Catching Up

Topics in this post:

• Catching up: MOTM and Summer BBQ
• Lynn Woods readout
• RRCA Runner Friendly City Application
• WGP and USATF
• Tuesday Track
• Backbeat update
• Salem Haunted Happenings
• GUS / Wicked Kidz
• Frosty Four
• Save the date: 10/25 Election Info / Club Status Meeting
• Upcoming Events
• Message from Kelly Pheulpin

Fellow Wickeds: my apologies for being quiet on the communications and newsletters. There has been, and will be, a lot going on in the club and I have been remiss in sending out an update to everyone. Let’s use this as a catch-up point.

Miles Over The Moon 2023

We had amazing success with our annual summertime evening road race. Sketchy weather conditions did not deter us from fielding 543 registered runners. That is a level of participation you have to go back many years to even get close to, at a time where there were far fewer races on the northshore. There were a lot of exciting surprises in the race – from unique shirts, illuminated mile markers, and special contests that drove the race to new heights. Big thanks to the MOTM 2023 committee of Carrie-Ann LaBrecque, Amy Chruniak, and Bill McClory!

Summer BBQ

We had our annual Summer BBQ on August 5th at Forest River Park. Almost 50 Wickeds descended on a beautiful afternoon in this northshore gem location. Everyone brought something to help the party along, from special BBQ ribs (thanks Junyong!) to delicious desserts. A wicked thank you to all of our volunteers, especially Karen Hoch and Don Withee who scoped out and claimed the perfect spot very early on Saturday morning!

Lynn Woods Readout

On August 234d we had 80+ Wicked show up for the 2023 Lynn Woods Relay in a glorious Sea of Red! Congratulations to everyone who finished the challenging 2.5 mile course through the historic Lynn Woods. We had several teams place in medal positions including first place hoodie winners. Thanks to everyone who stayed through the awards and joined us at Supino’s for our afterparty. Mike Fitzgerald took many pictures that are posted on our Facebook page. Huge thanks to Alen Yen, Amy Chruniak, and Matt Adams for pulling this year’s teams together. We’re looking forward to the remaining bug relay of the year at Mill Cities in December! Watch your inbox for information on it.

RRCA Runner Friendly City Application

You may not be aware, but as an organized running club, Wicked has long been a member of the Road Runners Club of America. This national organization provides education, support, and necessary liability insurance for running clubs. They have several programs that Wicked can participate in and take advantage of – one of them is the Runner Friendly Community Designation. This year, Tim Short, previous President of the Wicked Running Club, has taken the initiative to get the City of Salem recognized as a Runner Friendly Community. We’re hopeful that we’ll be finding out in November that Salem has been accepted for this designation. Thanks Tim!

WGP and USATF Racing

Thanks to Chris Nolin and his committee members, these two race series have been moving along very well in 2023. There are two more WGP races, a half marathon, then ending with Wild Turkey on Thanksgiving. USATF has the marathon distance left. Thanks to everyone who has been participating, we’re looking forward to the WGP awards next year!

Tuesday Track

Our popular Tuesday Night track at BHS has been well attended this season. The steamy temperatures and sometimes unpredictable weather has not kept a steady volume of participants to this valuable weekly workout. The onsite track sessions will continue to mid-October, but we have moved the start time up to 6PM from 6:30PM due to the days getting shorter. There’s still time to take advantage of these! Remember, Coach Braz emails workouts year-round.

BackBeat

Our pairing with BackBeat for Monday night runs have also continued strong through the summer. Members may not be aware but Chris Nolin has been co-organizing this run with Lacey Allis since the beginning (when Lacey worked part-time at BackBeat). However we were informed over the summer that Lacey will need to step back from week-to-week participation in the run. We do thank Lacey for her support over the last few years. The run itself will continue each week – Lacey will be around, but not as regular. Chris Nolin will continue to lead it for the broader community.

Salem Haunted Happenings

October in Salem is always exciting! This year, on Thursday October 5th, Wicked is participating in the 26th annual Salem Chamber of Commerce “Haunted Happenings Grande Parade”. We’ll be marching along with other community groups in this annual tradition to kick off the Halloween season. If interested in marching along with us, please contact Carita Wegner at caritawegner@yahoo.co.uk.

GUS / Wicked Kidz

Wicked will be once again partnering with the Glen Urquhart School on Sunday, November 12th, from 1-3PM for a Fall Wicked Kidz race on their campus. This is exactly the same event that we held this spring, but GUS would like to move it to the fall – so going forward, we’ll do it annually in the fall timeframe. We will hold a 1/2 mile and full mile run for children under 13. If you have kids in that age range, mark the date! We are also looking for a few volunteers to help with the event – if you are interested and have the time, please contact Tom at wickedpresident@gmail.com.

Frosty Four 2024!

On the heels of our success in MOTM, we are gearing up for our annual New Year’s Day race, the Frosty Four! Rick Kee will return as Race Director, and is getting his plans and committee in place. If you are interested in being part of this very important and fun event, feel free to contact Rick at richardkee62@gmail.com Thank you Rick!

Save the Date: Wednesday 10/25 Election Information / Club Status Meeting

We will be holding a special meeting on Wednesday, October 25th, to cover a few topics: 

• Treasurer Nicole Goggin has been preparing an Annual Financial report and we decided to couple that with a brief general status update of the club. 
• With elections coming up, we wanted to take some time to describe the positions on the board, what the experience is like, and answer any questions from interested members. The board has a few members that have served the club for many years. It’s important to encourage other members to do the same, as the continued health of our club depends on a natural progression of both membership and leadership. Our by-laws establish 2-year term limits for any one member serving in a single board position.
• We are considering amendment(s) to the by-laws (more information on that later) and this requires a special meeting called by the board. We will take this meeting for that opportunity.

Please save the date, we will announce a location once we land one.

Upcoming Events

Close on the horizon are:

• Wednesday, September 27, 6:30PM: September Board of Directors meeting, Hamilton-Wenham public library.
• Thursday, October 5th 6:30PM: Salem Haunted Happenings Grande Parade (see above).
• Sunday October 8th: USATF race: Cape Cod Marathon, Falmouth, MA
• Wednesday, October, 25th: Special club meeting / Elections / Status time and date TBD
• Sunday November 5th: WGP race: Ocean View Half Marathon
• Sunday November 12th: Wicked Kidz @ GUS, 1-3PM
• Thursday November 23: WGP race: Wild Turkey!

Message from Kelly Pheulpin

Closing off this newsletter, Kelly would like to send the following to our club members:

I wanted to take a moment and thank each and everyone of you for the kindness you have shown my family in our time of grief. We were overwhelmed by your generosity and love. The gift cards went to good use for nights we didn’t feel like cooking but wanted to share a meal together. The donations made to the Barton Center funded first time campers from the north shore so they could experience a special place that makes diabetes normal for kids. Thank you for holding my family in your prayers and hearts.

Love my wicked family

Thank you

Tood, Kelly, and Ali

Tom’s Closing

Once again, apologies for being remiss on these communications. Hope to see you soon. As always, let me know if you have questions or comments.