Arkansas RRCA State Rep Blog

Kicking off the 2013 Grand Prix and finishing up with 2012

Hello runners!

Happy New Year! How was your holiday season? The weather this last month has been a bit whacky and it has certainly has interrupted my training schedule a few times. I just hope that everyone else has gotten in their training because the 2013 Grand Prix is starting in just a few days whether you are ready or not!

2013 Grand Prix race series

Registration is open for the 32nd running of the Grand Prix race series. Every year there are new runners who are confused about the Grand Prix; anyone with questions about the Grand Prix is always welcome to contact me. I’m happy discuss this unique competition with anyone interested. Many details can be found at . Below are the two options for getting registered:


Online registration
Mail-in registration form


Remember: You must first be a member of an Arkansas RRCA running club before you can register for the Grand Prix

One Hour Track Run

New location for 2013

The first race of the 2013 Grand Prix is the One Hour Track Run on January 27. This year it will be at the Danville High School track with the starting time of 1:30 pm for runners who average 8:20 minutes per mile or slower. A different heat will start at 3:00 pm for faster runners. The track at Arkansas Tech University is apparently no longer there. Hopefully there won’t be any confusion about this. Make sure that everyone knows this race will be in Danville.

Online registration
Mail-in registration form


River Trail 15k

The second race of the Grand Prix is just 6 days later at the soccer fields in North Little Rock’s Burns Park. The River Trail 15k is officially put on by the Arkansas RRCA but it’s only with the help of all the many clubs that we are able to have this run. Thank you to everyone who helps with registration, packet pickup, course marshalling, water stop, and finish line support.

Online registration
Mail-in registration form


River Trail 15k and 2012 Grand Prix awards ceremonies

Also a new location

The awards ceremony for both the River Trail 15k and the 2012 Grand Prix will be in a new place this year. After the race is finished, make your way to the War Memorial Stadium Press Box in Little Rock. This is the same stadium where the Arkansas Razorbacks play football in Little Rock. We’ll have use of the whole Club Level which has about 180 seats and a large area to move around. The Hospitality House in Burns Park was convenient but we have outgrown it. This year these award ceremonies will be about a 20 minute drive from the race course to the stadium. You’ll love the view from the Club Level and will even have the opportunity to get on the field after the awards are done.

If you won an award in 2012, please make every effort possible to be there to pick it up. Not only does every award winner receive a plaque, you will also receive a Sporty Runner gift certificate. Please review the following links; if you name is in Bold, you won an award:

Overall male, masters, grand masters, seniors
Overall female, masters, grand masters, seniors
Male age groups
Female age groups
Teams
And our Iron athletes: Mary Jo Brinkman, Lorna Armstrong, Pam McGill, Kim Howard, John Miller, Jim Miller, Joe Milligan, and Eugene Atha


Due to waning interest and few entries last year, we are skipping the chili cook-off this year. We can consider having a cook-off at another race this year or try again at the River Trail next year if there is an outpouring of interest. I will have some food at the awards ceremonies to tide people over since it will be lunch time.

As an incentive for runners to register early for the Grand Prix, the Arkansas RRCA is giving away a Garmin Forerunner 210 to a random Grand Prix registrant on January 28 and Midnight. The winner will be announced on http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA page. Also, another Forerunner 210 will be a door prize at the end of the Grand Prix awards ceremony. Any person present is eligible to win.

RRCA National Convention

The national RRCA convention will be May 2-5 in Albuquerque, NM. Unfortunately the convention conflicts with the Toad Suck 10k but I have to attend the convention. While, I don’t really advocate skipping a Grand Prix race, I would like to see a few attendees from Arkansas. If you are a current or incoming club president and are interested in attending, please contact me.

RRCA convention website

Sponsors for the 2013 Grand Prix


The Arkansas RRCA is pleased to announce that Go! Running, OrthoArkansas, and Image One have signed on to be sponsors for the 2013 Grand Prix. Each company will provide real value to the Arkansas RRCA and the running community in various forms and I look forward to working with them this year.

Go! Running
OrthoArkansas
Image One

Calendar magnets of the 2013 Grand Prix

I have a few hundred calendar magnets of the 2013 Grand Prix schedule. I’m happy to mail these to individuals or to send bundles to clubs. Contact me at staterep@arkrrca.com.

