Due to the current global health crisis and restrictions on social gatherings, GMAA will host the Pump It Up! 5-Miler race virtually on Saturday, May 16 & Sunday, May 17.
Link to the Pump It Up! race page for more details and to register.
Get your cell phone or camera and pick your favorite 5 mile route, and join in on the fun!
Final* results for the first weekly challenge, on the Ti Mile, are in. Congrats to Karen Oppenheimer and Chase Weaver as the first two winners. Scoring was based on time for the segment relative to their previous best mile time on Strava, and they both claimed victory by setting new Strava mile PRs on the segment!
Perfectly fitting for the ‘Ti Mile’, the overall segment Course Record for men is now a THREE-WAY TIE at 5:12 between Chase, Blake Ressler and Dan Ray. I hope that we can get a non-virtual mile race between them soon! On the women’s side, Maddy Pfeifer crushed it with a 5:44.
You can still join in on the virtual competition, as the Week 2 Challenge is already posted! You just need to be a GMAA member and create a Strava account to participate. Please contact gmaa.virtualchallenge@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Fellow Runners,
We’re all trying to figure out how to balance staying healthy and limiting the spread of COVID, while maintaining our fitness (and sanity). Fortunately for runners, running [1] is still encouraged within reason, and with a safe distance between people.
Since our spring races have been canceled, we thought that we’d put together some virtual challenges to give you some motivation to push yourself.
Starting this week — we’re announcing the Strava GMAA Segment Challenge! To participate, you’ll need a (free) Strava account. You’ll then need to join the GMAA Segment Challenge Strava club. Information is in the first post within the club, and copied below if you want to review before committing [2].
Spoiler: this week’s challenge segment is the Ti Mile in Shelburne! You have until the following Friday to complete the segment and have a chance at winning the weekly prize!
Details:
1) You must be a current GMAA member. Join or renew your membership HERE.
2) You’ll need a GPS watch that syncs to Strava, or use the (free) Strava app on your phone, to participate.
3) Scoring will be done by looking at the Segment Leaderboard on Strava each week filtered to this club.
4) The “Weekly Challenge Segment” will be announced on Thursday evening. You have until the *following Friday at 11:59 PM* to run the segment as many times as you’d like.
5) The organizers will do their best to select a segment that is safe, with no stop signs or dangerous road crossings. However it is your responsibility as a runner to be aware of your surroundings including traffic and other runners.
6) Scoring will not (always) be your traditional ‘fastest time’. The actual method to determine a winner will be announced along with the Segment Challenge each week.
If you have questions or want to check your GMAA membership status, please send a message to gmaa.virtualchallenge@gmail.com
Possible examples include:
– Runner who completes the segment fastest relative to their 5k PR
– Runner who has the greatest improvement in performance on the segment over the week
– Runner who completes segment the most times in the week
[1] Don’t overdo the running and get injured. This is also a good time to get out on a bike!
[2] IMPORTANT: you are responsible for your own safety, and that of others around you. Make reasonable choices about when to run, and keep your eyes on traffic and others even when competing on a Segment.
Every single one of us is being affected by this pandemic in large ways and small ways and in some ways that we might not fully understand for years to come. But what is clear is that the most vulnerable members of our community will suffer the most. In light of this, the GMAA Board of Directors would like to announce the launch of our brand new e-commerce store in conjunction with a fundraiser.
For the rest of the month of April, the club will donate 200% of all proceeds from online sales to the Vermont Foodbank.
Please head over to our shop at gmaa.run/shop to check out our latest apparel options and place an order today! All prices include tax and shipping. Items will be mailed out once a week. Any questions can be directed to apparel@gmaa.net
Hey Runners!
I hope you’re all staying healthy during this difficult time. One thing that really helps me is to remember that it will end, we will get through this. It might be weeks or months but we will endure and emerge a stronger community.
The Board has some exciting news to share with you all about a new launch this week. Please check our channels Monday morning to learn more.
