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Can you feel it? The
temperature, that is. As it creeps up I see more and more people
running in our neighborhood and that is a most welcome
sight. Snow still covers most of the beloved Cedar Valley
Trail system thanks to the tree coverage that does not allow for the
sun to reach in. In a couple weeks there will be runners, walkers and
bikers galore enjoying the state's best trail system. Until then,
enjoy dry streets!
In less than 4 weeks, along with my
Race Crew of wonderful volunteers, I will be seeing many of you as you
toe the line for the first race in the Valley. The Fools 5k is a
tradition that welcomes in the race season and serves as a great
morning to experience positive people and vibes. For those of you
who will be particpating in your first race, it is hard to
describe the energy you will experience as around 500 others join
you.
There are 28 events that I will be
helping with or directing this year, and I am excited to be back out
there among all the positive people that attend race events. Race
mornings are a great antidote to the constant news stories of how out
of shape Americans are and how the obesity problem in our country is
costing everyone in terms of quality of life and financial
well-being. All of you help motivate and inspire me weekly, and I
thank you for that.
Ideas for improvement often come
from you, the runners, so if you have an idea please send in an
email. It is not possible to incorporate every suggestion I get,
of course, but I really appreciate the emails I get. Often I am
able to answer the "why" of something for someone with an
email.
Lastly, there will be a major
announcement in the next newsletter and all of you will want to know
about it. To coin some very recent popular culture, it will be
"epic" and everyone will definitely be "winning!"
See you at the races!
Dave "Trekman" Lipinski
Trekman@mchsi.com
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CLICK
FOR ENTRY
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On April 2 at George
Wyth State Park the race season in the Cedar Valley officially gets
underway with one of the best 5k's of the year. What makes it
great? Being the first one that people can dust off the race shorts or
show off the new shoes is a good starter. Add to that great
organization, a USATF certified flat and fast course, one of the
largest race fields in the area, a costume contest, music, a festive
atmosphere and yummy post race treats and you have a fun race morning
waiting.
As of March 6
there are 340 people signed up, and it looks like 500 will be a good
estimate for race day. Runners and walkers of all abilities are
welcome, and there will be plenty of first timers out there, so don't
let the large numbers scare you off.
Click on the
links in this newsletter to find methods to enter, or head to the
Runner's Flat for an entry form.
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Email and Facebook are great ways to let you know
what is going on with a race, and Trekman Racing will always send out
updates with information people like to know.
Everyone who registers electronically will get email
updates automatically, and those who fill out the paper form are
encouraged to give an email address so you can be in the loop. What
kind of information is sent in an email? Information about times
and details of packet pick up, parking race morning, deadlines, special
updates and weather information that may require changes to be made
race morning.
Facebook updates include things like when registration is
officially open, what the registration numbers are, notices about
deadlines and other running oriented topics such as group runs or group
breakfasts. The Trekman page is not about what I had for
lunch or if I have a headache.
I NEVER give out
your email or any other demographic information to anyone - ever.
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Any race director will tell you that early registrations
are sincerely appreciated. Why? The main reason has to do with
supply planning, and in particular, T-shirts. Most people love
their race shirt, and for some it is even more important than the
race! Shirts often have to be ordered weeks ahead of the race,
making it a complete guessing game that sometimes we win, and sometimes
we lose. Since shirts are the most expensive part of putting a
race on, most races really try to avoid having a lot of shirts left
over, since nobody wants them and it winds up being money lost.
Oh, and someone has to store those shirts! Trekman Races
typically do not run out of shirts, though a size might run out.
Anyone registering after the T-shirt deadline is taking a chance that a
shirt will be there come race day. If the shirt is really
important (especially size), then make sure to enter a race at
least three weeks beforehand.
Food is another issue. Nobody wants to come in from
the race and find there are no goodies left, but that can happen if a
race experiences 25% of the field registering race morning. This
is happening more and more as people wait to enter. If you are
one of those people, please be understanding if you do not get your
shirt size or miss out on the yummy cookies!
MARCH 9 IS THE
DEADLINE FOR THE PERFORMANCE SHIRT GUARANTEE AND MARCH 19 IS THE COTTON
DEADLINE FOR THE FOOLS RACE
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FACEBOOK
Join my facebook page and be on top of news and
announcements. I offer several freebies to people on
Facebook from time to time, and use the site only for running
related topics. Just click to friend me.
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In the next edition of the newsletter I will be making an
announcement that will be the biggest news since starting Trekman
Racing. I cannot tell you what it is about just yet, but I can
tell you that it will be exciting and a possible game changer for many
people. The number of people the announcement has the possibility
of touching could literally be all of you reading this, so be sure and
read the next issue of the newsletter!
Dave
Lipinski
Trekman Racing
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NEED A TREADMILL?
Bike
Tech (located next door to The Runner's Flat) is the Cedar Valley's
source for quality fitness equipment. They offer treadmills,
ellipticals, and cycles in both residential and commercial
models to fit a wide range of user requirements and goals.
After
an entire year of researching various manufacturers, Bike Tech chose
LifeFitness as its supplier for fitness equipment. LifeFitness
is the nation's #1 cardio equipment manufacturer and is seen in gyms
throughout the Cedar Valley.
Stop
by today and check out their selection. They have
treadmills in stock to demo.
Bike Tech
319-266-5979
www.biketechcf.com
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NEED MONEY?
Applications
are being taken for ANY organization of people, any age, to
host a water stop at the Park to Park Running Festival September
10 this year.
Themed
water stops will compete for cash prizes and any type of organization
or group can apply. Click on the link to be taken to the
Trekman website where a form can be downloaded. Don't wait, get
in and not only will you have fun helping at the area's premier
races; you could win hundreds of dollars for your group!
Link for water stop application
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SHIRT UPGRADE
Wondering what
a performance shirt is? Well, while it sounds like it might
make you faster that would not be true. These shirts that go by
names like Dri-Fit, Coolmax and others, are a blend of materials that
unlike cotton, help wick sweat away from your body. The shirts
do not stick to your chest or back like cotton, dry much faster, and
have a really nice feel to them. Oh, and they tend not to smell
as bad as cotton once you sweat in them.
The cost for
these shirts is higher than cotton, and that is why they are an
upgrade. They have to be ordered earlier than cotton shirts, as
well, so that is why there is an earlier deadline for them.
FOR THE FOOLS
RACE THE DEADLINE IS MARCH 9 TO BE GUARANTEED A SHIRT
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VOLUNTEERING
Races take a
lot of work, and great races take a lot of hard workers called
volunteers. Trekman Racing has been blessed with many, many
great people over the years who graciously donate their time early in
the morning, some very late at night (or all night), in the raw
elements, and for not much more than a
T-shirt and
pat on the back. I do hear, however, how rewarding it is from
many.
Perhaps
you cannot run due to an injury, or a race does not fit into your
schedule. Maybe you would like to simply give back to the
running community in some way. Regardless of the reason, if you
would like to volunteer at any event please email me and I will be
happy to hook you up with a task. The Park to Park Running
Festival is especially volunteer intensive and can use new people
year to year. Lots of job variety, I will fit you in someplace
for sure!
Email me at Trekman@mchsi.com
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MISC
You can always
check the "ENTRY METHODS" page for races that I provide
timing or organizational services for. I want to let you know a
new one has been added to the calendar and should be fun. It is
on August 3 and it is part of Irish Fest in downtown Waterloo.
There will be kilts, and that should be a fun addition! The
week after Fools is St. Patrick church's Shamrock Shuffle, and there
are free pancakes after that one for everyone to enjoy, and the
largest kid races in town.
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