The Runner

webmaster@krra.org

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Limestone Race Weekend Edition

Limestone Race Weekend (April 28-29) is almost here! While some spring half marathons are full and closed to registration, you can still register for the Kingston Half and enjoy the beautiful waterfront race course. If you're looking for something shorter, there is also the KGH Trauma 10k on Saturday at 5pm and the 5k, which starts Sunday at 9:30 along with the half. We even know of some doing the "Kingston Goofy" and racing both Saturday and Sunday.

Here's the schedule for the weekend:

Friday, April 27

- 4-7pm, Half/5k race kit pickup at Runners' Choice, 56 Brock St.

Saturday, April 28

- 10:00am-3:00pm, Half/5k race kit pickup at Runners' Choice

- 3:30pm, 10k race kit pickup, waterfront (Emily Street)

- 3:45pm, Start2Finish 3k for kids, City Park (Bagot Street)

- 5:00pm, KGH Trauma 10k, waterfront (Emily Street)

Sunday, April 29

- 7-9am, Half/5k race kit pickup, Confederation Park (Ontario St.)

- 9:30am, 5k and Half Marathon start (Ontario St.)

Of note, there is a new course for the 10k race this year. As a result, the 10k check-in and awards will take place at the start/finish area near the waterfront (foot of Emily Street). See the new 10k course map and description here.

When this great weekend of racing is over, the KRRA Race Series continues on May 13th with the Belleville Spring Thaw 10k and June 3rd with the Beat Beethoven 8k. Both of these races are open for registration.

Prez Sez

Only two weeks until the 2012 Limestone Half-Marathon & 5K!

If you haven’t yet registered for one of these two races, consider the following:

* KRRA donates $3500.00 from the proceeds of these races to Start2Finish (formerly Kidsfest) to support the Run & Read programs at First Avenue P.S. and Frontenac P.S. You will be helping to provide fitness coaching (specifically running and nutrition) for children who would not normally get that opportunity, and extra literacy development which supports the school curriculum.

* The course for both the Half-Marathon and the 5K are scenic and unique, taking runners through RMC, around Point Frederick and along Kingston’s spectacular waterfront. Both courses are accurately measured and certified.

* The registration fee for the Half-Marathon is a bargain compared to most other Half-Marathons; pre-registered runners receive a long-sleeved tech souvenir shirt (there is still a good supply) and all half-marathon finishers receive a unique finisher’s medallion.

* The 2011 champions in the Half-Marathon, Heather Ostic and Brendan Kenny will be back to defend their titles. As well the women’s runners-up in the Half-Marathon, Wendy Schlottke and Jenn Bon, will be back. Trevor Walmsley, the second place man in the 2011 Half-Marathon is going to race the 5K this year, and Margarita Babkova, third in the 2011 5K will move up to the Half-Marathon this year. Should be some great competition this year!

KRRA Wind Briefs

The KRRA congratulates Kingston native Dylan Wykes on his qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games men's marathon on August 12. Dylan finished 7th overall at the Rotterdam Marathon on April 15th with a spectacular time of 2:10:47, the second best marathon time ever recorded by a Canadian!
Congratulations as well to all of the Kingston area participants at the 2012 Boston Marathon. This year's race featured unseasonably warm conditions, making an already challenging 26.2 mile course even more difficult. We salute everyone who toed the line in Hopkinton for this historic race and wish everyone good luck in their qualification attempts for the 117th edition of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. The 2012 Boston Marathon race results can be found at http://www.baa.org/searchable-results.html
The KRRA Tuesday night workouts have now moved to the RMC Arch near the LaSalle causeway. This venue allows for a variety of interval workouts: the 1k loop, 2.4k "big loop" and of course the wonderful Fort Henry hill. Runners of all abilities are welcome - see you at the arch at 5:45 on Tuesdays!

