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Back to School Newsletter
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Happy back to school season everyone! We want to let you know September doesn't just mean crisp air, homework assignments, and Hokie football. It also means great new deals and running news from RunAbout!
Before we go on, if you've left the New River Valley since our last newsletter and want to unsubscribe,
find the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the page. You will be missed!
So, what does back to school season mean for students at RunAbout? August wrapped up the last of our spike nights, where high school and middle school students got 10% of shoes, and an additional 10% of their payment went to support their high school running program. RunAbout still has plenty of awesome spikes in stock, and a
10% discount is still available to high school and middle school runners on local teams. We're also
offering a 15% discount for Hokie student with their Hokie ID, and $10 off the Hokie Half.
For all of you who are done with school, congratulations! This month we
brought back a great deal on apparel for everyone. When you buy one pair of full price shoes, you get any one apparel item 25% off!
We just brought in a great selection of long sleeves and pants for the cooler weather, so it's a great time to take advantage of the deal.
With the purchase of a full price pair of shoes, you can also get an additional 25% off a pair off last season's discounted shoes. That's buy one, get one 50% off!
The RunAbout Race Series continues with the Hokie Half and 5K on September 22th. The Hokie Half may be the biggest local road race of the year, and every year we have so much fun putting it on for our community. Registration prices go up again next Thursday, September 12th, so be sure to register as soon as possible! Read more details below in the "Gobble Gobble" section of the newsletter or at
hokiehalf.com. And don't forget to register up
here!
Congratulations to everyone that participated in the Clarity Eye Run and the Triwizard Tri-Mile in the past few weeks! While the Clarity Eye Run is part of our race series and the Tri-Mile isn't, RunAbout was involved in both events and we always love to see our community come together to be active! Find links to results from each event below.
And don't forget that if
you do eight of the ten races in the race series, you win a series sweatshirt! Everyone has been great about staying involved with the race series, and we really appreciate your enthusiasm. You can see more series updates on the series under "Race Series Highlights" in this newsletter.
If you're looking for training buddies or a reason to share a cold beer after a good run, our weekly Pub Runs are in full swing. We meet every Wednesday, rain or shine, at 6 pm, at RunAbout Sports. In this newsletter, we will also be highlighting other local running groups that meet around Blacksburg and the NRV. We love all the running groups around the New River Valley, so if we missed a group you love, let us know! We will feature it in the next letter.
As always, thank you all for being such a fantastic community. We know every time you walk into RunAbout, you're choosing to support our store and our projects. We cannot thank you enough. We will continue working hard to support our thriving local running community-- and each of you that makes it special-- in every way we can.
Thank you for allowing us to do what we love!
-James DeMarco, Theresa Link, Kenny Poole, Alyssa Shupe, Peter Dorrell, Zach Craven, Brooke Stephenson, Willy Fink, Julie Wiemerslage, Noah Combs, and Jenn Fleming
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RunAbout Sports Race Series
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Thursday, September 12th, Hokie Half Registration goes up for the last time! For the next week, registration is just $88 for the half, and $32 for the 5k. Your entry fee includes a shuttle service to and from the start line, race AND finisher shirts, medals, yummy post-race food, and of course an awesome race!
We also offer a $10 student discount to all our current Hokies, and discount code for members of Blacksburg Striders. Sign up now before spots fill up!
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2019 Race Series Highlights
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Two finishers rocking this year's Clarity Eye Run shirt.
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So far in RunAbout's Race Series:
Sydney Haynes and her mom, Wendy Haynes, get the power duo shot out of the week. Sydney strengthened her lead in the series by adding another win to her record, and Wendy is now winning her age group!
233 people have scored points in the series so far.
Hundreds of people have run at least one race in the series!
21 people have completed all 5 of the races in the series so far. They only need to run 2 of the 4 remaining races in the series to win a sweatshirt!
