If you are looking for a race on the 4th of July weekend, here are two you should consider. There is the Firecracker 5k in Little Rock, known by many as the certain PR 5k race since you run downhill 95% of the race. You start in the Heights and end up at War Memorial Stadium. The only uphill is that last little hill at the end that feels like a mountain after racing downhill for 3 miles.
There is another option. Forget the drive. Don’t worry about an entry fee. Sleep a little later. Run the FREE 2nd Annual Rock-Runners Bottle-Rock-It 5k here in Conway. The race is Saturday, July 3rd 8:00am – Woodland Heights Baptist Church Located Off Prince Street. All Walkers, Runners, Crawlers, …. are welcome, according to Bill Doshier. Send him an email if you are planning to come for planning purposes. In addition to 3.1 miles of pure fun, there will be awards, refreshments and fellowship. And as a bonus, they are also having an optional “Dutch Treat Breakfast Celebration” at IHOP after the event.
Bottle Rock-IT or Firecracker? This is the question.
Running Opportunities
Came across this account of the 2009 Berlin Marathon. Running an international marathon, especially a major, like Berlin, is a real experience. Below is a link to the video of the start followed by a link with many pictures and videos of the entire event posted by Ed Tanguay who ran it. It’s fun to look at and watch and may inspire some of you to look outside the mainland for your next marathon.
Starting line video - the start is always a rush and this captures it well.
Full marathon report - the videos intermixed in this report give a real feel for the event.
Running Opportunities, Running stories
You know Spring is officially here when you wake up to birds singing, you notice daffodils popping out of the winter dirt and you hear that the Women Can Run / Walk clinics are starting again for another year. This is the week, the week of March 1st when women all around the state will start or continue running together. If you are running but trying to be more consistent or need to meet some new friends to run with, check out the over 50 locations where the clinics will be held each week. If you have wanted to start running but haven’t taken the first step or if you are still at the point where walking is what you are able to do, these clinics are for you. Get complete information on the Women Run Arkansas website. And save the date – May 8, 2010 – for the Women Can Run 5k.
Running Opportunities
Many of you are familiar with the Women Run Arkansas walk/run clinic. It is a 10 weak clinic in the Spring to help women get started in the sport of walking/running and live a healthier life style. The Conway Clinic starts Monday night, March 1st, at 6:00 pm at the Conway High Track. They have 4 groups. Walkers, Beginning runners A, Beginning runners B, and intermediate runners. In the past we have had as many as 200 women sign up for this clinic. As you can imagine, it takes the dedication of many leaders to help these women on their journey to be a walker/runner. The clinic meets every Monday and Thursday evenings. If you would be willing to be a leader please contact Jeanne Harvey at 472-2716 or Moe Schafer at 329-7572 and let them know.
Not ready for a 10 week commitment but still want to help. Please show up Monday at 5:30 pm at the high school track to help with registration. Many of our leaders will be out that night due to the New Orleans Marathon. As you can imagine it gets quite hectic getting everyone signed up. Just show up, look for someone that looks like they know what they are doing and tell them you are there to help… “what can I do”. They will be more than glad to direct you to a job. We have a wonderful running community inside the Conway Running Club and being there for each other is a big part of it. Thank you in advance.
Judy Massingill
Location Schedule: March 1 – Conway High Track, March 4 – Laurel Park, March 8 – Conway High Track, March 11 – Laurel Park, Every Monday and Thursday after that UCA Track
Running Opportunities
If you have been thinking about signing up for the 2010 Little Rock Marathon, presented by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette or the Little Rock Half Marathon, presented by Baptist Health, don’t wait too much longer as both races are rapidly approaching participant capacity and once that happens the races is closed.
We expect the marathon and half marathon races to fill up by the end of the week based on current registration trends.
Fewer than 200 spots are avaible in the marathon and 400 spots in the half marathon.
Happy Day!
Gina and Geneva
Running Opportunities, Training / Racing
The Conway chapter of a national youth organization (K-Life) announced its second annual 5k road race called the 1985k, which will be held on Saturday, February 20th at 6:00 p.m. “This race is an opportunity to don your 1980s era clothing, come out and run, walk, or rollerblade a fun 5k race and support a great charity in the process,” said Anderson Wilkins, area director of Conway K-Life. He continued, “Last year we had almost 100 runners and this year we hope to hit 150.”
Conway K-Life is a community-wide, interdenominational Christian ministry that works alongside churches and families to teach and encourage kids to be strong in their faith, in spite of the multitude of negative pressures they face as teenagers. K-Life networks kids from different churches, and those without a church, to build positive relationships that can stand the negative peer pressure so prevalent in today’s youth culture. “We have seen such a positive impact in the Conway youth community as a result of K-Life,” explained Jim Campbell, Chairman of the K-Life Board of Directors. “Whether you are a serious runner, a parent of a K-Life kid, or just a supporter of K-Life, we hope you will come out and participate in the race in some way.”
