Mark your calendars: Sunday, May 26th is this year’s date for the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon and the Dirty Pony 5k at Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club in Mohnton, PA.
The last day to pre-register online is 5/23. Day-of registration will be available starting at 7:30 AM. If you haven’t run the race in a while, please note that we are making some course changes that have added a bit more trail in beautiful Brecknock Twp.
And if you aren’t feeling up to running the races, we are always looking for volunteers. Please sign up for volunteering by clicking the “Volunteer tab” at the race page on Ultrasignup.com.
And new for this year, the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon is the first race in the new Triple Trail Challenge 50.3. Complete the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon, the Run For the Ages Trail Chase 10k, and the Blues Cruise 50k to qualify for extra goodies and bragging rights! Runners completing these three races will get some sweet running swag at the Blues Cruise finish line. No special registration required–just sign up for all three races.
Each month, the Pacers will organize two “longer” group runs on weekends–one of which will be about 10 miles at a relatively nearby location (somewhere in Berks County), and one that will be a bit further away (somewhere we don’t often get to run). We’re branding the local run our “Weekend 10-Miler,” and the more “exotic” run our “Run Away.”
This month’s “Run Away” will take place on the Conestoga Trail in Lancaster County. We hope you can join us!
Each month, the Pacers will organize two “longer” group runs on weekends–one of which will be about 10 miles at a relatively nearby location (somewhere in Berks County), and one that will be a bit further away (somewhere we don’t often get to run). We’re branding the local run our “Weekend 10-Miler,” and the more “exotic” run our “Run Away.”
This month’s “Weekend 10-Miler” will take place at Blue Marsh Lake.
Treasurer Report was given by Shaun Luther. Account balances are 136% of current target. Revenue from the Shiver series and expenses from Constant Contact were discussed.
Shiver by the River race report was given by Sue Jackson. Jim Dietrich Park is officially reserved for next winter.
Scholarship Committee report was given by Beth Kohl. The scholarship recipients are Shannon Govern and Kenzie Padilla (children of Pacers) and Addie Cohen and Aiden Konetsky (Berks County cross-country students). Katie Beane will soon take over charing the committee.
Run for the Ages race report was given by Blair Hogg. Registration is nearly 25% full (45 out of 200 spots are full). Volunteers are needed.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
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NEW BUSINESS
Steven Vida moved to adopt a program designed and facilitated by Andrea Thrush for new / beginning runners. Through discussion, an amendment was proposed that participants should also register for the Gring’s Mill race in August. The motion with this amendment was adopted.
This initiative is a new way for club members to help with our races. It doesn’t require the commitment of being a Race Director, but it is more involved than typical race-day volunteering.
The club is looking for people to assist the existing race directors. Participants will get a look at the details of how a race is managed, and the Race Directors can possibly offload some of their tasks. (It’s essentially an internship–unpaid, but potentially fun and eye-opening.)
This program is something new for the club, and we haven’t defined exactly what shape this will take. We would like to start by identifying interested people. We will follow that with discussions to match the interns’ availability with the Race Directors’ needs. We don’t expect the interns to initially be tied to one race.
The Pacers have 2 new programs I want to highlight this month, and I’ll give you some background on how they got started.
During a discussion at the Pacer Race Director meeting in April, many of the directors said they never intended to become a RD because, from the outside, it looked too hard. But they helped another director, learned how to manage some of the details, and eventually grew into the role.
We’d like to create an opportunity for some new volunteers to assist the current race directors. There is no obligation to become the next race director and no need to be committed to one, specific race. We’re calling it a “Race Director Internship.” Our first step is just to identify some interested people. We’ll develop the details around the availability of the participants. For more details, please click HERE.
The other program came out of a conversation that I had last month with Andrea Thrush, who asked me if the Pacers do anything for beginner runners. The Wednesday Night Run tries to accommodate runners of all paces, but I wouldn’t recommend it for someone on their first couple runs. They need a separate meet-up for a few weeks where they can get individual support and attention.
Andrea quickly volunteered her time and energy to lead just such a program. She put together a plan, a schedule, and even a logo! Please check out the details by clicking HERE.
I realize that most readers of this newsletter have already gotten over the hump of their first attempts at running, but maybe you have a friend or family member who would be interested in this program (which is open to Pacers and non-Pacers alike, free of charge). Please help us spread the word!
Mihai Sanchez has been serving as Secretary for the Pagoda Pacers since the beginning of 2024. Because of a change in his work hours, he can no longer attend the monthly meeting on Thursdays, so he is stepping down as Secretary. The club appreciates his efforts.
The Secretary is appointed by the President. They must be a member of the club for at least one year and will be required to sign a conflict-of-interest statement. The main responsibility is to capture the official minutes from the monthly meeting. This is much easier than it sounds – it’s just filling in a template. Of course, the Secretary needs to be able to attend (almost) all of the monthly meetings, which are the second Thursday of each month, January through November, at 7pm.
If you think you could help the club in this capacity, please contact Steve Vida (president@pagodapacers.com). We’re trying to identify a replacement in time for the May meeting.
