May • 2016 - Pagoda Pacers

We are a club devoted to physical fitness,
athletic competition, health and fellowship.
May • 2016
UPCOMING EVENTS
GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
By Benjamin Shultz
Berks Nature Education Center, April 14th, 2016
Summary:
Motions
- Increase scholarship amount to $750 - Passed
Items tabled until next meeting
- Charity Committee's recommendation
Old Business items closed
- None
5/8/16
Sunday
MAY
MEETING
LOCATION:
Bike Ride - Oaks to Conshohocken
1:30pm—Meet at Pawlings Rd parking lot; ride to Conshohocken and
back; 26 miles total; road/trail bike
5/12/16
Thursday
BEVERLY
HILLS
TAVERN
General Membership Meeting
7:00pm, Beverly Hills Tavern
710 Old Fritztown Road
Sinking Spring
5/29/16
Sunday
Charlie Horse Trail 1/2 Marathon
Guest Speaker:
This month's meeting was held at the education center for Berks Nature
(formerly Berks Conservancy). Tami Shimp from Berks Nature gave an
overview of the organization's mission and activities and answered several questions from the club. Their goals are to protect forest land and
water supplies while also providing education and opportunities for
people to connect with nature. Their biggest project right now is to expand the education center to include office space for their staff, class
rooms, and conference rooms. This will allow them to accommodate
large groups such as school field trips and also generate revenue by
renting the space.
Treasurer's Report:
Shaun Luther reported that we are
in good shape. There is income
pending from the Shiver race and
recent application mailings. The
taxes are ready to be submitted.
SAVE THE DATE
6/4/16 - Wine & Cheese Pagoda Party
6/26/16 - Run for the Ages Trail 10K
6/26/16 - Kickball game against BCBC
7/10/16 - Reading Fightin’ Phils game
8/7/16 - Grings Mill Run - 5K/10K
8/20/16 - Summer Picnic
Race Director’s Report:
Shiver by the River - Sue Jackson reported that the overall number
of runners was lower than other years, but the number of runners who
registered for the series was up.
Mt Penn Mudfest - Erik Leeds reported that 75 runners registered so
far. They will have male and female specific shirts. The city of Reading
has fixed the potholes in the parking lot. There will be an additional
$100 usage fee from Antietam next year that was waived this year.
There will be a cleanup on April 17th at 9am.
(continued on Page 2)
9:00am—13.1 Mile Trail Run
Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club
482 Westley Rd, Mohnton, PA
Need Volunteers - Contact Brett!
GROUP RUNS
Start Time: 6:15pm Wednesday
May 4, 2016
Run: Church Rd Parking Lot - Blue Marsh Lake
Old Church Rd, just south of Route 183 on left
Eat: Blue Marsh Canteen
5035 Bernville Rd., Bernville
———————————————————————--------------------------------------------————————
May 11, 2016
Run: Rustic Park
Hay Creek Road, Birdsboro
Eat: Italian Delite
113 E. Main St., Birdsboro
———————————————————————--------------------------------------------————————
May 18, 2016
**Charity Run benefitting Mary’s Shelter**
Run: Nolde Forest (parking lot TBD)
Route 625, Cumru Township
Eat: Mimmo’s
290 Morgantown Road, Reading
——————————————————--------------------------------------------—————————————
May 25, 2016
Run: Trout Run Sports Complex, Exeter
E Neversink Rd & W Neversink Rd
Eat: Nikki Salaneck Lawrence’s residence
3368 Main Street, Birdsboro (Gibraltar)
———————————————————————------------------------------------------------------------------
June 2, 2016
Run & Eat: Larry & Missy Drogo’s residence
1450 Schoffer’s Road, Birdsboro
GENERAL MEETING MINUTES, CONT’D.
Charlie Horse Half Marathon - Brett Lynch reported
that the number of registered runners is lower than last
year.
Run for the Ages 10k - Ted Andrus was not present.
Grings Mill - Caroline Hill had nothing to report.
Blues Cruise 50k - Stephan Weiss reported that the
number of registered runners is ahead of last year.
Junior High Cross Country Fall Invitational - Tom
Chobot was not present.
Oley Valley Country Classic - Lenny Burton had
nothing to report.
Kris Kringle 5 Miler - Polly Corvaia had nothing to
report.
