course. I hope and ally run and always done with pray that I get one more year out such a positive attitude; even there, and that I get to be around when the weather was terrible to see someone else break that or something like COVID hit the age record on the course.”

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A reminder to not compare to other runners and to stay mentally healthy when running

DON’T GET CAUGHT UP

TRACK TIME NEWS

COACH’S CORNER

MARK SPEWAK

e all have our ups and downs in the sport of running. One of the hardest things in my opinion is when you are having your downs and it seems like everyone else is experiencing their best days. We are fortunate to have so many ways to communicate with other runners through Strava and other various forms of social media. However, sometimes the hardest thing is logging onto those platforms when you aren’t feeling YOUR best. It’s normal to feel this and I assure you that everyone experiences this at some point. I have always believed it’s important to learn what the trigger points to your race/training stress and nerves are. When you are able to identify those points, then, I encourage athletes to build a plan for how they are going to attack those things and execute a training program where they are able to train as happy and healthy as possible. I believe it’s important for people to learn how to deal with

some of these mental obstacles, however, I think there is a fine line between improvement and forcing yourself to live through things that are going to be a detriment to your overall physical and mental health. I believe that to train and compete at your best, you have to mentally be at your best. That’s different for everyone. I am a huge fan of Strava. I think it is one of the best apps I have come across from the athlete and coaching perspective. I enjoy seeing others’ workouts and hearing the stories of sport. I have never had an issue with it but I do know other athletes that have had to take a step back and reevaluate their relationship with the app. In some cases, I have seen runners underperform in races and workouts all because of the stress and anxiety they have built from Strava or social media. If you are having a hard time right now, I encourage you to remember that infamous quote, “tough times don’t last but tough people do.” The athletes

who may seem miles away from you now from a mental and physical standpoint, have experienced your same feelings. More times than one those athletes have figured out ways to put themselves in the best position possible to train without putting too much pressure on the result. We all are motivated differently. Figure out what you need and be unapologetic for any adjustments you may need to make. If you need to make your Strava private, then do it. If you need to change your social environment and train and follow a different crowd of runners, do it. Make the best choice for YOU and don’t ever count yourself out. Your day is coming soon too. Cheers! *Spewak Training coaches are currently taking on new clients. Please email contact@spewaktraining. com to set up your free 30 minute consultation phone call today.*

TRACK TIME NEWS

PREVENTING INJURY

Running injuries can be prevented. Here’s how. SARAH ZAYYAD \ physical therapist

ecently, I had a runner try to increase their pace by 30 seconds from one weekend to the next. The result? Severe pain along the inside of their shin and the start of spending two days a week in physical therapy. Many running injuries are due to overuse and/or improper training. Up to 70% of recreational and competitive distance runners have an overuse running injury during any one-year period. One of my favorite questions to ask runners is, “Other than running, what exercises are you doing?” Usually the response is, “You mean running isn’t enough exercise?” Running injuries can be prevented. One of the keys to proper training is cross training. The most important group of muscles to strengthen for runners are those along the side of your hip, mainly your glute medius and glute minimus. When people hear glutes, they immediately think of their buttocks. But, two of the smaller glute muscles – the glute medius and minimus – are often overlooked. The glute medius and minimus are vital hip muscles and their function is to stabilize your pelvis. When you’re walking, think about the moment you put your

right foot down and swing your your buttocks back then forward left leg through. Does your left to target multiple fibers of the hip drop down? If so, then you muscle. may have some weakness in these Hydrants: On all fours, lift your stabilizers along your right side. knee out to the side without letNow, imagine running more than ting your hips tilt. five miles and this is repetitively For more information or to happening withrequest a compliout you knowing. mentary injury Imagine the wear screen with one of Other than running, and tear this is takour licensed physwhat exercises are ing on your body. ical therapists, you doing?” Weak hips place please contact our unnecessary stress Sports Injury HoSARAH ZAYYAD along your back, tline at 844-257knees and feet. The 7797. In the meangood news is that this can be pre- time, train smart, run fast and run vented. happy! How do you strengthen your glutes? Here are some simple ex1: Ferber, R., Hreljac, A., & ercises that don’t require much Kendall, K. D. (2009). Suspectequipment. ed Mechanisms in the Cause of Sidestepping: Place a resistance Overuse Running Injuries: A band just above your knees (eas- Clinical Review. Sports Health: ier) or above your ankles (hard- A Multidisciplinary Approach, er). Keeping your toes pointing 1(3), 242–246. https://doi. forward, side-step in a mini squat org/10.1177/1941738109334272 about 20 feet. Then, return to the start without turning around. Jane Fondas: Lay on your left side completely against the wall, head, back and heels. Place a towel behind your right heel and keeping your toes pointing straight forward. Slowly lift your leg up/ down. Repeat on other side. Side planks: These can be done from your knees or feet. Knee side plank: Slowly bring

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TRACK TIME NEWS

MEMBER

SPOTLIGHT NAME: Ty Kulik HOMETOWN: Saint Louis, MO OCCUPATION: Stay at Home Dad AVG WEEKLY MILES: 28-30 How and when did you get started with running? I started running 9 years ago when I became a SAHD. At first it was so I could keep up with my son, but I immediately fell in love. It’s the best athletic thing to ever happen in my life.