About KRRA

$10 off the pre-registration fees for each of the five KRRA-organized races: Resolution, Twosome, Half/5K, Limestone Mile, Anniversary
earning points in the KRRA Race Series standings and year end awards (if you join by July 1st)
a 10% discount at Runners Choice Kingston
direct support of an organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle through fun and fitness for adults and children and directly supports many local charitable organizations, with a focus on elementary and high school students.

Kingston Road Runners Association

Sunday 18 March 2012

Bib Number Excitement

Bib Numbers are up!!

This simple bit of news can send shivers of excitement through even the most jaded and experienced of runners. Perhaps it's one of the first indications that "Yes, this race is REALLY happening!"

The news this week that Boston marathon bib numbers have been posted set messageboards alive with runners posting their new identifiers - "Look for me, I'm bib# 10258!". It seems a bit silly, but I suppose we all have our own superstitions about bibs and the numbers.

it can be extremely important that your bib contains as many instances of your favourite number as possible
even if it doesn't, some simple math can help you out (bib# 914 - let's see .. 9 minus 1 divided by 4 equals 2 - my lucky number!)
certain significant bib #'s are certain to draw attention - I once received the prestigious "666"
in seeded or corralled races the receipt of a lower bib# means your hard work has paid off with an earlier wave or starting position - something you can wear with pride!
for the bibs themselves, those with cross-country backgrounds will likely crumple up their bibs as part of their pre-race ritual. Aerodynamics, you know.

So tell us about your race bib superstitions and rituals. I bet you're not alone.

About KRRA

$10 off the pre-registration fees for each of the five KRRA-organized races: Resolution, Twosome, Half/5K, Limestone Mile, Anniversary
earning points in the KRRA Race Series standings and year end awards (if you join by July 1st)
a 10% discount at Runners Choice Kingston
direct support of an organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle through fun and fitness for adults and children and directly supports many local charitable organizations, with a focus on elementary and high school students.

Kingston Road Runners Association

Friday 2 March 2012

March News

Twosome Run Report

Wintery conditions returned to Kingston just in time for the Twosome Run on February 12th. That did not deter over 160 runners from taking to the streets for this popular mid-winter 5k race. Many of the participants teamed up to compete as a Twosome, with the fastest pair being Nick McGraw and Lauren Prufer, who also recorded the fastest individual male and female times. Congratulations to Nick and Lauren!

Through this race, the KRRA is pleased to support the Limestone Learning Foundation and thanks to the strong turnout of runners, we'll be able to donate over $1,000 to support their health and wellness programs at area schools. We've received some great feedback about the race through our post-race survey and plans are already in place for the 2013 KRRA Twosome Run next February.

Thanks to all the runners, volunteers, sponsors and spectators for supporting this race.

Here's a look at some of the fun!

Prez Says

A big thank-you to Trevor Vowles, and to the team of Jane Howe and Peter Ellis, respectively for their excellent work in organizing this year’s Resolution Run and Twosome Run. And now with these two very successful races behind us we can turn our focus to The Limestone Race Weekend on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. Saturday races kick off in City Park with the Start2Finish 3K, at 3:45 pm, for elementary school students in grades 1 to 6, followed by the KGH Trauma 10K at 5 pm. On Sunday morning it’s the Limestone Half-Marathon and 5K; these races start together at 9:30 am. The planning committee has been meeting since October, 2011 to prepare for this year’s Limestone races - members are PJ Marshall, Al Cantlay, Suzanne Garrett, Jim Elyot, myself, and Lana Saunders is going to join us. Registrations are going well, at this point we’re ahead of last year’s numbers. A reminder that the bulk of the proceeds, in excess of costs, goes to Start2Finish (formerly Kidsfest) the national organization that oversees the Run & Read programs at First Avenue P.S. and Frontenac P.S. We hope to make this the best Limestone Half-Marathon and 5K ever, so be sure to join us!

OTHER NEWS:

KRRA has added the Belleville Road Runner’s Spring Thaw 10K to the 2012 race series. This event will be held on Sunday, May 13, and will result in 10 races for club members to earn series points. See below for more information.