Community Service:
Brett Lynch announced that the Horse Shoe Trail is having a cleanup on Sunday, April 17th at 10am. This is the
same day as the Mudfest cleanup.
Charity Committee:
Shaun Luther deferred discussion on the committee's
recommendation until the next meeting.
Communications Committee:
Polly Corvaia reported that the committee met recently
to discuss new ideas. More to come.
Race Director's Committee:
Lenny Burton reported that they purchased a new
measuring wheel.
Membership:
Dave Gallen reported that membership numbers are
relatively steady.
Scholarship Committee:
Beth Auman announced the names of the scholarship
winners. She made a motion to increase the amount
for each child from $500 to $750 for this year and going forward. The motion passed. She also requested
that funds be added to the budget next year for the
committee to award additional money at their discretion.
Social Committee:
Caroline Hill announced that the committee is planning
roller skating at Ozzy's Family Fun Center on April 24th
and a bike ride from Oaks to Conshohocken on May 8th
at 1:30pm.
Bill Buchanan announced that the picnic will be on August 20th at 1pm. There will be a $10 entry fee except
for those participating in the beer and chili competitions.
Dave Gallen announced that Shaun and Dave's Excellent Adventure will be on May 7th.
Old Business:
None
New Business:
Brett Lynch reported that he will be representing the
club on April 15th on WEEU 830 AM radio during a segment on outdoor fitness clubs.
Laura Mooney announced that Mike Yoder is looking
for volunteers to help him at an aid station at the
Worlds End Ultramarathon on May 21st. Volunteers are
welcome to stay at the cabin while there and will get
free entry into the Worlds End Half Marathon in the fall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHARLIE HORSE
TRAIL HALF
MARATHON
SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2016 - 9:00 AM
The Pagoda Pacers will once again be holding the Charlie Horse Trail Half-Marathon to benefit Berks County
Special Olympics. The race is on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, May 29, 2016. Please consider participating in the race in any fashion (but hopefully paying runners). We have been having wonderful weather
the past couple of years and I guarantee another one
this year, or at least the bar will be open. Please visit
our facebook page to see what you have been missing.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CharlieHorseHalf/
Also register by online registration at
https://www.pretzelcitysports.com/onlineform1.php?id
=800.
The Charlie Horse is not your typical race. It is a point
to point race which will require you to get to the finish,
so NOT finishing is NOT an option. It is part trail, part
road, and part adventure; everything a masochist runner needs.
We start at scenic Rustic Park in Birdsboro, PA with a
sprint through two creeks and meander through the
park for about 2 miles. From there we climb up to the
Horseshoe trail to start a beautiful 7 mile stretch
through woods and farms. The trail then pops out into
a housing development at mile 9. Say hi to the neighbors as they cheer you on and spray you down. This is
the start of the road section. But like everything else
with this race, it has its own character. After climbing
up to the development, you get a break, a downhill section. Wee. But everything that goes down must come
up. I think that’s the way it goes, at least for runners.
To translate, we start the uphill section of the road.
When you get to the top at mile 11, you’re at Charlie’s
house (home of the race founder) where the adventure
begins. It’s a mystery to us too: lagoons; waterfall;
campers; hikers; teenagers, maybe some chores. The
only certainty is rocks, mud, and fun. Finally finishes at
Sleepy Hollow A.C. where the pool, food, music, drinks,
and friends will be waiting. Hope to see you there.
Protection for your
most important assets
Business Insurance
• Property and Equipment
• Liablity Insurance
• Automobile and Truck Fleets
• Workers Compensation
• Professional Liability