In the meantime, I want to amplify and expand on Coach Allen’s not-so-gentle reminders about how to stay safe and limit the spread of the coronavirus in our community:
Exercise is critical for mental health and maintaining our immune system, but GMAA does not recommend running in groups or in crowded areas during this pandemic. The Burlington Bike Path has gotten especially crowded lately and the 6-foot radius between people may not be possible or even sufficient if we are running and breathing heavily.
The CDC is now recommending that we wear cloth masks in public. Here’s a video from the Surgeon General demonstrating how easy it is to make one from an old t-shirt (finally a good use for all those race shirts we never wear!)
https://youtu.be/tPx1yqvJgf4
Let’s see your race mask! Tag us on your social media posts and show the world how we are staying happy, healthy and fit and helping to fight this disease. And when you are out in public, please remember that you are an ambassador of the sport and of our club so give everyone else out there plenty of room and respect. We’re all in this together!
Be well and stay safe!
—
Nik Ponzio
Board President
GMAA was founded over 50 years ago with a mission of promoting “good health, fitness, and friendship through participation in athletics and athletic competition.” As such, the health and safety of our race participants, volunteers, and surrounding communities is our top priority. In light of the recent developments around the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Directors has decided to cancel the Kaynor Sap Run event scheduled for March 22.
This was not a decision that was made lightly. Our world is in the midst of an unprecedented public health emergency and we each must take every precaution possible to limit the spread of the virus. The following links provide helpful information and resources regarding COVID-19:
We all hope this threat will pass soon so we can get on with our regularly scheduled race season. We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate updates on our website and by email as more details unfold. Pre-registered runners for the Sap Run will receive additional information in the coming days.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this uncertain time.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me directly. You can email me at president@gmaa.net or call or text 802-318-7003.
Stay healthy!
Nik Ponzio
President of Board of Directors
Green Mountain Athletic Association
If you’re like me this time of year, you are dreaming about your summer racing schedule — and skimping on the actual training. Well lucky for you, in addition to the GMAA racing schedule, you can pencil in even more dates on your calendar with the 2020 GMAA Team Racing Program!
The GMAA Team Racing Program has a fantastic line-up of races this year and an awesome group of runners who are waiting for you (yes, YOU!) to join them.
Join the Racing Team today! We welcome runners of all ages and ability — seriously, you could be brand new to running and we guarantee you’ll have a blast at these races. Tell your non-GMAA friends, such as folks who did cross-country or track (or any sports) back in the day, that may want a competitive outlet and to be part of a fun team environment.
*Note: a pass is not required to travel with the team and participate in these races. All USATF races do require a USATF membership, which is provided by the pass but can be purchased separately here.
Find the full details on the Team Racing Series and how to buy your pass today here.
Team Racing Series
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to either of the Team Racing Coordinators (Seth Kutikoff or Silas Talbot) if you have any questions about program details.
Seth and Silas
GMAA Team Racing Coordinators
Email: teamracing@gmaa.net
The 2019 GMAA Turkey Trot was quite a bit warmer than last year’s race, which is to say that, without the wind chill, it was still just below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The course was slick in some spots with some good-sized puddles in others. Despite less-than-ideal conditions, we had more than 500 runners between the kids’ race and the 5K.
As always, the run benefited Feeding Chittenden (formerly the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf). Approximately 500 pounds of food and $2,942 in cash and checks was donated to Feeding Chittenden!
The top male finisher this year was Brendan Copley of Colchester with a time of 17:17. He was followed by John Stanton-Geddes of Burlington with a time of 17:23 and Teage O’Connor, also of Burlington, with a time of 17:49. Brendan and John were also winners of gift certificates for a pair of Hoka One One shoes.
The top female finisher was Adrienne Brueckner of Swanton who crossed the line at 20:40. She was followed by Elizabeth Simak of Burlington with a time of 21:35. There was a tie for third-place women between Katie Barker of Burlington and last-year’s champion, Katherine Cook of South Burlington. Katie and Katherine ran a 22:29. Adrienne and Elizabeth won Hoka One One gift certificates as well.
