Late March Update: Grand Prixs, Notch Visit, Ukrainian Support, MOTM 2022!
It’s great to see the seasonal changes here in New England. Weather is warmer, days are longer, and snow is clear from the roads and rail trail. For me having the roads go back to their normal width is a welcome relief; shoulders devoid of snowbanks are back to providing an emergency dodge if needed. I learned recently that the best selling vehicle in the United States is a Ford 150 pickup truck. Its curb weight is over 4500 pounds. Runners don’t stand a chance 1:1, be careful out there. OK – back to more relevant club topics.
Website Update Our Website transition is almost complete. This month we started using the new site for new and renewed memberships. The new site will auto-renew memberships annually, so after we are using it for a full year, we’ll eliminate the need for the membership director to contact members each month to enter a new renewal. This is how most membership systems work these days. Some have noticed that we are using an alternate domain, www.wickedrunningclub.org, to get to the new site. Once the transition is complete, the www.wickedrunningclub.com domain will be used for the new one. All new content: race schedules, news, calendar etc are on the .org site. Please bear with us as we do this technology update.
Wicked @ Notch As mentioned in the last update, next Wednesday March 30 we will have our first Wicked @ Notch visit. Dan Donato and I share a goal of bringing our running communities together so I hope you’ll join me in heading down to Notch Brewery on Wednesday evening. I realize that many of you are already familiar with this group but others (like myself, I just ran it for the first time this last week) are not. So it’d be great to build upon our existing relationships. Hope to see you there!
USATF and WGP Update
Chris Nolin and Kevin Powers continue to do a fantastic job leading these race series in 2022. On March 20, several Wickeds ran the high-profile USATF New Bedford Half Marathon. We had two scoring teams for Wicked and members had a strong showing. Congratulations to Ruth Filep Bossler, Dan Chruniak, and Ashley Springett who all achieved PRs at this event. Ruth had a stunning showing, coming in 9th in her age group!
Our next race series event is in the Wicked Grand Prix. On Saturday April 2nd we will run at the Winner’s Circle April Fool’s 4-Miler in Salisbury. You can see the full schedule of races for both USATF and WGP on our (new) website.
Invite from Mystic Running Club to Wakefield Lake Quannapowitt in support of the Ukrainian People
We received an invitation from the Mystic Running Club to attend their Lake Q 5K run on Wednesday April 6th. On that evening, their proceeds will go to a group called “Sunflowers of Peace” – an organization in support of the people of Ukraine. https://www.sunflowerofpeace.com/. For those that can attend, it’s a great way to show our support for the Ukrainian people. Mystic has been a big supporter of our races in the past. They are also inviting Melrose Running Club and Greater Lowell Road Runners. Should be a great evening. The race starts at the Lakeside Inn, 595 North Ave in Wakefield, at 6:45PM.
Miles Over The Moon 2022
Race director Paul Kuconis has received approval for MOTM 2022 from the City of Salem! The race will be held on Friday night July 15. We continue to have tremendous support from the Salem City Council. Paul’s report from the Council meeting is that Councilor McCarthy mentioned the good work Wicked does, a good race, and our donations to scholarships and track programs. This is all a great tribute to part of what Wicked does for our community. Paul hopes to open registration in early April. Great work to Paul and his Committee!
Boston Marathon 2022
We’re all looking forward to the Boston Marathon next month. We have several club members running in the race this year; I think I know most but please drop me an email if you are running so that no one will be missed. Many of us that are not running will be at Mile 17 and we will be wanting to support you. Those that are running, please remember the Boston Marathon bus that Amy and Dan are organizing, and those that are volunteering at Mile 17, check your inbox for a message from Kelly and Alen about a special shirt order being done. Let me know if you have questions.
Upcoming Events
All club events (not including regular runs such as the Monday BackBeat run) are shown on our new website’s calendar. Close on the horizon is:
- Wednesday March 30: Wicked @ Notch visit.
- Saturday April 2nd: Wicked Grand Prix Race: April Fool’s 4 Miler
- Wednesday April 6th: Lake Q race in support of the people of Ukraine
- Tuesday April 5th: Board of Directors Meeting
- Monday April 18: Boston Marathon!
- Sunday May 1st: Wicked Grand Prix Race: Step Up for Colleen 5K
