For Current Local Running News and Discussion, Join Our Google Group!

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

In early 2018, we moved our email listserve to Google Groups due to unreliable service from our previous provider Yahoo. The Club listserve is where we keep you updated on coming events including races, group runs, meetings, and other activities. It's also a forum for discussing training programs, running health and injury prevention, and anything else of interest in the local running community. You do not have to be a dues-paying member of the NVRC to join our listserve, but we encourage you to join the Club!

If you would like to join our Google Group, instructions and more are here. 

Thursday Track Report: Moist and Meager, But Eager

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Written by Bwana Bwana

July 11, 2019

It was moister than a hippopotamus’s underarm pads as the meager crew of Keith Henderson, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed for the State High track. Attendance has been pretty light this summer despite the fact that we have an actual track at our disposal for lunchtime workouts for only these 10 weeks of summer. Not many other people there today, unlike many days when there are people playing soccer or flag football on the infield. Just Jayson Jackson running a couple of kids through their sprinter workouts. I guess the threatening weather and the start of Arts Fest kept people away.

Bwana gave a “crowd" pleaser workout: the Mini-Front-Loader. One set is: run an 800 at 5K race place or a little faster. Then, immediately run 3X200 at race kick pace with just 100 meters jogging rest after the 800 and 100 meters jogging rest between 200s. Your 200s should get a little faster as you move away from the 800. Take a longer rest (400 meters jog) before the next set. Do at least two sets. This is a great workout for working on being able to turn it on during or near the end of a race.It can be scaled up in volume (3 or more sets) or length (1 mile front loading, 400 meter repeats). You can also run that first faster 200 with *zero* rest after the 800, though we didn't!

Don’t forget, there’s another track workout this evening led by Bob Shafer and Mike Zimmerman starting at 5:45 at the State High track. The evening track workouts will be going on through the beginning of October. Good luck to those running the Arts Fest 10K or 5K on Sunday. We’ll be back at at, hopefully with a bigger crew next week!

Thursday Track: Current Venue

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Written by Bwana Bwana

April 7, 2019

The Thursday Track Crew meets every Thursday at the Curtin-Burrowes entrance to Rec Hall at noon for a warm-up run to the season's track venue. You can meet us at the season's venue or run with the group from Rec Hall as a warm-up. Join the Club listserve  for the latest announcements about Thursday Track.

NOTE: Our normal venue for Thursday Track in the Fall and Spring is the IM Fields on the north side of Park Avenue just east of the Law School. We meet at the IM Fields at around 12:10. Some runners jog over from Rec Hall and meet us there around 12:20. By then, everyone is warmed up and ready.  In the Summer, we generally go to the State High track behind the new high school bulidng on the south side of Westerly Parkway.

SUMMER UPDATE (6/4): We'll be running at the State High track starting on June 13!

Minutes of the June 4th 2019 Meeting of the NVRC

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

The bimonthly meeting of the NVRC was held on June 4 at the Hi-Way Pizza on N. Atherton. The usual officers pre-meeting was uncharacteristically lightly attended. Several of the officers were not present: Secretary Erika Christiansen, Treasurer Dave Eggler, and Membership Director Marty Klanchar could not attend. President Bob Shafer and Communications Director Marty Mazur were there as well as past officers and race directors Cheryl Capone (with Dean), Amy Blake, Jake Clements. The main topic of conversation was this year’s Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival races. Due to increasing core campus restrictions and costs, the races have been moved and will be staged from the Ag Arena on Park Avenue. The cost of University Police and staging at Medlar Field have made running the Arts Fest races on campus unsustainable. The Arts Fest races are the main source of income for the Club and allow us to support numerous youth running activities. Last year, the races netted essentially zero, due in part to the trend in lower participation, but largely to the ever increasing cost of running on campus.

Read more: Minutes of the June 4th 2019 Meeting of the NVRC

2018 Race Series Cup

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Written by Marty Mazur Marty Mazur

The 2017 Race Series is in the books. Final tallies can be found here. The 2018 Race Series is well underway. So far we've had 2 races in the Series: the FIrst Knight Resolution Run 5K and the Indoor Mile Series. More races are coming, so lace up! 

We'll have the 2018 tallies here as soon as they're available. 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 Track Program To Start Season Monday, April 29!

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Written by Mark Fedkin Mark Fedkin

Nittany Track and Field youth club is kicking off its 2019 track season this coming week – Our first practice will be on the State College High School track on April 29th. The club is open to any youth athletes in the age range from 7 to 18, and its main mission is to create environment for the kids to be introduced to the track and field as a sport, learn new skills, and train to achieve their athletic goals. The program is suitable for both experienced athletes and beginners.

The practices will be held from 6:15 to 7:45 pm Monday through Thursday (except for the youngest group which practices two days a week), and our season goes until July 18. The lead coaches for the summer program are Mark Fedkin, Andrew Maguire, Matt Lindenberg, and Jayson Jackson. We are also engaging a number of event coaches and volunteers for our practices. The events we are practicing for this season include: sprints, distance, hurdles, jumps (long, high, triple), and throws (shot, discus, javelin). Also we are looking to organize several youth pole vault clinics over the summer.

If you have children or friends who are interested to join our track team this summer, be sure to sign up soon! Here is the link to the registration page: http://www.ntfxc.com/registration.html which has all the information. We are also looking for volunteers and support coaches for various groups and events, so if you have any interest to be involved, please email Mark Fedkin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information about NTF club and our summer and fall programs, please visit our website www.ntfxc.com or connect to our Facebook page. Also I will be happy to answer any questions about the program.