The club kicked off 2025 with our annual New Year's Fun Run and our 2024 Fall Race Series awards ceremony.  In February, the Spring/Summer Race Series begins with the Big Game 5K on Saturday, February 8th.

LRRC 2024 Fall Race Series Awards
Our awards ceremony took place on Saturday January 25th at the First Christian Church (3109 Rivermont Avenue). The ceremony was preceded by a fun run.

In addition to certificates, runners received Snoods (a.k.a., buffs, a.k.a., neck gaiters that convert into hats, mufflers, etc.). Many thanks to Riverside Runners for providing gift certificates for those that ran in five or more races.

We also took this opportunity to thank volunteer extraordinaire Cathy Ewing who volunteers at many of the races and numerous other charitable events.  She has also volunteered for all FIFTY Virginia 10 Milers.  Last year, she 'treated' herself and ran in the fiftieth 10 Miler after completing forty-nine in practice.  She definitely resides in rare air.

LRRC 2025 Spring/Summer Race Series
Celebrating its 22nd year, the spring/summer race series will be comprised of ten races as in 2025 (we added the Run For Their Lives 5K) with a minimum of five to score and the best seven results used in the scoring. 

New Year's Day Fun

We kicked off the New Year's with a run downtown, pushups at the top of Monument Terrace, a run back to the park, refreshments, and a raffle of Harrington creations.  Thanks to Susan Coalson, Jeff Harrington, and Drew Wilds for putting on our annual New Year's Day fun run.

Big Game 5K Course Preview Run

Counting late-comers, fifteen souls turned out on a fairly nice winter eve (definitely a reprieve from most of January's weather.  Moon-pies, cookies, fruit snacks and drinks awaited the runners upon their finish.

Meet Local Runner - Martha Clark

When did you start running and why?

I started really running about 12 years ago for weight control and better health. What started as an activity for improvement turned into a passion. I didn’t think I would like it and want to continue, but I absolutely loved it. I even put off buying running gear and a Garmin watch for a long time because I thought I would lose interest, but that never happened. Now I run to maintain physical and mental health.

How often and how far do you run?

I am a teacher and when school is in session, I average about 3 runs per week. During the summer and on breaks, I run 4 to 5 days per week. My usual distance is five miles, but I will do a little more or less depending on how I’m feeling.

Where do you like to run?

My favorite place to run is the Blackwater Creek Bike Trail beginning at LMS or the Awareness Garden. It’s mostly flat, and the peace I get while running through the woods is amazing. I love to run in the early morning, especially in the fall and winter because you can see far into the woods and the sunrises are incredible. I also enjoy running from home to the bike trail which is four miles. Running there and back is a great 8 mile training run when preparing for longer distance races.

What are a few of your best running memories?

When I reached the landmark of ten years of running, I remember thinking that I had just lived the best decade of my life. I had made new friends and discovered that I could do hard things. I have a lot of great memories, but I’ll share a couple of my favorites. Running my first marathon (the Marine Corps Marathon) was huge! The excitement of being a part of such an event was unforgettable. I also have great memories of running the Disney Princess Half-Marathon several times. Disney does a great race! And one more… my first 5k was on the Bike Trail and I think it was a run to benefit a fund for animals. Dogs were allowed to run with their owners. At first, all of the dogs were way faster than me, but they started to slow down after about two miles. I ended up beating a lot of them!

What is the toughest race/run you have done (and why)?

I’m really affected by heat and humidity, so any race that has harsh weather conditions can be difficult. However, I think the toughest race for me is our own Virginia Ten Miler. I love training with friends and the weekend camaraderie with other runners, but the actual race is always tough. Farm Basket Hill is always a struggle no matter how well prepared I am.

What is the most fun running event you have participated in?

I’ve participated in many fun events, but I really enjoyed the 2023 Chicago Marathon. It’s my only major marathon, and the whole experience was amazing. Everything was perfect – the weather, the expo, course support, and running through the streets of Chicago. I had my best marathon time thanks to my training with Niro Rasanayagam. I was also fortunate to participate in the same race where Kelvin Kiptum set the world marathon record. Such an exciting time!

What advice would you like to share with other runners?

Never lose your love for running. Do what it takes to stay motivated. It’s easy to push yourself too hard and get injured or burned out. Just slow down and reduce mileage to give yourself a break. I love my sticker that says, “There will come a day when I cannot do this. Today is not that day.” I want to experience the joy and peace of going on a run for as long as possible. The physical and mental benefits are well worth it.