Visiting RRCA clubs

In 2012, I wanted to visit all the RRCA clubs but I was only able to make it to Arkansas Running Klub, Conway Running Club, Saline County Striders, Arkansas Ultra Running Assocation, and Western Arkansas Runners (I’m a member of the Little Rock Roadrunners so I don’t count that one). I enjoyed my visit with the Arkansas Running Klub so much that I joined that club and will represent it for the 2013 Grand Prix. I only competed in the Run the Line Half Marathon last year but hope to run in many more Grand Prix races this year.

In 2013, I want to visit all the clubs I missed last year and would be happy to return to the others. So, Spa Pacers, Cabot Country Cruisers, White River Roadrunners, Hot Legs Running Club, and hopefully even River Valley Runners, invite me to a meeting! I just need to know when and if you want me to speak.

Good luck to every runner in the 2013 Grand Prix! I believe this will be a very interesting year.

David Meroney
Arkansas RRCA State Rep
davidmeroney@mac.com
501-223-8215

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA
http://www.arkrrca.com/
@ArkansasRRCA
#arkgrandprix

2012 Wrap Up

Grand Prix 2012 season wrap-up

Thank you, Arkansas runners for another successful Grand Prix season.  2012 marked the 31st year of the Arkansas Grand Prix and the largest participation yet with 495 registered this year, an increase from 421 from 2011.  All clubs either maintained or grew their numbers but Western Arkansas Runners by far had the biggest percentage increase.

The 2012 Grand Prix had 20 races for individuals and 21 races for the club teams.  This year we had 8 individuals complete all 20 races to earn the Iron Man or Iron Woman distinctions:  Lorna Armstrong, Eugene Atha, Mary Jo Brinkman, Kim Howard, Pam McGill, John Miller, Jim Miller, and Joe Milligan.

All the final standings and scores and now available at www.arkrrca.com.  There were only two teams who earned team scores in every event:  the men of the Saline County Striders and the women of Western Arkansas Runners; these two teams will have a special designation on their award plaques.  All the team scores can be seen at http://www.arkrrca.com/index.php?main=teams.    Be sure to look through the final scores and standings and check for any mistakes.  Soon I’ll order the award plaques for all the overall, masters, grand masters, seniors, age groups, and teams.  The top 5 teams for men and women will receive 5 plaques at the Grand Prix award ceremony.  If your team wants more than 5 plaques, be sure to contact me.  Additional plaques are around $15-18 each.

The Grand Prix award ceremony will take place following the River Trail 15k on February 2 but there will be a new location; since the Hospitality House in NLR is getting a little small for us and may not even be available due to remodeling, we are going to have the River Trail 15k award and the Grand Prix 2012 awards inside the Club Level of the Press Box at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.  I’ll have details and directions closer to the date but be sure to mark your calendar.  If you have won an award for the 2012 Grand Prix, please make every effort to be there or to arrange for someone to pick up your award.

Spa 10k

The final race of the 2012 season was of course the Spa 10k in Hot Springs on November 17.  While being a bit chilly, it was perfect racing weather.  Jennifer Harpel of Conway won with 40:38.1 and Tim Richard of North Little Rock was first with 32:22.7.  The men of the Little Rock Roadrunners won for the 16th time this year while the women of Hot Legs Running Club won the team competition for the 2nd time.

RRCA Awards

Following the Spa 10k, the RRCA Annual Awards and Meeting was held in the Spruce Meeting Room in the Arlington Hotel.  About 90 people were in attendance and we handed out the RRCA awards that were determined by voting and the Ultra awards which are determined by a formula of racing results.  In addition to handing out the awards, there was about $500 worth of door prizes including a $100 gift certificate.

Male Runner of the Year:  Imari Dellimore

Presented by Brian Sieczkowski

Female Runner of the Year:  Leah Thorvilson

Presented by Tina Coutu

Male Masters Runner of the Year:  James Bresette

Presented by Kim Howard and Bill Torrey

Female Masters Runner of the Year:  Tammy Walther

Presented by Stacey Shaver-Matson

Male Youth Runner of the Year:  Tyler Eddings

Presented by Dianne Morrison

Female Youth Runner of the Year:  Grace Drake

Presented by Josh Drake

Most Improved Male Runner of the Year:  Eric Baker

Presented by Nicole Hobbs

Most Improved Female Runner of the Year:  Kristen Garrett

Presented by Paula Cigainero

Race Directors of the Year:  Dustin and Rachel Speer - Soaring Wings Half Marathon

