The Club Championship Five Mile Race

The Club Championship Five Mile Race
By Tom Meany

The Club Championship Five Mile Race
By Tom Meany

Saturday, August 8th, was sunny, breezy, 66 degrees, 54% humidity. What a great day for a race!

We had over 50 members descend on Central Park for the Club Team Championship and had close to 20 in each race. Many new members, unfamiliar with the course and what to expect, were thrilled to pass the PPTC banner with about 400 yds. to go, to our roaring cheers. Tyrone Sklaren said it pulled the sprint out of him. Many couldn’t decide which was more fun; cheering or being cheered.

Mark Crowther, our first male finisher had asked beforehand if there would be supervision for his 4 & 6 yr. old while he ran. I assured him, being an experienced parent, I would play Cowboys and Indians with his children, and he would find them safely tied to a tree. He brought them anyway.

Several parents brought their offspring; David Jones’ daughter informed me that she was 7 ¾ years old and Traci Lester’s daughter, Haley, holding court in her stroller, flashed her two new teeth in big smiles at all the excitement. The youths had as much fun as the adults.

There was Gatorade, water, watermelon, Fig Newtons, beef jerky and some spiked orange soda provided by Paul Soskind. Coralie, aka Coco, used this opportunity to her advantage in teaching proper “toasting.” Amy Duquette gave a brief demonstration on Chi Running, and has promised to make a more formal presentation at our next membership meeting.

We have some great pictures of all present around our Club banner on the side of this hill. In addition to a great turnout of runners, we had an army of supporters: Richard and Kathleen Weaver, Michael and Lila Rieman, Anne Perzeszty, Julio Zavala, Lenny Nemerofsky, Michael Ring, Brad Skillman, Eveline VanDer Meulen. Richard, Lenny, Michael Ring and Michael Rieman did double duty as supporters and runners!

It filled everyone with Club pride to see so many, happy, fun loving Club members doing the things we love doing most: running and supporting running.