Bull Run Run 50 Miler

BRR Entry Closes on Monday -- Time to Volunteer: The entry process for the Bull Run Run is now open. You have until February 2 to apply. It appears that if you act before Monday, you will have a very good chance of getting in the field. You may be able to get in the field after Monday, but that gets iffy and you will have to wait a bit. Also, now is the time to volunteer. There are several important jobs open. We are particularly in need of a timer. Valerie Meyer will not be able to make it this year.

To Enter - To Volunteer

Dirty Dog 10K Trail Run

On February 7th, the Dirty Dog 10K Trail Run will take place at Mosquito Lake. This race is directed by club member Jim Harris and supported by NEO Trail Club. The course is all off road on trails winding through the park woods. The race benefits the Lakeview Athletic Boosters.

More race information - Entry Form

Lifetime NEO Trail Club Membership

NEO Trail is now offering lifetime club memberships to runners who pay for 10 years at $150. Who knows what the economy will be like in 10 years, so act now and purchase something that no one can ever take away from you!

4th Annual Cleveland Interclub Social

Presents...

4th Annaul Cleveland Interclub Social

Local clubs including Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Association, Cleveland Triathlon Club, Cleveland West Road Runners, Cleveland Touring Ski Club, Ohio Nordic Ski Club and more.

• When: Friday February 13th, 7:00-11:00
• Where: Winking Lizard Banquet Room, Lakewood, OH - map
• What: Free Appetizers, Cash Bar. There's no admission charge this year but donations to CAMBA will be accepted at the door.
• Who: Everyone is welcome!

Lt. J.C. Stone 50K

On March 21st, the second annual Lt. J.C. Stone 50K will be held at North Park in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Lt. Joseph Charles Stone, known as J.C. to his friends and family, enlisted to serve the USA in the Vietnam War and gave his life for his country when the small village where he was engaged was overrun by the Viet Cong. His legacy is one of bravery. This run is in memory of J.C. and all the brave soldiers who have fought for our country.

The course starts at the North Park Boat House with a short out and back, then proceeds to complete 6 5-mile loops around scenic North Park Lake. About 2.5 miles from the Boat House runners will pass Lt. J.C. Stone Field. This 5-mile loop has been the home to many exciting Ultras in the past including the former GNC 50K/50Mile/100K race. This course is sure to produce fast times since it is entirely on pavement.

For more info click here to visit the site.

New Web Address

The N.E. Ohio Trail Club website has moved to a new address:
www.neotrail.org

As a result, the address for each run/race page listed on the NEO Trail website has also changed. Please update your internet browser bookmarks accordingly....

Just Do It Day

January 24th is unofficially declared as 'Just Do It Day'. Want to run a marathon? JUST DO IT! Want to get a PR? Train hard and JUST DO IT! Want to complete an ultra....

That's right, JUST DO IT!! While it may take months of training, make today the day you set the plan in place. Set your goals high and run with it.

So whatever it is that you want to complete in the new year, get off your ass and starting doing the unthinkable.

JUST DO IT!

Ghost Town 38.5

Greg (middle) & Don (far right)

This past Sunday, a couple NEO Trail members ventured over to Hillsboro, NM to run in The Ghost Town 38.5. Members Greg Murray and Don Baun finished the race in 7:29:58 and 9:02:13, respectively. Click here for the official results.

Run reports: Greg Murray - Don Baun

Winter Buckeye Trail 50K

The Winter Buckeye Trail 50K took place this past Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The N.E. Ohio Trail Club was well represented with Dave Peterman winning the 50K with a time of 5:35:15 and Jim Harris' son, Heath, winning the half marathon with a time of 1:57:30.

Other NEO Trail members that finished the 50K were Nick Billock (5:56:47), Frank Dwyer (6:39:15), Jim Harris (6:01:53 and 40 extra miles the night before!), Paul Lefelhocz (7:50:16), Kim Love-Ottobre (10:24:54), Brian Musick (6:34:04), Kurt Osadchuk (7:53:00), and Ron Ross (6:12:32).

Half marathon finishers were TJ Hawk (2:39:00), Stephan Kremer (2:45:00), Bruce McMurray, and Rob Truscott (2:18:40).

Also, special thanks to race director Tanya Cady, Lloyd Thomas, and Bill Wagner for volunteering their time.

2008 Ultra Marathoners of the Year

Jorge Pacheco of Los Angeles and Kami Semick of Bend, Oregon have been voted the 2008 UltraRunning Magazine North American ultra marathoners of the year.

Jorge Pacheco

Pacheco won six of the eight races he competed in during the year, including the 135-mile Badwater Ultra across Death Valley in July and the Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile run in Huntsville, Texas in February.

Semick won five races during 2008, and placed second in the IAU 100km World Championships in Italy. She was the winner of two of North America’s most competitive events, the Miwok 100km race and The North Face Challenge 50 Mile, both in northern California.