• Group Medical, Disability, and Life
Want Pacers
Gear?
Don’t forget - We’ve
partnered with RUseeN
Reflective Apparel to
bring you shirts, vests,
jackets, and more, in both
men’s and women’s cuts.
These are all hi-visibility
reflective garments that
keep you seen while you
run, plus show your love
and support for your local
running club.
Personal Insurance
610-376-3959 • Fax 610-376-2610
1150 Berkshire Boulevard, Wyomissing
Check out the options online at:
http://www.ruseen.com/custom-graphics/readingpagoda-pacers.aspx
www.andersonbrokers.com
LAW OFFICE OF BRIAN SEIDEL
Your Serious Injury Attorney
Run for the Ages
Sunday, June 26 - 8:30am
Registration is open now
either online through Pretzel
City Sports or by mail-in application. Same great course
in Nolde Forest, Age Graded
start, and amenities as previous years including a pair
of Southwest Airlines tickets
in the post race raffle.
BRIAN SEIDEL, ESQUIRE
Attorney at Law
359 Blimline Road
Mohnton, PA 19540
Phone: (484) 335-1218
Email: seidellaw@gmail.com
New for this year is a family division: You let us know
who is in your family before the race, at least three
members needed, and we'll have a separate award for
the winner. Your family can include whomever you like:
Mom, dad and the kids? Grandma? Even Crazy Uncle
Joe or your girlfriend's daughter's boyfriend's parents
who happen to be visiting from Germany! Or.... It can
be your running "family" or work "family". We won't be
checking IDs or DNA testing. With
our age graded start to make it fair,
it will give someone in your family
bragging rights for a year! Make
plans to join us in Nolde on June
26th. See you there!
Shiver by the River
Rustic Rage
Off-Road Duathlon and Relay
Sunday, May 22nd
9:00am
Rustic Park, Birdsboro, PA
3 mile run, 10 mile mountain bike, 3
mile run
——————————————————
Berks Country Fest
Doggie Dash & Walk
Sunday, June 12th, 9:00am
Birdsboro VFW, Birdsboro, PA
—————————————————
Firecracker 5K
Saturday, July 9th
5K at 9:15am,
3/4 mi. fun at 10am
Governor Mifflin Middle
School, Shillington
——————————————————
Weekend Warrior
Triathlon, 2– and 4– Person Relay
Saturday, July
30th
9:15am
Shillington Park
——————————————————
After 26 years of Shiver by the River, this may have been the
series with the mildest weather. We only ‘shivered’ during the
February race. December, January and March were close to
record highs but February came with warnings about being
outside with any exposed skin. Crazy weather! Despite the
mild weather, we only had a total of 1721 finishers in the four
races, but a record 384 runners completed the series.
Our fastest runners were:
5K Male Alex Watson 16:13 in March
5K Female – Samantha Snukis 18:24 in December
10K Male – Nick Sturm 34:40 in December
10K Female – Kristen Karwacki 38:53 in March
As always, THANK YOU to all the Pacers who participated either by running, volunteering or both! We sincerely appreciate
all of our volunteers, whether you helped us at one race or
every race; especially those of you who were willing to do whatever was needed to make this series another success!
The awards ceremony was again held at the Temple Fire Company, on Madison Ave in Muhlenberg.
THANK YOU to the following for the donation of door prizes:
Alecia Bradley
Pretzel City Sports
A Running Start
Ain’t too Shabby
Trinity Salon
Patti Page Jewelry
Van Scoy
Junk to Jazz
Bella Jules
Abbadoodles
Musso’s Restaurant (St Lawrence)
Road-ID
THANK YOU to our long time Shiver sponsors:
Shillington Family Chiropractic Center—David J Dolan D.C.
A Running Start - 705 Penn Ave, West Reading
Road-ID
Please patronize both our door prize contributors and our
sponsors. Please contact Sue Jackson at shiverdirector@pagodapacers.com if I missed any door prize donors.
If anyone has any comments, concerns, or questions concerning the series, please feel to contact one of the race directors.
We do value your input and we do read the surveys, making
modifications when possible. In a subsequent issue of the
newsletter, we will address some of the comments and suggestions.
Awards which were not picked up at the banquet are at A Running Start, 705 Penn Ave, West Reading.