Information has gone out to KASSAA schools regarding the 2012 KRRA Bursaries; the application form can be found on the KRRA website under KRRA Links.

Recently I read a book called Barefoot Running Step by Step by Ken Bob Saxton and Roy M. Wallack. – it was published in 2011 and is available at our local library; also saw it in book stores down south. As I was in Florida at the time, trying out the technique, in barefeet, was a little easier than it would have been here in Kingston. I ran shoeless for 10 to 15 minutes about a half a dozen times; it felt great running along the edge of the water on the incredible Treasure Island beach and okay when running on sidewalks. The book offers: tips about running barefoot, a variety of drills, the benefits to your running and your knees, feet, etc., testimonials from a variety of runners, and what its place might be in a running program – everything from barefoot all the time to barefoot occasionally. At this point, I’m not sure where I will fall in that continuum. In addition there are many photographs. If you are interested in learning about running shoeless or in minimalist footwear, this is a book for you.

Gananoque to Kingston Run March 25

It's an annual Spring tradition! Take a break from your usual Sunday run route and join Runners' Choice for a 30k (or less) run from Gananoque to Kingston on March 25th.

This a "just for fun" event - feel free to join us for 10, 15, 20 or the full 30k. Relay groups are most welcome too. Contact Runners' Choice at 542-2410 for info or to get on the list.

The carpool typically leaves Runners' Choice at 8am, with the run starting from the Gananoque Subway restaurant at 8:30.

Belleville Spring Thaw 10k

The KRRA is pleased to introduce a new addition to the KRRA Race Series in 2012. Join us in Belleville on May 13th for the 33rd annual Belleville Spring Thaw 10k. This picturesque route will take runners along waterfront trails, enjoying views of the Bay of Quinte and the Moira River.

Those who've participated in this race before can't say enough good things about it. The 10k race will earn KRRA members points in the Race Series, but bear in mind that there's a 4k race as an option as well. For more information, including a course map, directions and past results see www.krra.org/belleville.

See you in the "Friendly City" on May 13th.

About KRRA

$10 off the pre-registration fees for each of the five KRRA-organized races: Resolution, Twosome, Half/5K, Limestone Mile, Anniversary
earning points in the KRRA Race Series standings and year end awards (if you join by July 1st)
a 10% discount at Runners Choice Kingston
direct support of an organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle through fun and fitness for adults and children and directly supports many local charitable organizations, with a focus on elementary and high school students.

Join KRRA for our weekly workouts!

Mondays: an easy run of 30-60 minutes from Runners' Choice at 6pm
Tuesdays: join KRRA for up-tempo workouts Tuesdays at 5:45pm (current location is the Barriefield Hill)
Thursdays: Women-only group run from Runners' Choice at 6pm
Sundays: join KRRA for long runs from Runners' Choice, 8:30am

Kingston Road Runners Association

Sunday 29 January 2012

2012 KRRA Twosome Newsletter

Twosome Run - February 12, 2012

February means it's twosome time for the Kingston Road Runners. In our annual mid-winter event, runners race the 5k course as individuals for KRRA Race Series points, but also as "twosome" teams, for total-combined-time age-group and overall medals. Only male-female teams are eligible for medals, but same-gender teams are welcome as well. All runners and volunteers are eligible for of our many random draw prizes.

Please note that the 2012 race will start at 10:30am (30 minutes earlier than in previous years).

See www.krra.org/twosome for full race details!

Once again, ZoomPhoto will be at the event as our official race photographer. Wear you race bib on your front and you'll have no trouble locating your race photos on the ZoomPhoto website. We think you'll also be pleasantly surprised at the agreeable prices for both digital and printed copies of your pictures.

How about a little video from last year's race? (courtesy Runners' Choice!)

If you can't race, please consider volunteering for the event. If you can help us out on race day, please contact Jane Howe at jane_k_howe@yahoo.ca.