Presented by Judy Massingill

Outstanding Club President:  Jeremy Maxwell - Western Arkansas Runners

Presented by Lorna Armstrong

Buzz Wilson Arkansas Spirit Award:  Nicholas Norfolk

Presented by David Meroney

Al Becken Volunteer of the Year:  Kristen Garrett

Presented by David Meroney

Male Ultra Runner of the Year:  PoDog Vogler

Female Ultra Runner of the Year:  Stacey Shaver-Matson

Masters Male Ultra Runner of the Year:  George Peterka

Masters Female Ultra Runner of the Year:  Tammy Walther

All Ultra awards presented by Bob Marston

At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, all attendees were given a 4″x6″ magnet with next year’s schedule for the Grand Prix.  That schedule is posted at http://www.arkrrca.com/html/2013calendar.html.  By the way, I made two errors on the magnets.  The Toad Suck race is the 10k, not the 5k.  Also, Soaring Wings is on October 26, not the 25th - sorry about those mistakes.  Soon registration will be open for the 2013 Grand Prix.  I’ll make announcements in multiple places as well as email to all the 2012 Grand Prix participants. I have a few hundred more magnets to distribute. Let me know if you want some for your club.

2013 Grand Prix schedule - bolded races are GP state championships

One Hour Track Run, Russellville, January 27

River Trail 15k, North Little Rock, February 2

Valentine’s Day 5k, Russellville, February 9

Run the Line Half Marathon, Texarkana, February 17

Chase Race 2 Mile, Conway, March 9

Spring Fling 5, Cabot, March 23

Capital City Classic, 10k, Little Rock, April 6

Hogeye Marathon, Fayetteville, April 14

Toad Suck 10k, Conway, May 4

Rock Run 8k, Little Rock, May 25

Go! Mile, North Little Rock, June 15 In addition to the Go! Mile being a GP championship, this race is also the RRCA Regional Championship which means it’s the only 1 mile race with that designation in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Caroline, North Caroline, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

White River 4 Mile Classic, Batesville, August 3

Watermelon 5k, Hope, August 10

ARK 5k Classic, North Little Rock, August 31

Sara Low Memorial 5k, Batesville, September 7

Arkansas 20k, Benton, September 21

Chile Pepper 10k Cross Country, Fayetteville, October 12

Survivor’s Challenge 10k, Fort Smith, October 19

Soaring Wings Half Marathon, Conway, October 26

Spa 10k, Hot Springs, November 23

2013 is shaping up to be a great year! I look forward to seeing you out on race courses. I plan to run in many more events myself.

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

Midsouth Marathon and RRCA Awards

Hello runners!
The toughest race of the year is behind us and now there is one race left in the 2012 Grand Prix. Come run the race and then cheer on your friends at the RRCA awards!

Midsouth Marathon

The 14th running of the Midsouth Championship Marathon in Wynne was November 3 on a windy and ultimately warm day. With 179 marathon and 243 half marathon finishers in this out and back course, this is a small race that is well supported. The Grand Prix runners who participated in this event were almost guaranteed good scores in the GP standings since there were not that many who showed up. Ted Hegert of Jonesboro was the top finisher with 3:01:33. Caleb Ault led Grand Prix men with 3:13:07. Tammy Walther led all women with 3:33:00. The men from Melonvine Striders and the women of AURA took the team competitions.

RRCA Awards

The last race of the Grand Prix season is the Spa 10k in Hot Springs this coming Saturday, November 17. The race starts at 8:00 am near the Hot Springs Convention Center. Awards for the Spa 10k will be handed out at 10:00 am in rooms 207-208 inside the Convention Center. Then following that, the RRCA awards and meeting will be held in the Spruce Room in the Arlington Hotel. That will get started around Noon depending on when the Spa 10k awards finishes. I’ll have some food and drinks for everyone so come on down. Also, there will be 25 door prizes to give out and you must be present to win. We’ll give out the RRCA awards (the awards that we voted for — the Grand Prix awards are given out in February). After the awards ceremony, the Long Distance Running Committee will meet to discuss any unfinished business for the year.

The announcement for the 2013 Grand Prix schedule will be made at the meeting.