The 1985k is a “dusk run,” starting at 6:00 p.m. from the Conway High School West Campus and will follow a certified USA Track and Field race route well known to many area runners. A detailed map of the racecourse is found online at Conway K-Life’s website. This year the 1985k will feature a chip timing race system to ensure the most accurate results are recorded and submitted to USA Track & Field for national recognition. Registration is open now and will continue until race time. Race-day check in will begin at 5:00 pm.
CLICK HERE for more information and to sign up. Oh, yes, and tell your running friends!!!!
Running Opportunities, Training / Racing
It’s a heat wave. Runners back out in shorts. No wind. But watch your step or you may have a butt meets the ice experience.
We had a good group out running this morning and did a new hill route over on the running trail, up the hill and down to Reedy Road and back up and down, back up and down, back up and down. You get the point. Some runners went up and down one side, others went up one side down the other and back. As we passed on the hill, everyone running (some walking) our own pace I realized that hill work and speed work may be the BEST time to join the group for a run. The first impression is that these would be the most intimidating and difficult days but in fact, they are they best. When we head out for a 5, 7, 10, … mile run, you may struggle to keep up and if you can’t you may end up running by yourself, although the group is pretty good about keeping this from happening. However, hill work and speed work days you can adjust the number of intervals to your fitness and enjoy the group. Remember, we alternate speed work and hill work on Tuesday mornings at 5am. Check out our weekly schedule and we’ll see you in the parking lot at the fitness center at 5am.
Running Opportunities, Training / Racing
Life’s accomplishments start with a goal (or a dream), are joined by others who share your goal (or dream) and end up as memories that we look back upon and cherish. And when those goals (or dreams) also contribute to keeping us healthy, we get the bonus of living longer with more friends who share our goals (or dreams). Over and over this is the reality of the Conway Running Club.
I wonder, what is the big deal about qualifying for Boston? Is it the journey or the destination? Is it the friends you gather along the way or the feeling you get when you qualify for or finish the Boston Marathon? Or maybe it is what you learn when you try and try and never qualify. Whatever it is, it seems to be the buzz of running communities everywhere and whether you qualify or not, there is a lot of life to be had by hanging with the people who are chasing this goal (or dream).
Most of the group in the picture above are training for the New Orleans half or full marathon. All of them just finished a 23 mile training run. Claudia is laying it on the line to get to Boston, Cindy is putting in the miles to finish her first marathon (no time goal allowed on the first – finishing is the goal!), Don is the voice of experience, Jami is along for the training runs and each other person has a goal (or a dream) they brought with them as they ran together around Conway today.
What’s your goal (or dream)? If it involves running, these and the others in the Conway Running Group are a great group to chase it with.
Running Opportunities, Running stories, Training / Racing
I arrived at church a little late the other day and as I pulled my coat off and flipped through the bulletin, the word CROSSTRAINERS caught my eye. Beneath it was printed:
“A group of runners and walkers, or anyone just interested in getting healthier, will start meeting January 20 at 6 p.m. and again on January 23 at 7:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join whether you can come once or twice a week. We intend to start with a flat-loop near the church that will give participants the opportunity to gauge their distance. Childcare will be provided on Wednesday nights only. For staffing purposes let us know in advance if you will require childcare. If you have any questions, please call or email Bert King at 733-9297 or ackingiv@ualr.edu. While it is not mandatory, anyone interested in participating is encouraged to contact Bert so the group will know how many to expect.”
I thought of the Rock Runners, the group from Woodland Heights Baptist Church started by Bill Doshier and Randy Grace that serve up a bible study and a running program for all ages the months leading up to the Little Rock marathon event, teaching that a person must be physically fit as well as spiritually fit in order to serve God and others. For the last 5 years they’ve had a very large group particpate in the 5k, half marathon and full marathon event in Little Rock.
If you are looking for a good place to get started running or walking, check out one of these groups or help start a group in your church.
Running Opportunities
With Earl at the lead, the CRC is venturing into some trail running. Starting in 2010, a group plans to run the trails up at Woolly Hollow (Wooly Holer for Earl) every Sunday at 1:30, meeting at the fitness center at 1:00. You need to check with Earl if you plan to go to make sure it is on. I’m sure it will depend on the interest and what everyone is doing on that weekend. The trail is a 3.1 mile loop and you can walk, jog, run or sprint, whatever you like. Best thing is to try it, you might end up looking happy like those in the picture above who just finished 6 miles running in light snow.
If you want to get really serious about trail running, check out the Arkansas Ultra Running Association. There are some crazy ultra runners here in Conway who would love to entice you on a 100 mile run through streams, up hills and into darkness.
Running Opportunities, Trail Runs