Don't forget the other great features of this race:

a price decrease from last year!
a portion of each registration is donated to Kingston's Limestone Learning Foundation, which promotes health and wellness projects and initiatives in our area schools.
the middle-of-the-pack Twosome Team will win shoes courtesy of Runners' Choice!
a great warmup race for the Peterborough Half, Around The Bay or a Spring Half or Full Marathon.
lots of draw prizes donated by our many sponsors.
an accurate, scenic friendly race course featuring a tour of some of Kingston's most historic landmarks.
chip timing by Chip Time Results.
technical socks to the first 150 runners registered!

the 2012 Twosome Socks

2011 photo courtesy ZoomPhoto.ca

After the race, be sure to join us in the Winston Churchill Public School gym for snacks and refreshments (hot and cold) provided by Agnew Foods (Tim Horton's), RBC Dominion Securities and Culligan Water.

Limestone Race Weekend - April 28-29

Join us on April 28th and 29th for event #3 in the KRRA Race Series - Limestone Race Weekend! There's something for everyone!

Saturday, April 28, City Park (Bagot Street)

3:45pm, Start2Finish 3k for kids
5:00pm, KGH Trauma 10k

Sunday, April 29, Confederation Park (City Hall)

9:30am, 5k and Half Marathon

For full details, see www.krra.org/half.

About KRRA

$10 off the pre-registration fees for each of the five KRRA-organized races: Resolution, Twosome, Half/5K, Limestone Mile, Anniversary
earning points in the KRRA Race Series standings and year end awards (if you join by July 1st)
a 10% discount at Runners Choice Kingston
direct support of an organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle through fun and fitness for adults and children and directly supports many local charitable organizations, with a focus on elementary and high school students.

Join KRRA for our weekly workouts!

Mondays: an easy run of 30-60 minutes from Runners' Choice at 6pm
Tuesdays: join KRRA for up-tempo workouts Tuesdays at 5:45pm (current location is the Barriefield Hill)
Thursdays: Women-only group run from Runners' Choice at 6pm
Sundays: join KRRA for long runs from Runners' Choice, 8:30am

Kingston Road Runners Association

Tuesday 17 January 2012

January News

Resolution Run Report

The 2012 Race Series got off to a cool, but dry and sunny start on Sunday, January 8 – perfect conditions for a winter run. Thanks to Race Director, Trevor Vowles and his team for a wonderful event. Ninety-seven runners finished the beautiful but challenging 8K course, and enjoyed KBC chili at the finish.

On the podium it was a family affair, as Heather Ostic and her son Ben Workman captured the women's and men's races respectively. Full race results and race photos are available on the KRRA website.

The next race in the series is the 5k Twosome Run on Sunday, Feb. 12. Registration is available on-line or in-person at Runners' Choice – follow the links on the KRRA website. Registration for the 2012 Limestone Half-Marathon and 5K is also open.

Prez Says

2012 KRRA Board: We welcome new board member Lana Saunders. The KRRA Constitution provides for up to sixteen members on the Board. There are three Executive positions, as well as special roles such as Newsletter Editor, Webmaster and Archivist. Our 2012 Board of Directors is:

* Ed Brand - President
* Tony Bourne
– member at large
* Janet Foran-Goneau
– member at large
* Derek Sykes
– member at large
* Jane Howe – Treasurer

* Al Cantlay – Coach
* Jim Elyot
– member at large
* Shirley Myers
– Membership & Secretary
* PJ Marshall
– member at large

Also active, but not board members:

* Peter Coughlin – Archivist
* Peter Ellis – Webmaster

* Maxime Feuillat – Statistician

2011 Race Series: Our 2011 race series was very successful - see below for a series recap. For those of you who couldn’t attend our Annual General Meeting on Dec. 1, 2011 here are some of the highlights:

overall in nine races, there were 1732 finishers; the five KRRA races had 871 finishers
KRRA provided financial support to: Start2Finish, Limestone Learning Foundation, Brenda Cupido Fund, Kingston Humane Society, and we awarded two $500 bursaries – the total donated to these charities was over $5000
total membership was 171, up from 55 in 2010
congratulations to overall series winners, Heather Ostic and Kevin Coffey

Thank-you to the volunteers, runners, to KRRA Board members and to the race directors. There is a tremendous amount of work, by all of the above, that goes on behind the scenes. Our race series encourages members to have fun, to realize health benefits that result from running, to enjoy competition with others as well as ourselves, to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow runners, and enables us to assist in improving our community. That is our mission and it’s exciting to be a part of that.

