2017 Race Series Cup

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Written by Marty Mazur Marty Mazur

The 2017 Race Series is well underway. So far we've had 5 races in the Series with another one (the Beidleheimer Sidewinder 10K) coming soon. Tallies are available right now for the first two races, First Night and the Indoor Mile Series. More will be added as we catch up.

Check your tallies here. If you spot an error, please contact Bob Shafer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Check here for rules and here for the list of Series races. There are also numerous opportunities to earn Volunteer points: Helping out at NVRC races, at the NVRC/Centre Parks and Rec Youth Cross-Country Meets, Volunteer coaching with the Nittany Track and Field Youth Group, and donating blood at the NVRC Blood Drives, and many more. But to participate, you have to be an NVRC member to participate. Join the Club! More information on the Series is here.

Nittany Track and Field Youth Club Announces Fall 2017 Program

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

Nittany Track and Field (NTF) youth club starts its summer track season the first week of May and invites youth athletes from 7 to 18 years old to join. We create training opportunities in track and field events for both beginners and experienced athletes. Whether the kids have competitive goals or simply want to work on technique, strength, endurance, or just learn new things, NTF is a great place to spend some time during the summer. Practice starts May 2nd at the State College High School Track. The season will go through July 21st. Practices are scheduled from 6:15 to 7:45 pm Monday through Thursday each week! . Registration is open - here is the link to our Registration page with both paper and online forms.

We have a great group of coaches coming back to work with kids this summer, and we plan a lot of different activities and events this season. Again this year, NTF Club will host the USATF-sanctioned Central Pennsylvania Youth Track Meet on June 3rd, which will provide a great competitive opportunity for all our athletes.

The orientation meeting for the summer season will be on April 30th (Sunday evening) at 6.30 pm at the High School Track. Please feel free to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions and also spread the word to anyone who you think may be interested.

For more information about the NTF club, practice schedule, meets, and other details, please visit our website www.ntfxc.com.

Spring 2017 Running Workshop Series: Run Healthy, Run Strong

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Written by Cheryl Capone Cheryl Capone

The 2017 Spring Running Workshop Series is being put on by Cheryl Keller Capone, PhD, NASM-CPT and  Christine Dorman, USATF Level I. The workshops will be held at Tudek Park (at the pavilion) at 3 PM on four successive Sundays: April 30, May 7, May 14, and May 21. This program is designed for beginners as well as more advanced runners looking to improve their performance. Please come dressed to run. We also suggest bringing a large towel as some activities will be performed lying on the ground.

Each weekly session will have three main parts:

Part I will focus on topics such as breathing mechanics, core stability, and body weight strength training. The emphasis will be on instruction and proper technique, along with practice time. Each week will build upon the week prior, but it is not essential to attend every session. No experience required!

Part 2 will focus on dynamic warm up exercises/drills. Over the 4 week course, we  will cover differences between warming up for longer distances vs. speed work vs. races.

Part 3 will be a group run in Tudek Park around the 1.5 ml loop course - various pace groups available.

Registration: This program is FREE, but pre-registration is required and limited to 20 participants. To register, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and provide your name, age, email address and phone number. 

Here's an informational flyer.

Minutes of the April 4th 2017 Meeting of the NVRC

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Written by Erika Christiansen Erika Christiansen

Board Meeting

Club officers present: Bob Shafer (president), Dae Eggler (treasurer), Marty Mazur (communications director), Marty Klanchar (membership director), Erika Christiansen (secretary / archivist). Others present: Amy Blake, Tara Murray, Jake and Sarah Clements.

The officers discussed the construction on Pollock and Hastings roads and how to redirect the Arts Festival Race Course. They are waiting on approval of the new routes from the Univeristy Police. Once the approval is confirmed, the 10K and 10 mile course will be sent out.

Membership Meeting

Club officers present: Bob Shafer (president), Dae Eggler (treasurer), Marty Mazur (communications director), Marty Klanchar (membership director), Erika Christiansen (secretary / archivist). Others present: Amy Blake, Tara Murray, Dave Degroote, Jim and Liz Kisenwether, Monica and Bill Mahoney, Rev. Carl Miller, Bob Fadzwich, Paula Jech, Seth Senior, Katrina D'Anca, Adam Illgen, David Lloyd 

Marty Mazur spoke about Sunday April 9th NVRC Rodney Myers Memorial Run around Egg Hill 10 Miler, for Jodi Butler, the Race Director who was absent. Marty was the appropriate person to speak about this run. He will have run this race 14 times and spoke about a few challneges but how beautiful the course is. There is a relay option and a kids race. There are prices, door prizes and a raffle for a bike donated by the Bicycle Shop. The beneiciary is the Penns Valley Area School District track and cross-country programs. More details http://keleitzel.com/egghill/

Read more: Minutes of the April 4th 2017 Meeting of the NVRC

Thursday Track Report: Fartlek Farrago

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Written by Bwana Bwana

May (?) 4, 2017

We’ve had the most mixed up weather, with May in February, April in January, January in March, and a whole bunch of mixed-upedness in April. Well, it’s May, and so on Monday it was July and today it’s April again. Judd Michael, Andy Maguire, Mike Martin, Bob Shafer, Jaimie Wright, Elsa Hansen, Joel Niemann, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed for the track under cloudy skies, cool temperatures, and the threat of rain.

The weather has been a savory stew, a crazy casserole, a mad medley, and so Bwana gave a fartlek farrago for today’s workout: A downward ladder, 5-4-3-2 laps in Lane 5, with 2 lap rests after the first two reps and a 1 lap rest before the last rep. Start at 5K race pace and pick it up with each rep, finishing at a mile kick pace on the 2-lapper. That and a little salsa picante (Bwana recommends Tapatío) will really spice up your regimen. Maybe Bwana will let the flavors marry a little more and mix it up next time (3-5-2-4?).

Next week is rare off-week for Thursday Track. With Penn State hosting the Big 10s and State High still in session, there will be no suitable venues except for Rec Hall, and who wants to run there in May? (Or August, or whatever month it decides to be next week.) We’ll get together again on May 18, venue TBA.

Follow the Nittany Valley Running Club on Twitter

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

The Nittany Valley Running Club is now on Twitter. We plan to post links to articles on our own web site and on other sites with running-related content, links to podcasts of interest, and more. Follow us. Our handle is @nittanyrunning.