Why should a runner belong to the LRRC?

Absolutely! There are many benefits to being part of LRRC. You get to meet runners of all ages, levels, and abilities. It makes finding running buddies easy. Having a “support group” also keeps you motivated. Getting the inside scoop on local races is great as well.

Tip of the Month - Muscles: pull and push me faster!
Running faster is not rocket surgery.  Your running speed is simply stride length (distance you travel each stride) * cadence (number of strides in a unit of time). Your stride length is determined by how strong and fast you push into the ground and how strong and fast you lift yourself off the ground.  Your ability to move yourself is dependent upon muscular strength, power (how quickly, you generate force) and range of motion, as well as stability of your muscles, connective tissue and bones. 

For example, if you are focused on making your hip flexors super strong to help with your lift (by doing vertical or horizontal leg lifts), unless you have a full range of motion, can lift your knees rapidly, and can remain stable on one leg, you won't make the gains available to you.  So in addition to strengthening, make your hamstrings less resistive by stretching your hamstrings, practice standing on one leg, and practice skipping - bringing your knee up and down (without falling side-to-side) as fast as you can. Incorporating strengthening, stretching, stability, and dynamic coordination into a targeting aspect of your running will allow your speed to flow.

December was a busy month, with the final two races in the fall race series, four fun runs (and a fifth on New Year's Day), and club elections at our December meeting.  And thanks to Jeff Fedorko's hard work, many of the 2025 LRRC Spring/Summer Race Series are already scheduled and available for signup.

LRRC 2024 Fall Race Series
Our fall race series has concluded and points are being tallied as we speak - once complete, we'll communicate these.  Our awards ceremony will be on Saturday January 25th at the First Christian Church (3109 Rivermont Avenue).  The ceremony will be preceded by a fun run and a guest speaker.

830 am Fun Run
930 am Guest Speaker
10 am Race Series Awards

Bedford Christmas Classic 5K
The penultimate race in the race series attracted nearly 500 participants (the cinnamon rolls must be one heck of a magnet).  In the race itself, Lynchburg's MC Nesaw (20:10) out-dueled Brooke Craig for top female spot and Trey Gibson (16:32) ran away from the field which included the Coccia twins and Brooke's husband, Michael.

Deck the Heels 5K
A week following the Bedford Christmas Classic, runners headed to Alta Vista for this one-of-a-kind race under Christmas lights at twilight.  Once the race was complete, runners were treated to local pizza inside.  Forest Middle School runner, Cameron Preite surprised himself by nearly breaking 17 minutes (17:09) in crossing first with Lynchburg's Sarah Quigg (22:16) taking top female honors in a field of 446.  The race also proved that not all dinosaurs are extinct, but that they do have short arms - which is useful in not picking up the check at a group meal.

LRRC 2025 Spring/Summer Race Series
Celebrating its 22nd year, the spring/summer race series will be comprised of the same nine races as in 2024 with a minimum of five to score and the best seven results used in the scoring.  The first five of these race are available for signup.  More details are provided on the website www.lynchburgroadrunners.org

2/8 Big Game 5K LRRC Discount Deadline = 2/1/2025

3/15 St. Paddy's Day 5K LRRC Discount Deadline = 2/2/2025

3/29 Colon Cancer 5K LRRC Discount Deadline = 3/15/2025

4/5 Point of Honor 5K LRRC Discount Deadline = 3/15/2025

4/26 Runway 5K LRRC Discount Deadline = 4/6/2025

5/26 Memorial Day 10K LRRC Discount Deadline = TBD

6/12 LRRC Track Series 5,000 LRRC Discount Deadline = N/A

7/4 Percival’s Island Firecracker 5 Miler LRRC Discount Deadline = TBD

7/xx Kemper Street Downhill Mile LRRC Discount Deadline = TBD

December Fun Runs

Thursday December 5th - Get Lit Fun Run at the Water Dog.  Thanks to Brooke Craig for organizing this run to enjoy the downtown lights.  The bitter cold that night limited attendance, but the folks below had a nice time.

Saturday December 21st - Jingle Bell Jog at Riverside Runners.  Thanks to Santa and his elves, this annual fun run continued to attract Lynchburg's finest.  We like to brag that our Virginia 10 Miler has attracted the world's best runners for 50 years, but that might pale in comparison to having Santa make a special trip here during his busiest time of year.