www.makebreak.com
610-775-4614
Once again, thanks for all of the Pacer support, both runners
and volunteers!!!!!!!!! We hope to see all of you next year.
Sue, Steve & Kelsey
Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy
Volunteers Wanted...
To help at an aid station for the
World’s End Ultramarathon
in Sullivan County, scheduled for May 21, 2016.
More information about the race can be found at
http://worldsendultra.com/.
Mike Yoder is the aid station captain for a busy
aid station right at the location where the 50K
and 100K races diverge. Anyone who helps out
with the race is welcome to stay at Mike’s cabin
just outside of Worlds End State Park.
All volunteers will receive a free entry into the
World’s End Fall Classic, a half marathon scheduled for October.
For more details, contact Mike Yoder at 610-4063798 or by email at ratrunner45@gmail.com.
The Pacers recently became
members of the Horse-Shoe
Trail Conservancy, the organization that officially
maintains the Horse-Shoe
Trail. The Trail traverses 140
miles from where it meets
the Appalachian Trail in
Dauphin County to Valley
Forge Historic National Park
in Chester County.
The Pacers have
long used part of
the Horse-Shoe
Trail where it
weaves through
southern Berks
County near
Plowville as part of
their course for the
annual Charlie
Horse Trail Half
Marathon held every May. Many Pacers also frequently
run sections of the
trail in French Creek
State Park, Middle
Creek Wildlife Refuge, along the former Buzzard marathon course, and in
and around the
Adamstown area.
In addition, the
Pacers have adopted a roughly 5-mile
section of the trail
in Southern Berks, and are responsible for its maintenance. Details on our trail maintenance can be found
on the Pacers’ website under Group Runs -> Trail
Maintenance.
The Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy has an active Facebook group, for those who are interested in keeping
up to date about trail conditions, hikes, HST history,
and more. It can be found at
www.facebook.com/groups/145985238836523/ or by
searching for Horse-Shoe Trail.
The website for the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy is
located at http://hstrail.org/.
RACE RESULTS
Email Results to Race Results Coordinator Karen Rule at
raceresults@pagodapacers.com
Kutztown Fool's Run 10 Miler
20/169 Duane Renninger
31
Elaine Cook
33
Troy Seitzinger
106
Ellie Vanderbeck
133
Ruthie Vanderbeck
134
Sarah Schaeffer
138
Colleen Fitzpatrick
1:12:30
1:16:28
1:16:41
1:37:58
1:45:34
1:45:35
1:46:24
Kutztown Fool's Run 5K
4/157
Brock Kline
19:27
100
Barbara Raifsnider 30:59
122
Helene Horn
33:42
1st M45-49
1st F45-49
Indian Rock 10K
Paul Makurath
1:00:10
Beau Biden Memorial 10K Trail Run
Paul Makurath
1:11:44
Caesar Rodney Half Marathon
Paul Makurath
2:22:50
Garden Spot Village Marathon
Rose Hagy
6:33:03
1st M35-39
3rd F50-54
Shillington Immanuel UCC Rise n Run 5k
1/105
Ben Hatt
17:52
1st Male
3
Steve Koch
19:15
1st M50-59
8
Duane Renninger 20:37
2nd M40-49
18
Karen Rule
23:08
1st Female
Hooligan's Hustle 5K
5/165
Steve Koch
9
Steve Maguire
10
Duane Renninger
15
Tom Chobot
17
Raine Fussner
18
Jeff Fussner
31
Amanda Gross
35
Ruthie Vanderbeck
38
Sarah Schaeffer
42
Mike Ranck
45
Donna Ornsoky
62
Ellie Vanderbeck
64
Janine Beidler
67
Mark Reedy
95
Colleen Fitzpatrick
99
Barbara Raifsnider
134
Helene Horn
19:34
20:30
20:40
21:30
21:41
21:54
24:22
24:42
24:46
24:59
25:29
27:08
27:11
27:16
29:18
29:52
34:53
1st M50-59
3rd M50-59
2nd M40-49
1st M60-69
1st F50-59
I AM Able 5K
3
Brad Bansner
93
Helene Horn
107
Ron Horn
19:44
33:37
36:10
1st M40-49
1st F50+
1st F19-29
2nd F30-39
3rd M60-69
2nd F50-59
3rd F50-59
1st F65-69
Bull Run Run 50 Miler
9
Tim O'Donnell
7:45:20 1st in division
21
Andrew Heckman* 8:36:44
34
Kyle Gery
8:56:35
40
Beth Auman+
9:03:43 2nd in division
46
Steve Maguire*
9:16:15
53
Donny Mengel*
9:36:25 2nd in division
58
Julie Lambi+
9:42:07 2nd in division
61
Phil Lechner*
9:44:14
99
Steve Vida:)
10:30:11
102
Laura Mooney
10:34:46 2nd in division
106
Jill Roper
10:37:21
116
Garrett Place:)
10:45:43
117
Mike Yoder
10:45:44
129
Karen Rule
10:58:18
130