The race was co-directed again this year by Tom Nuovo and Howard Kalfus. Mike Kennedy organized this year’s kids’ race with an estimated 35-40, high-energy participants! As usual, a cadre of additional outstanding volunteers made setup, registration, the kids’ race and 5K as well as the raffle a smooth venture. Those volunteers were Liz Champagne, Mark and Anna Ferrara, Anna and Josh Kalfus, Lee Krohn, Carlie Krolick, Joe, Mike and Nancy Landry, Allie Nerenberg, Erin Randall, Wayne Reisberg, Bob Sayers and Kirsten Wiley.
Local businesses again generously donated cash and valuable prizes which were raffled off. Each volunteer and each runner received one free raffle ticket. Many thanks go out to those generous businesses: Bauer Gravel Farnham, LLP, Ben & Jerry’s, Hoka One One, RunVermont, Ski Rack and Kirsten Wiley Massage Therapy. Thanks also to the Nuovo family for donating local maple syrup and Cabot Whey Powder!
There were some fierce rivalries this year in the GMAA Team Racing Series, but after 8 races the final rankings have been reached. Drum role please… The winners are:
A few highlights: In the men’s open category, it came down to a final head-to-head battle on the Franklin Park 10k XC course this morning and in the end Ian McCallum-Cook pulled to the narrowest of leads – .03 points ahead of Charlie Schaefer.
Binney Mitchell, Gordon McFarland, and Kasie Enman were all undefeated in their respective age categories, posting 500 out of a possible 500 points in the best 5 out of 8 competition. Kasie, was in the tricky position of aging from open to masters for the final 2 races of the series, but it was determined that she would finish out the year where she began, in the open category.
In all, 109 GMAA members took part in series races over the course of the year, making for a great turnout. Well done to all! We will be soliciting feedback and posting a slate for the 2020 series over the next couple of months.
Final GMAA Team Racing Series Standings can be perused here.
The weather for the Hills Are Alive XC 5K on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 was amazing! Thirty degrees to start at set up and about 45 at start of race. Minimal wind, and with cider donuts and hot cider, it was easy to be outside!
We had a successful turnout under friendly skies. Even though we were unable to get on the NE USATF XC Grand Prix Calendar, the race still pulled in about 80 runners! The course proved true to its name, and the Hills Were Alive with the sound of trail runners breathing hard as they went up and down.
Silas Talbot was the overall race winner with a blazing time of 19:23, and Kasie Enman was first for women with an equally-impressive 20:31.
Complete Race Results can be found here.
Race Directors: Laura Ryan and Tim Richmond
Round of applause for our Volunteers: Carol Ann Jones, Debra Fraser, Anne Treadwell, Alex McHenry, Russ Cooke, Harry Curth, Maki Jones, Lorraine Ryan, Greg Larsen, Martha Nowlan, Jan Leja, Brenda Macy, Brett Macy, Mark Duchaine
Generous Donations from: Ski Rack – (2) $25 Gift Cards; Edelweiss – $25 Gift Certificate; Darkside – Hat; HOKA/Jack – Hats (6) Mugs (2) Rubber Cup (1); Eric Harper- Honey and Maple Syrup; McCarty’s – $20.19 Gift Cert; Exit 18 Equip Bike Locks (2); Laughing Moon Chocolates – 4 pack truffles; Ben Durant – 15 Cases of Wine!!; Stowe Bowl – $60 Gift Cert; Movement Mortgage – Cups and Backpack with cool stuff in it; BTV420 – CBD Runner Salve; Dianna Benoit, Clarity Real Estate – Maple Syrup; Carolyn Weaver – KW Vermont, Realtor/Coach – Red Barn Gardens – Pumpkin Bread and 2 Pumpkins; Body Lounge – Arnica Salve (2) CBD Runner Salve (1); Mike and Carol Boivin – Blueberry Jam and Runner Bib Belt Holder; Sports and Fitness Edge – 1 Month Membership; Tim and Laura – cookies and apple sauce, 6 pumpkins, bacon deviled eggs!
