Godiva Awards Banquet 2008
When? Saturday, May 17th
- 5:30 "Early Arrival" Social Hour
- 6:30 Dinner
- 7:30 Awards Ceremony - Runners of the Year, Volunteer of the Year,
Summer Track Ironman and Grand Prix awards, Winter Series T-Shirts
Where? 9 Litchfield Court, Durham -- Home of Jim & Carolyn Huettel
What's on the Menu? Saladelia will cater ...
- Mediterranean Baked Chicken
- Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
- Grilled Marinated Salmon Steak
Click for more details, contact info, and a printable registration form
Running Start 2008
A Training Program for New Runners
Get ready to run the Race for the Cure 5K!
Who me?? A RUNNER? I couldn't possibly...
— OH YES YOU CAN!!
Carolina Godiva Track Club (oldest running club in the Triangle) is offering its seventh springtime training program targeted at those who've never run before – but also open to the "lapsed" athlete who wants to come back to running. Godiva aims to get you from whatever shape you're in to being able to complete our target 5K race, the Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure, on June 14th in Raleigh.
This is a 10-week training program starting Saturday, April 5th.
The program will include trainer-led runs offered several times per week in Durham, RTP, and Chapel Hill, as well as basic instruction on shoe selection and general running topics. This is a non-competitive program dedicated to sharing with you the joy of running and the satisfaction of reaching your running and fitness goals. It will be capped again at a maximum of 75 trainees. Each kickoff attendee will receive a complimentary enrollment gift from our program sponsor, The Athlete's Foot in Raleigh, and each graduate will be awarded a commemorative tee shirt.
Over the years we've had over 300 graduates of our program. Why not join them?
Please complete our Interest Form to receive full details on this year's program.
View the 2008 Coach Bubba Results
Geezer Pleezer 4-Mile Run
The 2008 race produced a new all time record of 19:36 by Abie Harris. View the complete 2008 results and the updated all time list.
Eno Equalizer January 13th
The eighth edition of the Eno (formerly Umstead) Equalizer took place in dry overcast conditions and a temperature of 40, which may have deterred some less hardy souls from showing up to the race. In the event we had 24 runners and 8 volunteers for this team handicap race around the Cox Mountain Trail of Eno River State Park.
Each team was given a "team handicap time" but were allowed to choose their own start times so long as the three start times added up to the given team handicap time. The optimal strategy is for the team members to choose their individual start times so that the three runners all finish together. The finish times refer to the clock time when the runners crossed the finish line: the finish time of the team is determined by the time of the team's last runner. The "actual time" represents the runner's elapsed time between start and finish. I also show my own "predicted times" that were worked out in advance and used as the basis of the team handicap times. It would be an interesting exercise to establish whether I did a better job of predicting finishing times than the runners did themselves (no, I haven't tried to figure that out for myself).
The final results were the closest in the history of this race, the winning team getting home by just 11 seconds, and only 68 seconds separating the first five teams. Congratulations to Harold, Sara and Jason for holding off the stern competition.
As usual, many thanks are due to the sterling efforts of the volunteers.
New Year's Run 2008
We had a field of 96 turn out to run a blustery 5 Miles in the Duke Forest. Get the results here.
2007-08 Godiva Winter Series Info
Sign up now for the 2007-2008 Carolina Godiva Winter Series, a group of seven low-key club races consisting of: Run for the Donuts; Misery Run; Couch Mountain; New Year's Day Run; Eno Equalizer; Geezer Pleezer; and Hard Climb Hill. Click the link for the Winter Series Schedule, or see the info in a Godiva newsletter near you.
You can register for all seven races for the low, low price of $25 (cheap). Click the link for the Signup Sheet, which you can print out for Winter Series registration. Club members who run or volunteer at 5 of the events will earn an Incredibly Beautiful Winter Series Shirt.
Marathon Training Program Featured in News & Observer
The 8th Annual Marathon Training Program was recently highlighted in the News & Observer in a series of articles.
"The Godiva program is based on one developed by renowned distance runner and coach Hal Higdon. The program promises to turn anyone capable of running 6 miles into a marathoner in 18 weeks. Gary Schultz, who coordinates the program for Godiva, estimates that at least 300 runners have successfully completed its program since it began in 2000."
The newspaper plans to track three of the trainees as they make their may through the program
CGTC Offers Online Registration
Beginning in October, new and renewing Godiva members can sign up for the club and pay their dues via a credit card on our registration site at Active.com.
Note that there is an Active.com service charge for this transaction. Mail in registration will continue to be an option the same it has always been, but we're now offering the convenience of a secure web transaction for those who prefer to avoid the paperwork and pay with plastic.
8th Annual Marathon Training Program 2007
Since 2000, Carolina Godiva Track Club has helped hundreds of runners to train for marathons, half-marathons, and other long-distance events. Response to the program has been enthusiastic, and we’re back again this year to continue the popular tradition. The program focuses on first-timers as well as veterans wanting a supportive group to train with. Many runners return year after year.
- Targeted events typically range from those in late September to early December, from Marine Corps to Richmond to Charlotte to Outer Banks or Kiawah Island. And this year... there's even a Raleigh event debuting. Our four-month program can be personally adapted to match the event of your choice.