Joanne Van Horn+
10:58:19 3rd in division
131
Liz Glass+
10:58:20
137
Heather Nowicki
11:04:43
144
Brett Lynch:)
11:12:38
197
Brad Bansner
12:03:47
232
Duane Renninger:)
12:33:59
*winning male team/ also winners of oldest team
+winning female team
:) slowest team
Some of the Pacers who ran Bull Run Run relaxing post-race.
2016 Scholarship Winners
Scholarship Committee: Sue Jackson, Beth Auman, Cathy
Unruh, Tom Chobot, Alecia Bradley, Cliff LePage
We had many impressive scholarship applications this
year, with a total of 8 applications between the Cross
Country Scholarship and the Pacer Member Scholarship.
Congratulations to the students below who were each
chosen to receive a $750 Scholarship, which is an increase in the scholarship amount that is effective with
this year’s awards and which will continue for future
years. We wish all applicants the best in their future endeavors.
Pacers
Giving Back
in Berks
Kyle Mooney received the Pacer Member Scholarship.
Kyle is the son of Laura Mooney, and is a senior at Devon
We want to highlight on a monthly basis the good
Preparatory School. Kyle has an excellent academic recdeeds that the club is doing, through the efforts of its
members, in our local community. Please share any content you ord, and has been named an “A.P. Scholar with Distincfeel should be included by emailing editor@pagodapacers.com.
tion.” He is active with the school’s Mathletes team,
Christian Action Program, bowling team, and chess club.
 The club held a charity run in March to benefit Zoe’s
He is also an active pianist, having competed in various
House Animal Rescue, which is the only no-kill dog
performing arts competitions. Following in his mom’s footrescue in Berks County. Pacers brought food and sup- steps, Kyle has been a varsity cross country runner for the
plies to help the rescue’s mission, as well as some cat last 3 years, serving as team captain during his senior
foot that was donated to the Animal Rescue League.
year. At this time, Kyle’s choice of college is undecided.
Next Charity Run: May 18 - Mary’s Shelter
 On Sunday, April 17, Pacers gathered to help clean
up Egelman’s Park, in anticipation of the Mt. Penn
Mudfest.
Brodie Skrocki received the Pacer Member Scholarship.
Brodie is the son of Steve and Cathy Skrocki, and is a senior at Wilson High School. Brodie is an avid runner, having
received County and Division accolades for his performances in both cross country and spring track. Brodie is a
member of the National Honor Society, and has volunteered his time with several local organizations. Brodie is
still undecided at to where he plans to attend college.
Carl Fortna received the Pacer Cross-Country Scholarship. Carl is a senior at Fleetwood Area High School
where he was a varsity cross country runner for 4 years,
earning many honors and accolades, and qualifying for
the PIAA State Championships. He also earned varsity
letters in both baseball and spring track, and played indoor soccer. Carl is active in Academic Challenge, and
performs with the chorus and multiple school bands. He is
active with his church and has volunteered in the emergency department at PSU St. Joseph Medical Center.
Carl plans to attend Sacred Heart University.
Pacers at the
Egelman’s Park
clean up (L to R):
Erik Leeds, Steve
Maguire, Libby
Crockart, Ken
Seale, Sue Jackson, Liz Glass,
Joanne Van Horn
(Karen Rule not
pictured).
Jacob Conrad received the Pacer Cross-Country Scholarship. Jacob is a senior at Hamburg Area High School, and
is active with the Military History Club, Chemistry Club,
and a student athlete leadership club. He only started
running cross country as a senior, but played an active
role in helping his school and the team rebuild their program as a team captain. Jacob also ran track, played
basketball, and previously played football. He volunteered his time by helping younger students through various camps and youth sports programs. Jacob plans to
attend Penn State University Berks Campus.
Charity Committee Report
by Shaun Luther
good shape, the Committee will request the club’s
permission to evaluate possible donations.

