Good Luck Goofy Girls!

Tomorrow morning Patti, Jenni, Ursula, and Tracy H. leave for Disney World in Orlando. All four girls will run the Family 5k race on Friday in the Animal Kingdom Park, and also the Half Marathon on Saturday which winds through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.

Patti, Jenni, and Ursula will then compete in the full Marathon on Sunday which takes in all four Disney Parks, earning their Goofy medal. Half finishers get a "Donald"; Full finishers earn a "Mickey"; and if you do them both the rare "Goofy" is awarded.

The weather is looking warm for all three races, but a 6:00 am start should help keep things under control. Good luck ladies on your quest to be Goofy! Some would argue that you are already there. We look forward to lots of pictures and stories to share.

2007 USA Marathoning Annual Report

Every year MarathonGuide.com does a statistical analysis of marathoning in the prior year. Unlike 2006, they actually got their report done very quickly for 2007. I am a "numbers guy", so I always find it to be an interesting read. Follow this link to read the full report.

The report shows marathon times broken out by gender and age. It also shows which are the top marathons in size and growth. Take a look to see how you compare. Here are a few interesting highlights. The top 30 marathons accounted for just 57% of all finishers compared to 71% of all finishers in 2006. That means that people are seeking out new marathons.

Also of interest is the average men's finishing time is 4:29:52; for women it is 4:59:28; and for all runners it is 4:41:33. By comparison the RMEC average marathon time is 4:29:13. That is more than 12 minutes faster than the national average!

Race Results and Contact List

Race Results: I am trying to wrap up 2007 data on the blog, and would like to make sure I have all of your information recorded. please take a minute to review the 2007 race results page and check your for accuracy. Did I miss a race? Do I have a PR worng? Is your name not on the results? Some of you just began running with us, I still want to document your races, so let me know by posting a comment here. I would like to summarize our 2007 race results, but want a complete list. Thanks!

Contact List: I have not changed the contact list for a while. I know there are some new runners, and probably some changes that need to be made to this page, so take a look at the Contact List, and give me updates, and new names. If you are worried, to my knowledge this list has not created any spam. If I use it, I email at most just a weekly reminder message.

Weekday Running Groups: Another page that has not changed for a while is the weekday running groups. If you know of any changes here, or have started a new group I can make updates.

RUN RSVP: Saturday 01/04

After two long weekends, shorter routes are planned for this Saturday. It will cold (30F at the start and 43F at the finish), so dress accordingly. Frank has suggested a road/trail run at Medoc Mountain. This is about 25 minutes away from Rocky Mount, and would offer some different scenery. If there is enough interest we can meet at the Harris Teeter at 7:30 and then drive there for a 8:00 am run. We don't all have to go. We could have a HT group and a Medoc group.

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ 7:30 am
• Where: Harris Teeter or Medoc Mountain
• Route: 12 mile, 6 mile, or Medoc Trails
• Supported: Depends if a we all stay at HT
• Weather: Forecast

Here are directions to Medoc from Frank:

1. I-95 N to exit 150 . . . Turn left.
2. Go about 3/10th of a mile. Turn right on 48.
3. Go approximately 9.2 miles. At convenience store (with no brand name), turn left.
4. Go approximately 1.5 miles (past fire tower).
5. Parking area on right. If blocked off, park in Ivory Hill Baptist Church lot across the street.

Please comment ASAP on what you plan to do. Frank has a longer drive to Medoc, so he needs to know the plan.

Are you up for the Challenge?

I know many of you are training for more "serious" events, but some of us are about to focus on four miles and 12 donuts. Last year Richard, Dave, and I did the Krispy Kreme Challenge (although Dave wussed out and side the princess version, where you don’t eat donuts). This year I think there is much greater interest. The weekend of the race falls on a 20-mile day for those doing Myrtle, but I think we can find away around this problem if people are interested.

The event currently has 326 runners. Last they had almost 1,400, so expect to see the registration numbers move quickly. The event is truly something you should do once in your life, if for no other reason so you have a story to tell you friends (and a cool shirt).

There is a Team Challenge, although the details are not well known. All runners still complete the entire race. So when you sign up, select the Rocky Mount Endurance Club as your team. They are not alphabetized,right now we are near the bottom.

Post a comment here if you are running/vomiting. Let us know if you are doing the "Challenge", or just the "Casual" runner.