2013 RRCA National Convention

Mark your calendars for the 2013 RRCA National Convention which will be May 2-5 in Albuquerque, NM. http://www.rrca.org/services/rrca-convention/ I hope we get a few clubs to send their president or other representative next year. There is a ton of great information as well as making good contacts in the national running community.

Keep in mind that the 2014 convention will be in Spokane, Washington.

Tease
Next week I’ll get to make a big announcement along with any final notes from the 2012 Grand Prix.

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

Election Time!

No, not the Presidential election…. it’s the Arkansas RRCA election where you decide runners of the year and other categories.

Go to http://www.arkrrca.com/index.php?main=awards to vote. Voting is open to all members of Arkansas RRCA clubs such as Western Arkansas Runners, Arkansas Running Klub, Cabot Country Cruisers, Saline Striders, Spa Pacers, Melonvine Striders, Little Rock Roadrunners, and yes, the remains of River Valley Runners.

Votes must be received by end of November 7.

These awards will be presented at the Arkansas RRCA meeting in the Arlington Hotel’s Spruce Room following the Spa 10k on November 17. There will be food, drinks, door prizes, and 3-hour-long campaign speeches. One of those things is not true.

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

Chile Pepper, Survivors’ Challenge, and Soaring Wings

Hello Arkansas runners!

With two races remaining in the 2012 Grand Prix, we are down to the wire.  There is still time to register for the Midsouth Marathon which is November 3 at 8:00 am in Wynne:

http://www.midsouthmarathon.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=site.display&page_id=1655

http://www.midsouthmarathon.com

The last race of the 2012 Grand Prix season is the Spa 10k on November 17 at 8:00 am in Hot Springs.

https://www.racesonline.com/index.cfm?reg_type=1&race_id=6492&fuseaction=public_reg.reg_form&init=true

http://www.arspapacers.com/Spa_10K.php


Don’t forget that following the Spa 10k and the race’s awards ceremony will be the Arkansas RRCA meeting and award ceremony in the Spruce Room at the Arlington Hotel. We’ll have food, drinks, and door prizes!

Unfortunately I was out of state and could not attend the Chile Pepper 10k or the Survivor’s Challenge 10k but both looked to be successful races.  How was the weather and the crowds?  Did anyone get some good pictures?  Email me or post on the Arkansas RRCA Facebook page.

Chile Pepper 10k Cross Country

October 13 was the 24th running of the Chile Pepper Cross Country festival in Fayetteville.  The Grand Prix event is the open 10k which is the first race of the day and it’s also the State Championship Cross Country race meaning that more points were at stake.  It’s great to see all the school teams of all different ages competing throughout the day.  I know a few parents who made the trip to Fayetteville to watch their kids run and heard that everything went great.

The winners of the Cross Country 10k Open event were Lane Boyer with 32:43.1 and Christine Thomas with 36:06.7 neither of whom are Grand Prix racers.  The top Grand Prix runners were Timothy Richard with 33:46.1 and Ginny Lantz with 44:41.6.  The Little Rock Roadrunner men’s and women’s teams were both winners.

Survivors’ Challenge 10k

October 20 was the 21st running of the Survivors’ Challenge 10k in Fort Smith and it just keeps getting better.  Again this year the race and Western Arkansas Runners hosted a reception for Grand Prix at the Donald Reynolds Cancer Support House the night before the race.  The reception really helps the runners feel welcome in this part of the state and we thank them for putting it on.

The winners of the 10k were Timothy Glover with 36:24.8 and Abrena Rine with 40:38.2.  The top Grand Prix finishers were Ricky Martinez with 40:28.5 and Jenny Wilkes 44:30.1; this was Ricky’s first top GP finish and Jenny’s second for the year.  The Western Arkansas Runners swept the men and women team competitions.

Soaring Wings Half Marathon

October 27 was the 5th running of the Soaring Wings Half in Conway and again it was a sold-out event.  The registration limit was increased from 1,800 in 2011 to 2,200 in 2012 and there is no doubt many more would have signed up if they could.  While this is a large race, the wide streets and the wave start seem to manage the crowd size very nicely.  This was the State Championship race for the half marathon in 2012.

The winners of the race were Bryan Baddorf with 1:12:44 and Aimee Larkin who is a Grand Prix runner with 1:21:44.  The top male Grand Prix finisher was Mark Ferguson with 1:15:51.  The Little Rock Roadrunners took both the men and women team titles for this race.