Kami Semick

Performance of the Year – Men
1. Kyle Skaggs’ Hardrock 100 Mile, 23:23:30
2. Dave Mackey’s Miwok 100 km, 7:53:19
3. Scott Jurek’s Spartathlon 153.3 Mile, 22:20:01
4. Brian Robinson’s Barkley 100 Mile, 55:42:27
5. Erik Skaggs' Quad Dipsea 28.4 Mile, 3:52:16

Performance of the Year – Women
1. Kami Semick’s IAU World Championship 100 km, 7:33:58
2. Jamie Donaldson’s Badwater 135 Mile, 26:51:33
3. Susannah Beck’s White River 50 Mile, 7:32:12
4. Susannah Beck’s Way Too Cool 50 km, 3:55:22
5. Dipali Cunningham’s Self-Transcendence 6-Day, 467 miles

Click here for full voting results.

Wellsphere Health Blogger Community

The N.E Ohio Trail Club blog was recently added to the Wellsphere Health Blogger Community and awarded a top health blogger award. Wellsphere is a website aimed to help millions of people live healthier, happier lives by connecting them with the knowledge, people and tools they need to manage and improve their health.

Screwing Your Shoes

I bought 24 sheet metal screws at 1/2" in length and installed them tonight. It's lookin' like a slick one this Sunday at the BT50K. Hopefully, these will keep my tail OFF the trail!

Recover from the Holiday's FA 50K

The 6th Annual "Recover from the Holiday's FA 50K took place Saturday, January 3rd in the Pittsburgh area on the Boyce/Mayview Trail. 71 people attended this run, including NEO Trail members Bob Combs, Eric Deutsch, Jim Harris, Andy MacGinnitie, and Rich Vrboncic. Click here for a complete run report.

Videos from Andrew Skurka Lecture

Last night, professional backpacker Andrew Skurka spoke at the Happy Days Visitor Center about his journeys on the trail. Here are a few videos that were taken as he explained photos & video clips that were displayed on a projector screen...

Andrew explains his trek on the Sea to Sea trail

Andrew talking about his typical day

Some funny video clips taken by Andrew

Andrew experiences some "trail magic"
when he finds a pack of Ho Ho's

CVNP Lyceum Series - Andrew Skurka

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Lyceum Series

Andrew Skurka: Out for a VERY Long Walk

Start: 1/09/09 7:00 PM

End: 1/09/09 9:00 PM

Where: Happy Days Lodge, 500 W Streetsboro Rd., Peninsula

Andrew Skurka is an accomplished 27-year-old professional backpacker who is best known for two monumental long-distance hiking firsts: the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop and the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route. The Great Western Loop is a journey that links five long-distance hiking trails, 12 national parks, and over 75 wilderness areas. The Sea-to-Sea Route is a transcontinental network of long-distance hiking trails from Quebec to Washington, along which Skurka had to snowshoe 1,400 miles. Skurka was named the 2007 "Adventurer of the Year" by National Geographic Adventure and the 2005 "Person of the Year" by Backpacker. Also, in 2008 Andrew finished 2nd overall at the Leadville 100 Miler, his first 100 mile run attempt.

Admission: $8 adults, $6 CVNPA members, and $3 children ages 3 - 12. Attend any three for the subscription price of $20 adults, $15 CVNPA members. General seating. Advance sales are available by calling (330) 657-2909. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Monthly Lyceums

The word “lyceum” has roots in ancient Greek, and became the name of the school where Aristotle taught. At CVNP, we use it to describe our lecture series featuring national speakers who stimulate the heart and mind with compelling stories of our natural and cultural world.

Art Moore's FA 50K

Runners participated yesterday in the annual Art Moore's FA 50K. Art Moore is a well established ultrarunner who has completed many races including 10 Mohican 100 Milers. This event allows runners to choose where they want to run as long as they report their mileage to him afterwards. Later that night, Colleen holds a post-run meal where the participants can discuss their day. NEO Trail members who took part in the event include Kim Love-Ottobre, Brian Musick, Roy Heger and Paul Lefelhocz.

Hydration Pack Winner

During the past year, individuals had the chance to earn points for the NEO Trail Club Ultimate Direction Hydration Pack giveaway. Points were earned based on being a club member and running in club events and FA runs. The more points an individual had, the more chances he/she had to win the prize.

Well, before Art Moore's FA run this morning, Kim Love-Ottobre drew the winner out of a basket of names and it ended up being....

Jim Harris!

Stay tuned in 2009 for your chance to win additional prizes!

Hard Rock 100 Application Time

If you're looking to do the Hard Rock 100 Miler this year, you can now send in your application and wait for the lottery to take place in February. Applications must be received during January. Also, there is a new lottery algorithm for 2009. Click here to read the procedure.