What are your favorite places to run? Castlewood, Bluffview and Forest Park. I prefer trails to roads, but it’s all great

finish, and I did. It was my first marathon ever and it was amazing

What is your favorite SLTC event? What do you like about What are your favorite run- it? ning shoes and/or other gear? DeClue Loops. It has a special I’m an Altra guy through and place in my heart. I also love When did you become an through. I may throw in Hoka’s the trail. It’s got everything you could want. There’s flats, hills, SLTC member and what in- on very rare occasions technical parts, rocks and roots. spired you to join? Late in 2021. I signed up for so What is your favorite pre or It’s all encompassing many races, and after a conversa- post run meal? tion with Matt Coriell at the Re- I love to eat far too many sushi Anything else you would like lay Marathon, I went home and rolls after finishing anything to share about yourself? I’m a basketball and baseball joined that night. over a half marathon coach for my son. I’m a big What has been your most sat- time Michigan Wolverines football fan. My daughter has me isfying performance? Finishing the DeClue Loop Mara- wrapped around her finger. And thon. I was ready to bow out, but my wife is the absolute best perMatt and Anna convinced me to son on the planet.

TRACK TIME NEWS

OPENING DAY

Running Niche opens at a new location and prepares for the upcoming year DONNA SPRINGER contributor

unning Niche opened at its new location, 1601 Tower Grove Avenue, 63110, on March 1st. Running Niche has a four-year history at its former location, 4131 Manchester Avenue in The Grove “We were cramped,” said co-owner Jennifer Henderson. “The old store was half the size. We can host some more things because of the size. The big thing

about the store is we feel very energized.” “People seem to enjoy the store, and I’ve noticed people tend to stay longer,” she said. This year’s lineup included holding Thursday’s packet pickup for Spewak Racing’s Chain of Rocks 6 K March 27th, a Shakeout Run” in preparation for the GO! Saint Louis Marathon, continuing the Wednesday night group runs, and resuming additional group runs in May. Jennifer and her husband, Bob

Dyer co-own the business. “We’re partners in more ways than one,” Jennifer said. Running Niche matched the entry fees from members of Team Running Niche to the Saint Louis Track Club’s Frostbite Series, and November’s Marathon Relay, with donations to the Track Club. Donations totaling $440. The Saint Louis Track Club wishes partners Jennifer Henderson and Bob Dyer continued energy, and growth, in their new location.

TRACK TIME NEWS

ALL ABOUT SHOES

Statistics and introduction to SLTC’s shoe collection

The St Louis Track Club began collecting athletic shoes (in any condition) last year during the Frostbite Series. We have collected over 500 pairs of shoes since then! The shoes are sent off to be reused or recycled, and SLTC puts all the money we receive as compensation into our Scholarship Fund We will continue to collect shoes at all of our races and if you have some in between just contact us at office@stlouistrackclub.com and we can arrange to get them.

STATISTICS

200 PAIRS OF

MILLION

SHOES END UP IN LANDFILLS

EACH YEAR IN THE US

30 TO 40 YEARS

FOR SHOES

...

takes

t and i

ile

...

IN LANDFILLS TO DECOMPOSE

600 PEOPLE DON’T EVEN OWN

MILLION

A PAIR OF SHOES

Check out GotSneakers to read and learn more about the cause! ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The Track Times News is printed quarterly. Reproduction of all or part of this newsletter in any form is strictly prohibited without the permission of the St. Louis Track Club.

TRACK TIME NEWS

TRACK CLUB INFO Run. Walk. Enjoy WE DO SO BY: Supporting runners and walkers of all abilities through our member network; Organizing and producing events and programs that meet the needs of our members and the running/walking community; Partnering with local youth, health-oriented, and community running programs; and Mobilizing our members and volunteers in support of our mission. Founded in 1970, the St. Louis Track Club is an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

RACE DIRECTORS

President - Anna Zelinske

Marathon Relay- Dennis Martin

Vice President - Jeff McPherson

Frostbite Series- Mike Bahr, Bob Chitwood

Treasurer - Steve Wasserman

Track Club Trail Races- Matt Coriell, Anna

Secretary - Ben Tiller

Zelinske

Board Member - Ty Kulik

Track Club Half Marathon and 5K- Ben Tiller

Board Member - Dennis Martin

Pace Series- Donald Denham

Board Member - Roger Moore Board Member - Mike Bahr

Editor of Track Time News- Olivia Hu

Board Member -Bob Chitwood Board Member- Matt Coriell Operations Coordinator - Aletta Martin