The current front runners for the race series are:
Sydney Hanes in first place with 88 points
Brett Shelley in second with 63 points
Lauren Childs in third with 54 points
Matthew Wisnioski in fourth with 50 points
Marcia Wright, a new addition to the leader board, in fifth with 48 points
Reminder: you must run at least two races to qualify as an age group winner for the series.
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Upcoming 2019 Race Series Events
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Hokie Half Marathon
September 22nd
Braveheart 5k October 6th
Brush Mountain 7 & 12 Miler October 26th
Frosty 5K December 24th
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Blacksburg Striders members enjoy a crisp day at Pandapas Pond.
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Blacksburg Striders meets
Monday
at 5:30 p.m. at the Media Building on Draper across from the Blacksburg Farmer's Market. Their Monday run is an easy, walker friendly, out and back on the Huckleberry. There's usually a group that goes to the Rivermill Bar and Grill post run.
On
Saturdays at 8 a.m.,
Striders host a trail run at what they call a "social pace" (that usually means slow enough to chat!) Usually they meet at Pandapas, but sometimes they switch it up. Updates on where they're meeting are always posted to their
Facebook page
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Blacksburg Striders annual membership is $10, or $14 for a family. T
he Striders have been in Blacksburg since the 1980s. They organize races in partnership with RunAbout, and all members get a registration discount on our races. Learn more about Striders at their website.
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Blacksburg RunFit members pose for a photo post-workout.
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According to Blacksburg Runfit's Facebook page, they meet for "weekly pre-dawn workouts at the Virginia Tech Track and Lane Stadium to help with overall running fitness." Currently the group meets Tuesday mornings between 5:30 and 7. Check their Facebook page for the exact time, as it varies depending on what's best for the group.
Workouts may include a combination of speed interval training, total body exercises without equipment, and stadium stairs running. Parking is allowed by the Tech track before 8:00 a.m.
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- Congrats to our very own Willy Fink, who is traveling to Belarus to represent the United States in the USA vs Europe Match! He's putting in the work to be ready to run a fast 3k on September 10th.
- Congrats to all the Eye Run finishers this year! A special congratulations to our winners:
- Men's 5K: Jameson Wall
- Women's 5K: Hanna Cooley
- Men's 10K: Daniel Jaskowak
- Women's 10k: Sydney Haynes
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Trail Runner Magazine:
The Uplifting Power of Sharing the Love
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One 2019 Draper Mile adds some flare and fun to her finish.
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Top coach David Roche writes about how spreading positivity in running and in life might actually improve your performance.
He writes, "Outcomes of races and training days are dust in the wind, but the experiences and emotions you share with others have tendrils that affect everything about the world you are living in."
Read the full article
here.
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Stay Connected - For the latest in sales, news and events, be sure to follow our Facebook page!
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RunAbout Sports Happenings
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Staff Favorite: Brooks Chaser Shorts
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RunAbout's Brooke Stephenson loves Brooks' Chaser shorts, and not just because "Brooke's Brooks" is an awesome tongue twister.
"I love that they don't chafe at
all,
" Brooke says, "The thick waistband is also really nice."
Eliza Stowe, 19, a regular RunAbout customer, also loves the Chaser shorts. "Th
ey are the most incredible running shorts in this universe -- I've bought three identical pairs of them and can't imagine my life without them."
The Chaser shorts are available at RunAbout in 3, 5, and 7 inch lengths. Stop by and try on a pair!
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Racers finishing strong and running happy!
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The Triwizard Tri-Mile, hosted by the Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley, went wonderfully last weekend. Tons of wizards and muggles alike raced under RunAbout's finishing arch. There was even
one speedy snitch on the course (pictured right.) More photos are available
here
, and results are posted
here
.
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Our local Special Olympics training group and some of their training buddies pose together before last week's Pub Run.
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Every Wednesday at 6:00 PM- RunAbout Sports at First & Main
Our Pub Runs continue to take place each Wednesday at their usual time, 6 pm, starting from RunAbout Sports at First & Main. Remember, every third Wednesday of the month we do a special giveaway run. Usually, we run hills, where you can earn $1 store credit per hill for up to five hills. Sometimes we mix it up and do mile predictions, card games, and other whacky challenges. Come by to see what next month holds!