- Our kick-off meeting is on Thursday, August 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. at the Durham Herald Sun Conference Room.
- We'll start our training in August with our first weekly group run in Duke Forest on Saturday, August 4th.
- To join the marathon group, you should have a base of 15–20 miles per week and be able to complete a long run of 6 miles.
- To join the half-marathon group, a base of 12–14 miles per week and the ability to do a long run of 4 miles will suffice.
- Fee is $25 (plus $20 club membership for nonmembers). Each registrant gets a screened MTP technical tee, plus a gift package from The Athlete's Foot.
- Pacers and other volunteers get a technical tee and pay no fee – let us know if you’re willing to help!
- For more details on our MTP 2007 program, fill out our online Interest Form.
2007 Midsummer Madness
Godiva's Midsummer Madness night in the summer track series is quickly approaching. On July 25th, there will be five events: The Tom Hare Mile (open); 300m; Elite Mile (cash prizes); 1000m; and 007k (17 1/2 laps).
The Tom Hare mile is run in memory of Tom Hare and is open to all. As usual there will be three heats for various pace groups.
The Elite Mile for very fast runners will start between 7:50 p.m. and 8 p.m. and there will be separate races for men and women. Cash prices will be awarded for the first three finishers in each Elite Mile race: $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place. There is no entry fee for the Elite Mile; registration will on site.
Meet location: Durham Academy Upper School track.
First race begins at 7:00 p.m.
Running Start 2007's Climactic Finale
In a sun-kissed 5K procession starting and ending on the Meredith College campus in Raleigh, this year's Running Start graduates passed the final grueling exam capping their intensive 11-week Godiva training, to gain official entry into the Community of Runners. After being led by a cadre of dedicated pacers – more than half being RS '06 alumni – and cheered on by thousands (really!), the grads completed their trek to then celebrate with their many fellow Godivans in enjoying the attractions, camaraderie, and tasty treats of the Komen Triangle venue.
Their class motto: Venimus, exercuimus, cucurrimus! (We came, we trained, we ran!)
Click here to see the photos from the race.
Godiva Flame Lights Awards Banquet
A beautiful spring evening, a sizeable crowd, and an abundance of Indian cuisine helped to make the annual Godiva awards banquet a great success on May 19th.
Major honors included awards for Female Runner of the Year Denise Larson, Male Runner of the Year Mike Aldrink, and Volunteer of the Year Jim Clabuesch.
A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of The Godiva Flame, an original metal sculpture by Chapel Hill artist Dan Murphy, which the club commissioned on behalf of Ole Holsti, whom we honored with the Dave Smith Award. This gift recognizes Ole's years of achievement as a runner and his service to the club. It is only the fourth time that Godiva has bestowed the Smith Award in the club's 32 year history.
Congratulations to all of the award winners. Look for more banquet details in the newsletter.
Godiva Summer Track Series 2007
Location:
Durham Academy Upper School Track - 3601 Ridge Rd., Durham
Directions: From I-40, take exit 270 (15-501) toward Durham, left onto Garret Rd, right onto Pickett Rd, then left onto Ridge.
Calendar:
- May 23 - Long
- May 30 - Short
- June 06 - Long
- June 13 - Short
- June 20 - Long
- June 27 - Short
- July 5 - Long (Thursday)
- July 11 - Short
- July 18 - Long
- July 25 - Midsummer Madness - Ovals are Forever
- August 1 - Short
- August 8 - Long
Events Schedule - beginning at 7:00 PM:
| Long | Short |
| Mile run | 1500m run |
| 200m | 100m |
| Mile walk | 1500m walk |
| 800m | 400m |
| 5k | 3k |
Midsummer Madness:
- The Tom Hare Mile (open)
- 300m
- Elite Mile (cash prizes)
- 1000m
- 007k (17 1/2 laps)
Weather Policy:
Races will be run rain or shine. Races will be curtailed only in the event of unsafe running conditions (deep standing water or persistent nearby lightning. Decisions about race postponement will be based on conditions at the race site at 7 PM and not on forecasts.
Questions:
Contact Meet Director Charles Alden (919) 384-7698
The Gatorade will be shaken, not stirred.
Club to Honor Ole Holsti
At our May 19th awards banquet, Carolina Godiva will honor long-time member Ole Holsti with a distinctive club award.
Among the club's list of awards, the three annuals—female and male runners of the year and volunteer of the year—are familiar ones that club members enjoy bestowing and celebrating each year at our spring banquet. But there are two others of rarer vintage: the David Royle Legacy Award and the Dave Smith Award. These honor their recipients as exemplars of what the awards' eponyms themselves first demonstrated. The Royle award memorializes our club founder's achievement and philosophy in creating our club in the open tradition of clubs in his native England. To date, the Royle has been awarded only once, as part of the club's 25th anniversary celebration in 2001, to the two people deemed most pivotal to the successful establishment, the year before, of the club's outreach Marathon Training Program.
The Dave Smith Award on the other hand predates the Royle, being given three times, in consecutive years 1987–1989, but overlooked in recent years — at first because of the scarcity of candidates, and subsequently because of institutional forgetfulness. Enter yours truly, the club historian-archivist.