Myrtle Beach Rate Increase

The rates for the Myrtle Beach Marathon ($70) and Half Marathon ($60) are valid to January 7th, so now is the time to sign up. After that, they make a BIG price jump. The marathon becomes $100 and the half $90. I have not heard bad things about Myrtle, but I don't think it is worth 100 bucks, so be sure to beat the price jump.

It appears a big group is building for this race, which should make it a lot of fun. It is supposed to have lots of fun post race including some golden liquid carbs, plus some fun at the House of Blues as well.

Here are the names that I have heard so far:

• Gerry - Signed up full
• Michael - Signed up full
• Kevin - Signed up full
• Arthur - Signed up for half
• Scott - Signed up full
• Brent - Signed up full
• Frank - Signed up full
• Tampa - Signed up for half
• Steve - Signed up for half
• Derek - Signed up full
• Dave - Signed up for the half
• Russ - Signed up for half
• Ryan - Signed up for full

Don't miss out on the fun. Plus, you can share a hotel room and save money.

01/14 Update: The Half Marathon and Marathon Relay are now full. Only spots in the Full Marathon, 5k and bike races remain.

BYLAWS OF THE ROCKY MOUNT ENDURANCE CLUB (RMEC)

I. TITLE
The name of the association shall be "Rocky Mount Endurance Club Incorporated," hereafter referred to as "this association" or "this organization".

II. OBJECT

A. The prime object of the association shall be the promotion and encouragement of long distance running and the education of the public to its benefits.

B. In furtherance of objective "A" this association may hold championships, races on the road, track or trail, lectures, fun runs, training teams, other educational activities, demonstrations, clinics and social events; to print and publish books, magazines, websites and newsletter; make awards; and do all such other things as may be conducive to the encouragement of running.

C. Other objectives are to engage in community activities, to publicize by appropriate means the benefits of long distance running as a means of physical fitness.

III. AFFILIATION
This association shall be a chapter of the Road Runners Club Of America, and all measures adopted by that body must be considered by this organization.

IV. MEMBERSHIP
Individuals who wish to participate in the activities of this organization shall submit dues and an application for membership.

V. MANAGEMENT OR GOVERNMENT

A. The management of this association shall be vested in a Board of Directors consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

B. Duties of officers:

1. President - to preside over meetings, represent this association in the RRCA, to call any special meetings, organize runs, and to appoint committees and chairpersons thereof.

2. Vice-President - to assume the powers of the president in his/her absence, and to take on special assignments as requested by the president.

3. Secretary - to record minutes at meetings, to keep a file of such minutes, and, when requested by the president, to accept assignments involving correspondence and the keeping of records.

4. Treasurer - to administer all financial dues and to have authority to sign or disburse necessary appropriations, as directed.

C. Eligibility:
Officers may be elected to succeed themselves.

D. Term of office

1. Term of office shall be about one year, beginning with or at the close of the first meeting held within the calendar year, and in no case beginning later than March 31.

2. Offices filled upon resignation shall also expire at the time of the first meeting of the calendar year.

E. Elections

1. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of those present at the meeting.

F. Procedural requirements

1. Parliamentary procedure will be carried on at meetings, and every effort will be made to discuss any measures coming before the group.

2. A majority vote of the members present is necessary to pass ordinary measures. All measures shall be deemed ordinary except those proposing a constitutional amendment.

3. A quorum shall consist of twice the number of elected officers plus one. No official meeting shall be held unless a quorum is present.

4. Bylaws amendment

a. A bylaw amendment may be accomplished by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting.
b. Only those who have been members of this organization for 30 days prior to the proposal of such an amendment may vote upon such.

c. All members must be notified at least 7 days prior to voting that bylaw amendments will be discussed and voted on.

5. Meetings will be held at least once each quarter and more frequently if called by the president.

VI. FINANCES

A. Dues shall be as determined by a majority of the members present at a business meeting and shall not be changed more often than once per year.

B. This is a non-profit organization. Dues, entry fees, and other monies received by the organization will be spent entirely for carrying out the stated purpose to the organization.

C. No part of the net earnings of the club shall be to the benefit of its individuals.

D. This organization shall be empowered to participate in fund-raising activities.

E. This organization will submit a portion of the annual dues (described in A supra) to the RRCA as membership in that body shall require.

VII. DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of this association, the funds in the treasury, after all creditors have been paid, shall go to the Road Runners Club of America or other 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.