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

ARK 5k, Sara Low 5k, Arkansas 20k, and 2013 Bidding

Bidding for the 2013 Grand Prix

Lots going on in this update. First of all the bidding is open for the 2013 Grand Prix. Go to http://www.arkrrca.com/index.php?main=bid_form to submit your race.

Also, it’s time to bid for RRCA State and Regional Championships. I want to fill the the State Championships and hopefully snag a few of the Regional Champions as well. http://www.rrca.org/programs/rrca-championship-series/hosting/

ARK 5k on September 1

Greg Targosz was the first male finisher in 17:22.8; Aimee Larkin topped all women with 18:54.5. The Little Rock Roadrunners took the team competition for both men and women.

Sara Low 5k on September 8

Imari Dellimore not only took first place, he also set a course record by beating his previous record with a time of 17:36.6.  Kristen Treadway lead the women with 19:53.62.  In the team competition there were first time wins for both men and women.  The men of the Melonvine Striders have been closely following the Little Rock Roadrunners all year and pulled off the win in Batesville.  The ladies of Hot Legs Running Club followed up three consecutive 2nd place finishes to earn first place points in the Sara Low.

Arkansas 20k on September 15

On a rainy day, undeterred runners took on the Arkansas 20k course.  Greg Targosz finished first in 1:16:25.39; Leah Thorvilson was not far behind in 1:17:50.40.  The Little Rock Roadrunners took the team competition for both men and women.

Upcoming races

Only 5 races remain in the 2012 Grand Prix schedule. Here are races in October:

Chile Pepper 10k Cross Country on October 13

http://www.chilepepperfestival.org/individuals.aspx

Survivor’s Challenge 10k on October 20

http://www.survivorschallenge.com

Soaring Wings Half Marathon on October 27

Sold out!  http://www.swhalf.com

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

White River 4 Mile, Watermelon 5k, and Run@Work

Grand Prix Update

The last two weekends saw two short distance Grand Prix races which signal the beginning of the end of Summer. It’s certainly been a difficult season for running in the heat. Kudos to all the runners who kept up their routines or modified them to keep going. My schedule has been focusing on hills and longer distances as I get ready for the Pikes Peak Marathon on Sunday.

The White River 4 Mile Classic and the Watermelon 5k are two of the oldest continuously annual running events in Arkansas. This year the White River 4 Mile Classic in Batesville celebrated its 34th year even though the distance and course has changed over the years. The first few years were 10k runs and I believe it’s even been a 5k at times; two runners at the race on August 4 have completed every single White River Classic race: Jack Heston and Andy Buschmann. August 11 also saw the 34th running of the Watermelon 5k in Hope with Sandy Jester doing them all. Everyone loves getting a free watermelon following the award ceremony in that race.


White River 4 Mile Classic results

Daniel Kirwa from Searcy took the men’s competition with a blistering 20:07.1 for a 5:02 minute per mile pace on a hot and difficult course; Aimee Larkin of Little Rock finished first among the women with 24:35.5.  The women and men of the Little Rock Roadrunners each earned 30 points in this Grand Prix championship race.


Watermelon 5k results

Leah Thorvilson of Little Rock lead the women finishers with 17:37.76 which is a 5:41 minute per mile pace; Tanner Elliott from Texarkana lead the men with 16:50.97.  The Little Rock Roadrunners lead the team competitions for both women and men.


Upcoming Grand Prix races

As the summer cools down, the race season is heating up. There are three Grand Prix races coming up soon in September:

ARK 5k, September 1, Burns Park, North Little Rock

Sara Low 5k, September 8, Batesville High School, Batesville

Arkansas 20, September 15, Benton High School, Benton

Good luck to all the Grand Prix runners as you finish up your 2012 campaigns. Don’t forget to thank volunteers before, during, and after the races. And do this not just for Grand Prix but all your races. I especially love to yell out a big, “Thank y’all!” at aid stations when running a race out of state. I want them to know that I’m from the South and proud of it and my Southern colloquialisms.


Run@Work

September 21 is the 7th annual Run@Work event sponsored by the national RRCA. Get up to speed on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/runatworkday or at the main RRCA website at http://www.rrca.org/programs/run-at-work-day/. Everyone reading this is active and trying to be fit. But look around your workplace and you’ll see that many who might need a little motivation to get out of their chairs. Please consider organizing a Run at Work for your office. It doesn’t have to be on September 21 if there is a scheduling conflict. Just getting a few extra people out of the work environment and on their feet for a half hour may just save someone’s life by helping them to find the path to a healthy lifestyle.