Thank-you also to the organizations that supported our events in 2011, including: Runners' Choice, Kingston Body Management/Limestone Health Consultants, the Ambassador and Four Points Sheraton Hotels, Grizzly Gym, Fort Henry, Thousand Islands Cycle, Trillium College, East Side Mario’s Division St., Gord & Kim’s No Frills, Freeman’s Winemaking Shop, The Water Store, Starbuck’s, Kingston Community Police Volunteers, The Brew Pub, Progress Physio, Agnew Foods (Tim Horton's), Culligan Water, RBC Dominion Securities, RMC, CFB Kingston, Downtown Kingston and many others.

Bus Trip to Peterborough February 26th

Ever considered running the Peterborough Half Marathon or 5k? This race serves as an annual Winter test for many Kingston runners. Why not let us take care of the logistics of getting there and back (and perhaps save yourself the cost of a hotel room).

Cost is just $10 for KRRA members and $30 for non-members. Maximum bus occupancy is 27 participants.

See the Race Website for full race details and contact Runners' Choice for details on the bus.

2011 KRRA Race Series Recap

It's 2012 - how about a look back at the event results from last year:

Event	Results	Men's Winner	Women's Winner	Series Scale Factor
Resolution Run 8k	Link	Dylan Wykes (26:31.5)	Heather Ostic (32:50.2)	1.5x
Twosome Run 5k	Link	Rob Asselstine (16:08)	Cleo Boyd (18:58)	1.5x
Limestone Race Weekend - KGH Trauma 10k	Link	Richard Hayes (34:27.2)	Brittany Morris (41:11.8)	1x
Limestone Race Weekend - Limestone Half Marathon	Link	Brendan Kenny (1:11:07.4)	Heather Ostic (1:30:13.9)	2x
Limestone Race Weekend - Limestone 5k	Link	Matt Hulse (15:24.0)	Agathe Nicholson (19:06.3)	1.5x
Beat Beethoven 8k	Link	Rob Asselstine (25:50.8)	Richelle Moore (29:57.0)	2x
Limestone Mile	Link	Jeff Archer (4:23.9)	Cleo Boyd (5:19.2)	1.5x
Brockville Half Marathon	Link	Nikolay Rybakov (1:21:20)	Paula Wiltse (1:21:43)	1x
Run With The Wild 5k	Link	Rob Miller (18:08.76)	Margarita Sviajina (20:16.11)	1x
Flight From Fort Fright 5k	Link	Jordan Maynard (16:11.6)	Myra McDonald (20:38.4)	1x
Anniversary Run 10k	Link	Kevin Coffey (34:37.7)	Heather Ostic (39:39.6)	1.5x

About KRRA

$10 off the pre-registration fees for each of the five KRRA-organized races: Resolution, Twosome, Half/5K, Limestone Mile, Anniversary
earning points in the KRRA Race Series standings and year end awards (if you join by July 1st)
a 10% discount at Runners Choice Kingston
direct support of an organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle through fun and fitness for adults and children and directly supports many local charitable organizations, with a focus on elementary and high school students.

Join KRRA for our weekly workouts!

Mondays: an easy run of 30-60 minutes from Runners' Choice at 6pm
Tuesdays: join KRRA for up-tempo workouts Tuesdays at 5:45pm (current location is the Barriefield Hill)
Thursdays: Women-only group run from Runners' Choice at 6pm
Sundays: join KRRA for long runs from Runners' Choice, 8:30am

Kingston Road Runners Association