RMEC Meeting

I was trying to pull off a meeting this week to discuss the future of the RMEC, but Wednesday is the only day I can do it, and I will not be ready in time for tomorrow. Lets plan to have a meeting next Wednesday 03/19 at 5:20ish. I am trying to determine a place to meet. It will somewhat depend on how many people plan to come.

As a reminder, what I want to discuss is making the RMEC part of the Road Runner Club of America (RRCA). This gives us the ability to do more with our club such as:

• Host local races
• Create Training Teams
• Have Liability Insurance
• etc.

This is not a final decision, which is why I want to have a meeting. To become a member of the RRCA we need to have bylays and officers. It sounds scary, but it is really not. The bottom line, is I don't want to see the RMEC change how we operate today, and joining RRCA should not change things. If we handle it right, it will open up more doors for the RMEC to have a bigger impact on the Rocky Mount community.

If you plan to come to the meeting please post a comment here.

Earn Your Ears!

Several RMEC members have been emailing about getting a group to run the Disney World Marathon in 2009. The Goofy Challenge and the Half Marathon are now filled, but the full marathon is only at 50% capacity.

If you are not familiar with the Disney races, they are truly one of a kind. There is no other marathon in the world, when you can run by a spaceship, through a castle, beside Mount Everest, and down movie set streets all in one day. Not to mention the races starts with a big fireworks display, and has countless characters and other surprises on the course to help move you along.

The race weekend is really a great family event. Not only do the have the two endurance races, but they also have a family 5k through the Animal Kingdom, and lots of kids races at the Wild World of Sports facility. Bring the entire family, and have a blast!

If you don’t believe me, check out the course maps:

• Full
• Half
• 5k

If you are still not convinced, here are some other perks to the Disney Marathon Weekend:
Long Sleeve Technical Shirts.

• Some of the best medals in the business.
• Enormous top notched expo with great speakers.
• Amazing flat course.
• Get motivated by the Green Army Men before your race.
• Early start in January makes for ideal race temps.
• Add a vacation to your race and stay longer.
• Run with friends.

Right now Jeff, Patti, and Ursula are signed up (no surprise there). I will sign up shortly, and Ryan, Tracy H., and Scott are at least considering running as well as a few other names. Come on. . . Don't miss a chance for a great race with lots of friends!

March 8th Race Results

This weekend certainly did not feel like Spring, but that did not stop several RMEC members from kicking of the racing season. We had a group run at the Crystal Coast Half, and another person participate in the first Tri of the season.

In Morehead City, the weather was so bad, there were conversations about canceling the event. The winds in the rains still could not deter 319 runners from finishing the inaugural Crystal Coast Half Marathon. Leading the RMEC pack was Tracy P finishing in 1:43:05. This performance was good enough for a PR and second place in her age group. Next across the line was Jason with a time of 1:46:26, and close behind Jason was Larry with a 1:50:44. Steve set another half marathon PR with a 2:03:42 performance. Eric P. finished his first half marathon with an impressive 2:08:46. Tampa continues to run well finishing in 2:26:51. Great job everyone!

Also in a coastal race, was Eric competing in his first triathlon in several years. Eric competed in the Azalea Triathlon in Wilmington along with 700 other participants. The Azalea starts with a 300 yard pool swim, followed by a 10 mile bike, and then a 5k run. Eric did well in the pool, and then smoked the bike leg with the 55th fastest time, and finished well in the run. All total the clock showed 1:10:29 when he finished. Good enough to be the 200th male and 13th Clydesdale. Excellent performance Eric!

I have been very slow to update the 2008 race results. I will work on that page this week, and should have everyone's results up shortly. As always, let us know when you are racing so we can keep the RMEC team up to date!

All Night Long!

Scott is known to find random running things on the Internet. This blog entry is no exception. How would you like to run 208 miles? Sounds crazy, but what if you did this with 4-12 of your closest friends, and sleep in a van down by the river?

The Blue Ridge Relay is a 208 mile event that begins Grayson County, VA and finishes in Ashville, NC. There are 36 predefined legs ranging from two to 10 miles in length. A full team of 12 runners would average 16.6 miles per person, with each person running three separate times. You can also enter in the Ultra Category with a 4-6 person team.

The entire event takes 24-30 hours depending on speed. When you are not running you will be in the team van, resting, laughing, eating, sleeping, etc. The race has a 100 team limit, but it has not filled up in the past. Is anyone interested in putting together a RMEC team or maybe a few Ultra teams?

RUN RSVP: Saturday 03/08

With a race this weekend and a rainy forecast, I am not sure if many people will be out to run. There is a chance I may not be able to run either with my leg acting up. Regardless, I still wanted to post an RSVP entry in case there are some looking to run.

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ 7:30 am
• Where: Harris Teeter
• Route: Depends on who shows up
• Supported: TBD
• Weather: Forecast

Another option is to run on Sunday afternoon. The weather looks much nicer (no rain and temperatures in the 50s). So post a comment if you are interested in running Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.

Shirts are getting Printed!

I was just on the phone with Bay Six USA, and they are printing our shirts right now. I need to go to Raleigh today for a meeting, so if everything times out correctly, I could have the shirts this afternoon. If so I will bring them this weekend to our run. That sounds like a great reason to get a big group out. See you then. . .and bring your checkbooks.

UPDATE: I have all of the shirts now, and a $433.50 charge on my credit card. Lets get these out to everyone quickly this time around. Thanks!

March Odds-and-Ends

Sorry for the delay in posts. A group of us is just back from a ski trip, and I was unable to make updates. Here is a post with some odds-and-ends.

Crystal Coast: Several people from the RMEC are racing this coming weekend. Here are the names I have heard so far: Tampa, Steve, Amber, Eric P, Tracy P, Dave, and Larry. Let me know if I missed anyone. Good luck to all runners!

Shirts: I am trying to get the shirt order placed now. We have a total of 30 shirts requested. I should hear something back from Bay Six this week on what they have in stock. If possible I will work with existing inventory to speed up the process. Now is a good time to start paying. You can give me cash, or make checks payable to me. See the post below for the pricing. Thanks!

Road Runner Club of America: We will have a meeting next week to discuss making the RMEC part of the RRCA. For more information, read the post below. I don't know the time, date, or location, but will post something soon. You certainly are not required to come, but I did want to give everyone an opportunity to discuss making this move.