Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon. Teams are all set for JSRM, which is on April 17th (Sunday). Whether you are running or not, you are welcome to join the club for this fun day. Margaret Everitt is once again coordinating the food portion of this event.
Marathon Training. Long Beach marathon training begins May 14th in the Joe’s Crab Shack parking lot. AREC is looking for volunteers to help out at the runs. Volunteering entails doing part of the run and/or helping out on the longer runs (maybe having water halfway?). The success of this program is dependent upon volunteers (and not just the same 2-3 people!). Todd Rose will have a sign-up sheet, and we will also be meeting in a few weeks to discuss different possibilities. If you have never done a marathon before, and are interested in doing Long Beach this year, we’d love you to participate. As with last year, there is no additional costs associated with the training group except being a member of AREC.
Membership. Nice segue. Membership is just $25/year or $40 for same household members. Dues support club activities, as well as cover insurance, club social events and a free technical team t-shirt.
Safety. Although Daylight Saving Time has started, PLEASE still run safe. Watch out for cars and try to avoid wearing sound-muting headsets. Talking with a partner is much safer!
Afghan and Tees. One AREC Afghan left. Who wants it? ($30). Also, last year’s technical T-shirts ($10) or cotton tanks and tees ($5). Talk to Emmett or Todd Rose after any AREC run.
Charity Runs. Many AREC members like to participate in running ESPECIALLY when it benefits a charity. One of our newest runners, Sterling Kwong, approached me about supporting him (http://www.stridesforhope.org) in the Vancouver Marathon, his first. Sterling, however, is a bit unique, because he is giving back to an organization that supported him through Stage III Testicular Cancer. If you can make a donation, great. If you have past marathon experience and can give some advice, also great. I have a copy of his information and can e-mail this document at anyone’s request. It’s nice to put a personal face on charitable giving.
Interesting National Competition. Just wanted to bring a different kind of donation to your attention. I got an e-mail about a competition to complete 6 half marathons in one calendar year (this could also include half marathons completed within a full marathon). For $50 (!), you can participate in a nationwide contest, and receive prizes and a shirt for reaching your goal. I corresponded with the director of this program, because I was amazed that people would fork over $50 to have someone verify that they had completed 6 half marathons, but apparently, it’s an extremely popular program. If you are interested, check it out at http://www.lovethehalf.com.
San Francisco Marathon. If anyone is interested in running the SF Full or Half Marathon, I got an offer for a $12 discount online. When you register at http://www.runsfm.com there is a box for “benefit group.” You can either enter the code “1005” or search for the apt name “Team Rahl.”