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Board Report; Philly and National Marathons; News

20-Miler Now Open; Bunion Derby Award Eligibility

20-Miler Now Open

It may seem early, but the 22nd Annual National Capital Area 20-Miler is only three months away. Much work remains to be done, and volunteers are welcome. Entry forms have been e-mailed to all on the DCRRC e-mail distribution list and will soon be posted on-line. The field is limited to 500 runners, so register early! Also, there is now a time limit of 4:00 (4 hours) for finishing the race.

Bunion Derby; New Rules on Award Eligibility

The Bunion Derby commences with the Hugh Jascourt 4-Miler on Wednesday, June 21, 2006, at Fletcher's Boat House. The event will be run on the C&O Canal Towpath. See important news below regarding revised rules for award eligibility and volunteering. Thanks to Pat Brown and Susan Hage for directing!

Remember that there is NO entry fee for Club Members to these races -- entry fee remains $5.00 for non-Club Members. Until July 1, non-Club Members can join the Club for the low fee of $12.00/year. Dues raise to $20/year after July 1.

Weather looks hot, but otherwise good for Wednesday's race. Note Club policy that in the presence of thunder and lightning, we will postpone or cancel the start of these summertime races.

After the race on June 21, we will hold a brief all-Members meeting to discuss and vote on proposals to spend in excess of $1000.00 on timing equipment for our races. We will also entertain questions, if any, on the new Bunion Derby award eligibility rules.

The second Bunion Derby race is next Tuesday, June 27th, at the Landon School in Bethesda. This is a 3-Mile cross-country event. Thanks to Rob and Judy Wolfe for directing!

We are looking for a Race Director(s) for the ever-popular Bastille Day 4-Miler on Friday July 14th. This is a perfect opportunity for those racing the Rockville Twi-Lighter on July 15th to take a night off and volunteer. The race is run from Fletcher's Boathouse, in and back on the Capital Crescent Trail. Please contact me if you can help out in any capacity.

Bunion Derby Award Eligibility

In addition to the usual eligibility criteria for a Bunion Derby age-group award -- running a minimum of 3 races, and being a Club Member -- we have added a requirement that we hope will encourage more volunteer participation in support of our race program.

Specifically, in order to be eligible for an age-group BD award in 2006, a Club Member will have to volunteer in one of a specified list of roles between June 1 and September 30, 2006.

This requirement (like the other BD eligibility criteria, such as being a Club Member), applies ONLY to the end-of-season Bunion Derby awards given out in late October. All contestants in each race remain eligible for the individual age group awards in that race, regardless of whether they meet the criteria for "Series" awards.

As you will see from the list below, the number and variety of opportunities is quite broad. Some involve work at a BD race, which we encourage from ALL who participate in the BD program. Some involve work in other key races or functions.

This was not a decision lightly taken, and we all expect some discussion of the details. But the need to balance the demands of our extensive year-round race program with an appropriate level of volunteer involvement and support remains one of our greatest challenges as a Club.

In addition to approval of capital expenditure items, this "incentive" program will be on the agenda for the "Members Meeting" following our kick-off race tomorrow evening.

Eligible Volunteer Roles:

No runner will be eligible for a Bunion Derby age-group award unless that runner volunteers in one or more of the following roles between June 1 and September 30, 2006.

1. Bunion Derby races: Water Stop; Finish Line (timing or scoring); Course Marshall; Race Director or Assistant Race Director. This presumes NOT participating as a contestant in the race.

1a. 1-Mile/3K Track Races. Same as BD, but no course marshalls, obviously!

2. Greenbelt 15K: Same as Bunion Derby.

3. 20-Miler: Same as Bunion Derby, with addition of Packet Pick-Up on 9/23, or serving on race planning committee.

4. Saturday Long Run/Marathon Training: Hosting a water stop.

5. Marathon Training Program/10-Mile Training Program: Coach or small-group coach.

6. Newsletter Editor; Website Manager; Team Coordinator, Permit Coordinators, Photographer, Weekly Workout Directors (SLR and Wednesday Night).

7. Other volunteer roles, as suggested, at the discretion of the Club president and vice-presidents acting jointly.

By rough estimate, the functions in 1 through 5 involve at least 150 separate volunteer "positions." This should be ample for people to choose from without "bunching" too many volunteers for a single event. If that occurs, priority will be given to those who volunteered first for the event, and others will be suggested to volunteer at a different event. (Cumulatively, the two September races require about 80 volunteers total, if not more, for enough water stops, course marshalls, etc.)

Comments and questions are welcome at dcrrcpresident@comcast.net

Let's have a great summer training, racing, and supporting each other's efforts!

Ed