David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

Upcoming races, tangents, and championships

Hi all,

With no race to report but other information to share, here is a quick blog update.  We have two Grand Prix races coming up in short order and I hope everyone is already signed up and ready.  But if you are waiting for the last minute, here are the links you’ll need:

Upcoming Grand Prix races

White River 4 Mile Classic on August 4 at 7:30 am in Batesville

Online registration http://register.macsrts.com/Search/event.aspx?event=3cd8e97c-f6cc-4fc5-8393-8a8b469d5c50.aspx

Race website http://www.wrroadrunners.org/4mileclas.htm

Watermelon 5k on August 11 at 7:30 am in Hope

Online registration http://register.macsrts.com/Search/event.aspx?id=10856

Mail-in registration http://www.arkrrca.com/html/forms/watermelon.html

I’ve announced on Facebook and Twitter that the Arkansas RRCA is giving away two entries into the St. Jude Marathon on December 1 in Memphis.  All White River 4 Mile registered runners are eligible and you must be present to win.  The drawing will be held at the start of the awards ceremony and the two entries will be awarded separately.  The entries are valid for the marathon, half marathon, 5k, or the kids marathon.  Even though the marathon and half marathon sold out months ago, I bought these entries back in March at an auction.  The entries must be used by September 1.


Tangents

Time to go off on a tangent.  When racing, I’m always surprised to see fellow racers not taking advantage of tangents.  A tangent is the shortest distance between turns in a race.  There are some races with no tangents like the Go! Mile with only turns in one direction.  However, most races have left and right turns on controlled roads; runners often seem to stick to one side of the road or the other which means they add distance to their race needlessly.  All certified races are measured by using tangents; if you aren’t running the tangents, you are running farther than perhaps your rival.

Run the tangents and you can easily and legally shave time off your finish.  A quick web search finds several published stories on how to take advantage of tangents:

http://howtorunamarathon.net/Run_the_Tangents.html

http://blog.oregonlive.com/runoregon/2010/04/running_the_tangents_101_joes.html

The White River 4 Mile Classic and the Watermelon 5k both have plenty of opportunities to use tangents.  The ARK 5k on the other hand is another race with few tangents.  Races like the Arkansas 20k, Survivor’s Challenge 10k, Soaring Wings Half Marathon, and MidSouth Marathon do offer many tangents but keep in mind that not all of those roads are closed to vehicular traffic on those courses.  Use tangents only when it is safe and only when you will not cut off other runners.  The Spa 10k in my view is the granddaddy of all tangent races; the portion on West Mountain is nothing but tangents and the road is closed so be sure to take the shortest path possible!


Championships

The national RRCA designates races at the state, regional, and national level every year as championship races.  In the Arkansas Grand Prix we designate some races as championship events but that doesn’t necessarily correlate to the national designation.  It would be great if we could get some of our Grand Prix races to submit as regional and possibly national championships.

1 Mile (America’s Distance)

5K

10K

10-Mile

Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

Marathon (26.2 miles)

Ultra (any distance over 26.2 miles)

Cross Country (variable distance; only one event)

http://www.rrca.org/programs/rrca-championship-series/hosting/

Bid submission deadlines:

National championships:  January 31 the year before the event.  So, the upcoming deadline of January 31, 2013 will be for races in 2014.

Regional championships: September 30 the year before the event.  The upcoming deadline of September 30, 2012 will be for races in 2013.

State championships: October 31 the year before the event.  The upcoming deadline of October 31, 2012 will be for races in 2013.

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

Go! Mile

Go! Mile 2012

We are now at the half-way point for the 2012 Grand Prix with 10 races remaining.  Despite the summer heat, be sure to keep up your training for the White River 4 Mile Classic in Batesville on August 4 and the other Grand Prix races that will be packed into August, September, October, and November.

A warm June 16 was the setting for the 2nd annual Go! Mile in Burns Park, North Little Rock.  This flat, single loop course tests runners to put out speed that they normally don’t use when running longer distances.  I heard one runner say she’d rather run 100 miles than race hard for 1 mile; she’s certainly done both.  With 222 women and 212 men, this race grew by 32% over last year’s participation.  The addition of the First Mile heat certainly opened this race up to new runners.  I set up a Road Runners Club of America booth at the race and had information on many of the RRCA clubs around the state.  Many of the new runners stopped by and learned about running clubs; I hope your clubs see these new runners at your meetings and group runs soon!