Who, you may well be wondering, was Dave Smith? Dave was the club's first (open) male runner of the year, recognized at our very first awards banquet, in the spring of the club's ninth year, 1984. Dave was not only the club's top runner at that time, he was an active leader in recruiting club teams, helping with race services, and volunteering wherever he was needed. In the early years, his role as a central star both in races and in club service helped to foster the club's public image and initial success. His dual role of excellence in running and club service is memorialized in the award carrying his name.
This year, the club, in recalling the Smith's history, has once again identified a worthy candidate for this special prize — Ole Holsti, runner extraordinaire over the years and a volunteer of equally unique accomplishments. Ole's running feats have been remarkable since his return to active running, as a master, in which he became a dominating presence in the division in the middle distances well into his upper 50s. Later, he even set some still extant racewalking state road records in the 60-69 age groups. Along the way, Ole twice won Godiva's male runner of the year accolade.
But Ole's services to the club, and indeed to regional racing as well, have been comparably distinguished. He has long been active in captaining the club's master men teams. Also, for years, with the dedicated support of his late wife Ann, he directed the club's all-comers' track meet every August, and he long served as the racewalking chair in the NC USATF chapter. His leadership in altruistic campaigns such as Shoes for Kenya and his generous philanthropic support of local race charities have been laudable. And since the 1980s, Ole has been a prolific volunteer reporter-photographer covering road racing results in central North Carolina and southern Virginia for the Southeast's pre-eminent monthly Running Journal — in particular, making sure that our club events are well publicized.
His worthiness for the Dave Smith Award can only be deemed ...in a word... epochal.
So why not join us at the upcoming May 19th awards banquet and help honor and congratulate Ole Holsti as we present a much deserved Dave Smith Award to him?
I hope to see all you fellow Friends of Ole at the festivities!
-Gary Schultz
Running Start 2007
Participants and pacers gathered on Saturday, March 24th for the first day of training. The program will prepare beginning runners to participate in the Raleigh Race for the Cure on June 9th.
New Webmaster, New Look
I'm pleased to announce that Julia Kulla-Mader has agreed to help us out as Godiva's new webmaster. Julia became involved with Godiva through completing last year's Running Start program and is serving as a pacer this year. When she came forward with some suggestions for improving the Running Start/Marathon Training Program online sign-ups, it became apparent to me that she'd be a natural candidate for this position and I'm pleased that she's bringing her skills and enthusiasm to the job. Thanks, Julia.
We're also debuting a new look for the website and hope you enjoy it.
You can reach Julia at webmaster@carolinagodiva.org.
Meeting Set on ATT Bridge over I-40
Presentation and public discussion on November 13th
Hi Friends of the American Tobacco Trail,
This is to announce a Community Meeting to discuss the planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing of I-40 for the American Tobacco Trail (ATT) near Fayetteville Road. The meeting will be held Tuesday, November 13, 2007 in the 2nd Floor Committee Room of Durham City Hall 101 City Hall Plaza in downtown Durham.
The meeting, which is being hosted by the City of Durham Department of Public Works, and being facilitated by Steven Grover and Associates, will allow public and stakeholder input on the initial design and planning of the long anticipated bicycle and pedestrian bridge carrying the American Tobacco Trail across I-40.
This is your opportunity to get information -and more importantly - offer feedback, suggestions, thoughts, concerns, ideas, needs, goals, desires and other input to help make this bridge and connecting trail, the absolute best it can be.
The meeting will start promptly at 7 p.m. with a presentation by Durham staff and the consultants. This will be followed by group discussion and questions.
While participants will be offered a questionnaire to provide input, all will take part in a group discussion on such things as ranking goals and desires of the bridge and trail itself, importance of the bridge being a "signature" bridge, experience and priority of both the bridge user and those viewing the bridge from the highway or from a distance, lighting, bridge and trail width, crime and safety thoughts, solutions and concerns, adjacent and nearby property owner concerns, and a whole lot more.
This is an exciting time for the ATT as this represents the first significant action on the ATT in Durham in several years. We hope that all interested in the ATT in general, and this very significant bridge - which is probably the most significant exclusively bicycle and pedestrian bridge EVER built in the Triangle, and probably ever WILL be built in the Triangle, I hope we'll have a standing room only crowd at this meeting because we want demonstrate and show staff, elected officials, press and the public at large, that this bridge and connected trail IS important and significant to the Triangle and North Carolina.
Should you have any questions or input regarding this meeting, please contact Byron Brady, PD CPESC, Contract Engineer, City of Durham at 919 560-4326 x 296 or byron.brady@durhamnc.gov .
If you have any questions regarding this message, or want to chat about the trail or bridge, or don't know who to ask or talk to about your ideas or concerns, please feel free to contact Bill Bussey Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy 919 545-9104 americantobaccotrail@embarqmail.com .
For more information on the American Tobacco Trail please see our website at www.triangletrails.org .
Happy Trails,
Bill Bussey
Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
www.triangletrails.org
919 545-9104
americantobaccotrail@embarqmail.com