The Committee will maintain a list of possible recipients year to year to save on research time and effort.
The Committee will add and subtract to the list as
required.

I suggested the formation of the committee to address
the concern expressed by some members about our
growing account balances. Thanks to the hard work of
our race directors and all the members that volunteer at
our events, the club accounts are finally in good shape.
We are now in the position to try to expand our outreach
in the community and as our by-laws demand, to
“promote physical fitness and public wellness”. So it was
suggested that we evaluate making a large targeted donation to put some of our funds to work in our community.
The Committee will do research and due diligence on
the organizations to learn how they operate, by interviewing, collecting public information, and collecting
tax filings.

Make a recommendation to the club for recipient and
dollar amount.

Upon approval, contact recipient and arrange donation to maximize publicity for the club.

The recipient must be a 501(c)3 organization. This is
the tax code for a tax-exempt non-profit organization.
That’s not to say that the club has not done anything for
the community in the past. As you know, some of our
races directly benefit various organizations in the area.

The charity must be local. Locally based and dedicated to local issues. We want our donation to stay in
the county.
To summarize:

The charity’s core purpose or mission statement must
closely correspond to the Pagoda Pacer Mission
Statement in some way.

The charity ideally must be a lean organization. We
do not want a lot of our donation to go toward a
large overhead. We do not want to give to an organization that is only going to put a small percentage of
our gift toward the stated purpose.
Some of you may have noticed from the newsletter
meeting minutes that in January the club formed a Charity Committee. As committee chairman, I was asked write
up a little overview of why we formed, who we are, what
we hope to accomplish, and how we approached our
task.
Our decision criteria used to evaluate possible recipients
is as follows:

Run for the Ages benefits The Friends of Nolde Forest

The Charlie Horse benefits Berks County Special
Olympics

Blues Cruise 50K benefits Blue Marsh Lake

Jr High XC Fall Invitation benefits the county’s young
runners


Oley Valley County Classic benefits the Oley Valley
Youth League
Preferably, the charity is not currently getting any
funding from the club.


Kris Kringle benefits The Berks County Cross Country
Coaches Association
Assuming that the club’s interest and the recipients
interests are closely aligned, that probably means that
the club has an interest in the activities of the recipient. So, preferably, the donation will give the club a
voice at the table to make sure the club’s needs and
concerns are heard.
We also fund a shoe purchase program in association
with A Running Start to buy running shoes for needy
county children running XC or track. And finally, we also
give out college scholarships to 4 high school seniors
every year.
Over the last 5 years we have raised and donated tens of
thousand of dollars to these organizations and causes.
Besides myself, the Charity Committee includes Beth Auman, Larry Drogo, Phil Lechner, Karin Long, and Karen
Rule. Over the course of several meetings we developed
some working guidelines for the committee and some
evaluation criteria to help clarify our decision process.
Our guidelines are:

Donations will not be “baked-in” to our club budget.
Meaning that the donation will be a one time gift.
We will not tie the club to any sort of ongoing commitment to give.

In January, after the club’s year-end financials have
been prepared and assuming the balances are in
During the Committee’s deliberations, 7 to 8 organizations were discussed, investigated and ranked. The Committee should be in a position to make a final recommendation to the club for approval at the next monthly meeting for a gift this year.
Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club
P.O. Box 4115
Reading, PA 19606
www.PAGODAPACERS.com
Meetings: 2nd Thursday of each month
Annual Dues: $15 Individual; $25 Household
2016 PPAC Officers
President ……………………………..
Vice President ………………………
Treasurer ……………………………..
Secretary ……………………………..
Race Results Coordinator ……..
Run/Charity Coordinator ……..
Race Management ……………….
Membership Coordinator ………
Youth Coordinator …………………
Newsletter Editor …………………..
Webmaster …………………..……….
PRESORTED
STANDARD
US POSTAGE PAID
READING, PA
PERMIT #160
Brett Lynch
president@pagodapacers.com
Leonard Burton
Shaun Luther
Ben Shultz
Karen Rule
raceresults@pagodapacers.com
Phil Lechner
Ron Horn
Dave & Mike Gallen
Tom Chobot
Beth Auman
editor@pagodapacers.com
Ed Recker
webmaster@pagodapacers.com
The newsletter is published monthly. To submit an article for publication,
or inquire about advertising, email editor@pagodapacers.com. The
deadline for submission is the 15th of each month.