Even though there were 6 heats and the Kids’ Mini Mile, the morning felt fast paced.  Many thanks to Go! Running for putting on such a fun, festive race.  Everywhere I looked there was nothing but smiles with the noted exception at the finish line as runners pushed themselves as fast as they could go.

Josh Holt won the men’s race with a time of 4:47.81.  Tracy Tungac defended her win from last year and improved by about 5 seconds to 5:20.82.  The women and men of the Little Rock Roadrunners both took the team competition.  The Melonvine Strider men and the Conway Running Club women both remain within striking distance of the front running Little Rock Roadrunners.

All the races had exciting finishes with runners leaving it all out on the course.  But the tightest Heat of the day was the Women 40 and over.  Barbie Hildebrand and Robyn Thorton made the final turn dead even and sprinted the last 100 yards to an epic finish between two very fast and determined runners.  That thrilling run is showcased below in the pictures.

As added incentive to get runners to enter and compete in the White River 4 Mile Classic, I’ll have a few door prizes for registrants - must be present to win.  Details will be announced soon!

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix

Rock Run 8k

Rock Run 8k 2012

May 26, 2012 at Murray Park in Little Rock saw the latest installment of the revived Rock Run 8k.  Despite there being another short race being run nearby, this State Championship 8k drew over 330 registrations.  This race benefits the Easter Seals of Arkansas and is hosted by the Little Rock Roadrunners.  The course changed this year due to construction at the Big Dam Bridge; this change hopefully led to faster times for people who have run it in the past.  The new course was flatter and had more shade; it was a warm morning and every bit of sun relief can help.  What did everyone think of the course as compared to last year?  A few of the pictures I took are in this post.  The rest are available at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.373683949363935.91271.202065966525735&type=3.  Be sure to tag yourself and download any you want.

Following the pattern demonstrated so far this year, we had a new winner for the women.  Jenny Wilkes took first overall with 35:14.42 at earned 30 points for this championship race; also, Jenny now has a strong lead in the overall standings of the Grand Prix.  Jenny and other women of the Little Rock Roadrunners powered to a team win over a strong showing from the ladies from Arkansas Ultra Running Association.

Seemingly taking the lead from the women, the men had a new winner for the first time this year.  Josh Holt’s 27:36.84 finish gave him first place and 30 Grand Prix points.  The men of the Little Rock Roadrunners also won the team competition for the 5th race in a row but the Melonvine Striders remain in striking distance.

Through 9 Grand Prix races in the 2012 season, there are only 7 men and 4 women who have completed every race.  The field of Iron Men and Women will be smaller and there will not be any Iron Kids this year.

The next race is the Go! Mile on June 16 in Burns Park, NLR which will be the last Grand Prix race until the August 4 White River Classic in Batesville.  I encourage all runners to sign up for the Go! Mile as it is a fun, quick race where you will be matched with runners of your ability.  New this year is the 7:30 am First Mile wave which is meant for new runners or people new to racing; anyone even remotely intimidated by racing should sign up for this wave.  Afterwards, every 15 minutes will be the other waves of Women under 40, Men under 40, Women 40+, and Men 40+ followed by the Elite race with men who can run a 5:30 or better mile and women at 6:30 or better.  Show up early and stick around for all the waves’ starts and finishes.  Once all the waves are finished, we’ll have a Kids’ Mini Mile.  All details are available at http://www.gorunning.com/gomile/.

I will have a booth at the Go! Mile with information from all the RRCA clubs in the state.  If your club wants information available at my booth, just send it to me or make arrangements to have it there on race morning.  Also, I’ll have all remaining Grand Prix 2011 awards available for pickup.  If you can’t be there, please make arrangements to get your award.  I still have awards for the following people:

• Cindy Knott
• Kathleen Rea
• E.F. Jennings
• Ross Bolding
• Kelly Frantz
• Mark Hagemeier
• Zach Stafford
• Chris Goins
• Mark Ferguson
• James Sinclair

David Meroney

RRCA State Representative for Arkansas

staterep@arkrrca.com

501-223-8215

http://www.arkrrca.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRRCA

@ArkansasRRCA and #ArkGrandPrix