June 2007

President’s Column – June 2007 Suddenly Summer… Where did Spring go?  By the time you read this, the season will already be meteorological summer (June-August), three of the nine races of the Rochester Runner of the Year Series will be in the books and some of us will already be in the early weeks of training for a Fall Marathon or Ultra.  Don’t forget to use sunscreen. Get on the Boilermaker Bus As reported in the minutes of the April Board Meeting (see page 30 of the May Keep Track), we have been discussing chartering buses to take members and friends to and from the Utica Boilermaker 15K.  By the time we decided to do it, some on the board had heard that Fleet Feet Sports Rochester had the same idea.  Wilt Alston met with Ellen at Fleet Feet and after some discussion, concluded that, rather than compete for the same pool of runners; it made more sense to jointly sponsor the charter bus.  The Board agreed to this arrangement. GRTC members will get a discount on the bus ticket.  See the GRTC web site for more information on the trip and a link to online registration.  Note:  your race registration is not included with the bus trip… don’t forget to register for the race. Thanks to the Volunteers Thanks to all the GRTC members who gave back to the sport by volunteering at the Medved Lilac 10K, historically Rochester’s best known race and the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, the biggest running & walking event in the area. New Rules… No, not one of Bill Maher’s “new rules”… this time it’s a new rule from the USATF.  The USATF is the national governing body for track and field, race walking and long distance running.  Last December, at the USATF’s annual meeting, the delegates approved a rules package that included a ban on use of portable electronic devices by participants competing in long distance running races. The rules package contained the following justification for the rule change:  “The huge proliferation of MP3 players and other audio devices using headphones by road race participants constitutes a safety hazard.  These devices can prevent runners from hearing critical instructions from course monitors, police and other race officials.  Many race directors are reluctant to prohibit these devices in their races for fear of losing entrants.  A firm prohibition by USATF will make it easier for these directors to justify bans on these devices in their races.” How does this affect us?  First, there is a clear safety issue... we are at least a little bit safer if we can hear vehicles approaching from behind.  Beyond that, many races, including our Freezeroo Series, get their insurance from the USATF.  The USATF clearly states that they “will sanction only those events that agree to comply with the applicable … USATF rules and regulations… Events which fail to meet all criteria will be denied a sanction.”  Literally, the USATF could deny a sanction and insurance to a race that doesn’t comply with the new rule.  And think what happens if the incident report of a race accident mentions that the injured runner was using an iPod… So, when you see the new rule on a race application, leave your headphone radio at home or in the car.  When you hear a race official request you stop using your iPod, take out your ear buds.  Don’t be the one to put your favorite race in jeopardy. Not Just Another Summer Road Run There’s more to the sport than 5K road races.  Want to find out about trail running?  Give the Medved Thursday Night Trail Runs a try.  Each week there’s a run on a different area trail system.  All speeds are welcomed.  See the website of Medved Running & Walking Outfitters (www.medvedrunwalk.com) for the run schedule. Another trail option is the Saturday run of the Oven Door Runners.  This informal running group has many dedicated trail runners so there is almost always a trail option included in the scheduled run.  See the group website (www.odrunners.org) for the run schedule.  When you’re ready for a trail race, check out the GRTC online calendar.  There are quite a few trail races on the schedule this summer. At the other extreme, how about doing giving a track event a try?  Rochester Summer Track, under the leadership of Bill Quinlisk, has a six-week series of Tuesday evening track meets starting June 12th.  The entry fee is an amazing bargain, $5 for adults, $4 for children 5-17 and even a special $1 for children 5 & under who run a special 50-meter dash.  The July 17th meet includes the Charlie McMullen Mile, which is part of the 2007 RROY Series.  For more information, see the website (www.rochestersummertrack.com).  Another option for folks in the Geneseo area is the July 12th & 26th Big Valley Striders All Comers Track & Field Meets.  See the GRTC online calendar for a link to the race web site. And, there’s Cross Country… the Innovative Edge Summer Cross Country Series starts on August 2nd.  Youth (ages 12 & under) compete over 400 meters to 1 mile; older runners (ages 13 and over) compete over the standard 5K distance.  See the Genesee Valley Harriers web site for more information (www.gvh.net). Good running to you, Tom Perry June 2007