Who will facilitate this program and what are their qualifications?
My name is Andi, and I am a member of the Pagoda Pacers. I have been a runner for almost nine years now, and I am currently a student at the University of Arizona Global Campus, majoring in Applied Behavioral Science with an emphasis on health and wellness. My son started running in junior high and is now a collegiate cross country and track runner. My dad used to run cross country and road races as well. In fact, I got my all-time PR (personal record) in a 5K race following one of my dad’s pieces of coaching advice about not wearing my GPS watch while racing!
The Purpose of the Pagoda Pathfinders and why I created it:
The idea for this program started with my research on identity, self-efficacy, and how they are linked, as well as how to cultivate them. Community is one of the things that was mentioned in some of the research. Based on some posts I saw on various social media outlets during the pandemic, I realized that identity is something that new runners struggle with, including questions such as, “At what point am I a runner?” This all is interlinked and can affect a person’s ability to successfully make positive behavioral changes that promote health and wellness.
This research, along with the Pagoda Pacers mission statement, which includes the statement that the group “promotes physical fitness and public wellness,” are some of the reasons that I reached out to the Pacers about a program for new and beginning runners. By creating the Pagoda Pathfinders and providing this program, I am hoping to contribute to this part of the mission while using what I have learned through college, as well as personal experience and reading.
The goals of this program include:
Providing a community that eliminates the economic barrier (this eight week program is free), where participants can enjoy engaging with others in an environment that will foster their identity, feelings of capability, motivation, etc., through:
Weekly group runs, held on Sundays from June 9th through July 28, from 9:00 am – 10/10:30 am, with the chance to meet other members of the Pagoda Pacers who will be helping out.
Weekly group runs, held on Sundays from June 9th through July 28, from 9:00 am – 10/10:30 am, with the chance to meet other members of the Pagoda Pacers who will be helping out.
The opportunity/option to join our Strava group for inspiration, additional information, accountability, additional support, celebrating progress and daily wins, sharing questions, and more.
The opportunity/option to join us at the Grings Mill 5K/10K on August 4th. Participants can pay to participate in the race, or join us and cheer fellow runners on. Participation awards (for the eight week program) will be handed out at this event (see photo below).
Fun weekly challenges, including adding an inspirational or upbeat song to our group’s playlist, bringing a healthy snack to share at our group run, “kindness” workout (more on that later), etc.
Providing information in weekly emails that will help benefit and foster new runners in their growth as runners. Much of this information can also be generalized to other areas of physical fitness and wellness. Topics include:
Weeks prior to first meet up – goal setting, motivation, etc.
Week 2 – sticking with your fitness journey (maintaining motivation, positive psychology and its link to your success, etc.)
Week 3 – nutrition and hydration
Week 4 – recovery
Week 5 – safety
Week 6 – Types of workouts
Week 7 – Investing in your journey (tools of the trade)
Week 8 – Race prep
Meet our participant’s training needs at their current individual ability level and build on it, working towards the goal(s) they set for themselves. I will guide participants’ training based on these parameters, using their feedback from questions I email to them in a week or two leading up to our first group run.
So, if you are a new/beginning runner, or just looking to increase your physical fitness and wellness, please come join us! You can sign up by emailing me at pagodapathfinders@gmail.com. Participation will be capped at 15 members. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you all!
Where: We will be meeting at the covered red bridge (Wertz’s Covered Bridge) by the Berks County Heritage Center to access the Gring’s Mill trail. You can use this address in GPS: 1102 Red Bridge Rd, Reading, PA 19605.
When: Sundays from June 9th through July 28th, starting at 9 am. (We’ll wrap up by 10 or 10:30.)
Cost: This program is FREE for participants, but there is a “pay option” for those who want to use the program to train for and race in the Gring’s Mill 5K/10K on August 4th.
The Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club is proud to announce and congratulate its 2024 scholarship award winners. Each winner will receive a scholarship of $1000 toward their upcoming higher education plans.
Two scholarships are open to all high school seniors whose parents are current members in good standing for at least one year of the Pagoda Pacers. The recipients of the 2024 Pacer Member Scholarship are:
Shannon Govern, a senior at Hamburg Area High School, who plans to attend Lehigh University; and
Kenzie Padilla, a senior in the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School’s University Scholars Program, who plans to attend Harvard University
Shannon Govern
Kenzie Padilla
Two scholarships are open to all high school seniors who participated on a Berks County high school cross country team. The recipients of the 2024 Cross Country scholarship are:
Addie Cohen, a senior at Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School, who plans to attend University of Richmond; and
Aiden Konetsky, a senior at Schuylkill Valley High School, who plans to attend St. Bonaventure University
Addie Cohen
Aiden Konetsky
The club received applications from many very strong and deserving students, and we wish all who applied the best in their future endeavors.
The PPAC Scholarship Committee members are Beth Kohl, Katie Beane, Cathy Unruh, Sue Jackson, Lamar Foley, Karen Rule, and Curtis Musser.
Pagoda Pacers News 