After the run, head over to Bull & Bones or Lefty's to share a drink with friends. Runners young and old, veterans and newcomers, are all welcome!
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We have two mileage challenges this year: 1,000 miles and 2,019 miles! There will be distinct awards for everyone that hits 1,000 miles and 2,019 miles. You can log your monthly mileage on this form. We operate on the honor system, so keep track of your miles and be as accurate as possible! You can track your progress here.
If this is your first time hearing about our challenge, you can still participate in the 2019 challenge! Just log your miles retroactively using the form linked above. We'd love for you to join us!
Here are the top 10 mileages submitted for 2019 so far:
| Nick Cooney |
1,741 |
| Bryant Altizer |
1,603 |
| Carla Cross |
1,554 |
| Shawn Huston |
1,464 |
| Chase Cox |
1,440 |
| Josh Bost |
1,394 |
| Trevor Stewart |
1,327 |
| John Meeks |
1,270 |
| Theresa Link |
1,203 |
| Erik Olsen |
1,132
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This month we began our Fall Healthy Kids Runs! The program runs from September 3 through Oct 29, Tuesday 6-7:15 pm at the Blacksburg High School track. Healthy
Kids Runs focuses on getting kids ages 5-12 active through running and games.
This
is a free program, and there is no signup necessary. You can come every week or just try it out once with no commitment. Just show up on Tuesday evening!
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Christiansburg High School runners show of their new spikes at a RunAbout spike night.
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Cross country season started strong for local high schoolers and middle schoolers this month! Runners started their season with the Blue Demon Cross Country Invitational (results), and the Giles Invitational (results). Both these courses are formidably hilly and challenging courses to start to the season with. These runners will only get faster as the year goes on!
Make sure to come by RunAbout to get the spikes and implements you need to keep racing fast. And good luck to all our high school and middle school runners on their season!
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Employee Spotlight: Peter Dorrell
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Peter has worked at RunAbout's for three years, and has been our events manager for almost a year, setting up events we all enjoy, like the Hokie Half and Draper mile. He began his running career right here in Blacksburg, where he ran for Blacksburg High School and quickly was a star athlete. Peter was an 8-time state champion and still holds records in Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track at Blacksburg High School. In high school, Peter was the t
wo-time Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year, and a Nike Indoor two-mile All-American. He went on to run for William & Mary for a few years before he suffered from a series of injuries and retired from competitive running. After that, Peter's relationship with running became more complicated, but his relationship with the running community itself will always remain a positive one. He loves that RunAbout is a home to a thriving running community where people can grow and lean on one another.
Before coming to RunAbout, Peter sold shoes at a running store right next to the finish of the Boston Marathon. His years of experience working with runners has made Peter a pro. He trains all RunAbout's employees on gait analysis and our fitting process, because no one knows feet and shoes better than Peter.
Peter continues to run casually, and is a constant
buoyant
presence at RunAbout's Wednesday night pub runs. Regardless of the growth the NRV has seen in the past few years, Peter feels there is a real sense of place and community in our area. Blacksburg, and the surrounding areas, have managed to keep some of that small-town spirit that makes them so special. "I love that this is a place of grey haired people and young people alike and not just college students," Peter says. "People know each other." He says his favorite part of the NRV is: "The people and nature. It all feels like home."
What has running meant to you? Fr
eedom, friendship, nature, and enjoying the healthy body God gave me.
What's your favorite distance to race? T
he mile.
What's the longest run you have ever done?
18 miles.
Favorite post run meal? S
tew
What do you like most about working at Runabout?
Honestly, working at RunAbout is really great. I get to meet so many people and help them toward their goals. I also love that the store has become a watering hole for the community, to catch up, have fun but also lean on each other.
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Special Thanks to Our Many Series Sponsors!
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