Tuesday December 24th - Frosty's Frolic at EC Glass High School.  With Christmas upon us, a couple dozen runners enjoyed parts of the 10 Miler course.  Thanks to Kevin Shroyer for making this happen.

Tuesday December 31st - One Last Run for the Year fun run at EC Glass High School.  Thanks to Evan Davis for organizing a fun run whose finish was captured by WSET.

January Fun Run
Wednesday January 1st - Riverside Park 9 am. As is our tradition, we will gather in Riverside Park on New Year's Day at 9 am for a fun run.  We will run 3 to 6 miles and enjoy refreshments afterward.  Get your New Year's off to a great start running with friends (or soon to be friends).  All paces welcome.

Virginia 10 Miler Books for Sale
There are some copies of the Virginia 10 Miler - Fifty Years and Still Running Strong available at https://runsignup.com/Race/Store/VA/Lynchburg/Virginia10Miler Order yours and it will be delivered to your mailbox.

LRRC Tech Shirt for Sale
We have one Men's medium LRRC Technical Shirt for sale for $45 if anyone is interested.

Meet Local Runner - Glenn Gumpman

When did you start running?

Why, was quite by chance. In the fall of 2011 all the ladies in my house decided to run the Lynchburg Turkey Trot. I asserted that “I don’t run. I’ll take pictures”. Long story short. I signed up the morning of the race. Walked / jogged with my wife and had a good time. I then decided that I would to try to run the 2012 Point of Honor 5K. Ran, beat my modest 30 minute goal time, didn’t need medical assistance and had a good time. I was hooked.

How often and how far do you run? 

Currently, I try to cover 10 to 15 miles a week. Typically, that includes 3 days during the work week at 3-ish miles and then something longer (5 or more miles) at some point over the weekend.

Where do you like to run? 

Initially, I ran a set 3, 4 and 5 mile routes from the house as well as some time on the Blackwater Creek Trails and Percivals Isle. Though, the heatmap feature in the Strava app changed all that and I’ve tried to run most of the roads in Lynchburg. I’m glad I made the change. It has been quite enjoyable seeing more of our fine city than I ever had before.
 
What are a few of your best running memories?

 My first Cooper River Bridge Run, a point to point 10K in Charleston, SC was awesome. That was in 2014 and they started almost 32,000 runners, which simply amazed me. My first Half Marathon was run supporting my youngest daughter in 2019. Neither of us were 100% healthy that day, but we persevered to the finish. That was enough to encourage me to try a couple more “at my pace”. And, most recently, running my first Fun Run, at Riverside Runners, with my, then 8 year old, granddaughter.

What is the toughest race/run you have done (and why)?

 I think this most recent Virginia 10 Miler was my toughest. I trained better for this year’s event than in years past. I set a goal to simply be quicker than the previous race, even if just by one second. While I was happy there was no actual rain, the extreme humidity seemed to be my undoing. I was fine through the first half. Though, on the way back I began to get overheated. With the humidity, there was no relief. I had to slow more often than I care to admit. Although, my overall run was satisfactory, I was disappointed to have missed that goal.

What is the most fun running event you have participated in? 

The Surf and Santa 5 Miler in Virginia Beach was great fun when the family ran it in 2022. Running the boardwalk with all the Christmas lights is fun enough. I also had the bonus of my grandkids being along the route, in two places, to cheer me on! It was a Caribbean theme that year. As big Jimmy Buffett fans, we enjoyed the cover band at the post race festivities.

What advice would you like to share with other runners?

 I don’t know that I’m qualified to offer advice. I will say that when it comes to racing, knowing my limitations, I always race the clock. I set a goal time and rate my performance based on that. Sometimes that is good enough for an Age Group award. Other times, not so much. But, that is fine.

Tell us about your special race number - what it is and why it's important to you? 

I have had the honor of wearing the race bib 637 in the last 2 Virginia 10 Milers. This is special to me as I served for 4 years of my U.S. Navy career on the nuclear attack submarine USS Sturgeon (SSN-637). My service as at the height of the Cold War and we conducted a number of very sensitive operations. Even to this day they are classified and I can’t discuss them in detail. I am extremely proud of that service. As such, the 637 number is symbolic of that pride. 

Why should a runner belong to the LRRC?
I believe the LRRC exemplifies all of the positive aspects of the running community that I’ve experienced in the past 12 years. Always supportive and encouraging.