We’ve hit the 100 members mark in record time, as the club continues to thrive thanks to some wonderful energy, dedication and enthusiasm from many members, not to mention the time and work being put in to make the club a fantastic environment for all.
Annual Membership is now overdue. All members need to renew their membership. Most members are Recreational, but we also have a strong AV rep team. The club has not raised its portion of membership costs, however AV has lifted theirs a touch. Harriers membership is more than worth it for what you get back.
Please click the “Become a member” button at the top of this page to register or renew today.
We’re already 3 weeks into Winter Season, and it’s great to see all members wearing their reflective vests. Members over the last 3 years have been issued a vest as part of their membership. Its club mandated to wear the vest, for safety, and new members who have not been issued one, will be given one as they attend. If you’re bringing a guest, or for any new non-member runners, you’ll be lent a vest.
The XCR AV Season kicks off this week, and the club’s AV Team, ably led for another year by Captains Greg Semmler, Miles Verschuur and Callie Cook is looking strong. If you’re interested in competing at this level, please have a chat to them about how to get involved.
Congratulations to Greg and Miles for their Race Directing of last weekend’s Springwood Trophy club event. We had a great showing, and it was a good opportunity to meet a few new club members who have joined the club to run at AV level. These club runs are always really welcoming and supportive, and have a wonderful atmosphere created by members. The course was a bit different to the last time I’d run it, and was challenging, but really enjoyable. It’s fantastic we have places like Crinigan Rd Bush Reserve right on our doorstep to be able to hold these sorts of club events.
Results - 4km: Open Men: 1st Nicholas Talerico, 2nd Jason Odlum. Open Women: 1st Kate Mayer, 2nd Michelle Sawyer, 3rd Callie Cook. Veteran Men: 1st Phill Mayer, 2nd Barry Higgins. Veteran Women: 1st Ann Bomers, 2nd Gay Cornthwaite. Junior Women: 1st Gabrielle Borland, 2nd Kiera Odlum, 3rd Emily Odlum. 8km: Open Men: 1st Miles Verschuur, 2nd Rob Preston, 3rd Stephen Renehan. Open Women: 1st Alice Miliani, 2nd Megan Scott. Veteran Men: 1st Ian Cornthwaite, 2nd Darrel Cross, 3rd Adrian Sutcliffe. Veteran Women: 1st Liz Kenney, 2nd Kaye Livingstone Springwood Perpetual Trophy: Miles Verschuur and Alice Miliani.
The Tarra-Bulga run at Balook 2 weeks ago was excellent, and there were some more wonderful results for Harriers members. Just finishing a challenging run like this, irrelevant of distance, is an achievement, but those who did the full or half distances are truly amazing. Well done to everyone who ran, and congratulations to our friends at Ultra Endurance for facilitating a great event.
We have a new club sponsor who has partnered with us to support the development of the club. Momentum Physio and Rehab Group are a young, energetic and dedicated local business, who already treats many of our members. They are ethically aligned with the values of the club, and have an honest desire to help runners and give back to the community. Aside from their financial sponsorship, they will provide members with a 10% discount on consultation, and they’ll be providing massages at the Traralgon Marathon. Owner Chris Calabrese will be coming along to introduce the business and do a short presentation on injury management after our Stockdale Rd run on May 23 in the club. Make sure you stick around for 15 minutes to support a business that is supporting us. We welcome Chris and the team to the club.
Remember to get your articles into the newsletter. The club newsletter is an important communication medium, and most members use it as a place to get updates, information and share stories. Our NL editors work hard to ensure it’s interesting, informative and relevant. Members enjoy reading of other member’s inspirational journeys, so don’t be shy to share. Shoot your articles, thoughts and running snippets through to Glenn Crawford at [email protected]
Events for this year’s Traralgon Marathon and Running Festival are selling like hotcakes! The Half Mara is almost sold out, with the Mara and 10k over 50% sold out already. There are caps on numbers so I again recommend you get in early. Go to the club website and click the link to take you to the entry. Make sure you support first-time marathon RD Desley Grey as she puts together the 57th running of our iconic event.
The club’s monthly dinner after last Thursday’s Tennis Court run, which was held at The Butter Factory, was well-attended by members, with some great conversations and laughs on the various tables. Make sure you put these dinner nights in your diary and join other members for a casual social gathering, dinner and a drink, after a run.
*IMPORTANT Harriers Dates
9 May Committee Meeting
23 May Quick Presentation on Injury Management by Momentum Physio
2 June 2024 the 57th Traralgon Marathon
Tuesday Group had its last track session for the season recently, and with daylight saving finishing, the team has moved out on the road for its winter training season. The summer track training saw large groups each week, working on their speed, strength, core and humour. TTRG is always a lot of fun, and focuses on building speed and endurance. Everyone is welcome to join Tuesday Group, which starts at the Little Aths Track on Davidson St Traralgon each Tuesday at 6pm. It’s always a top session, a solid workout (it is what the individual wants it to be), with a diverse range of runners and abilities, and lots of laughs. Group members always say, alone you’d never do the type of workout TTRG does, so come and give it a try.
The same can be said for T-Squad training on Saturdays, which is structured with great thought from coach Greg. Both these groups are free to attend and are essentially welcoming, encouraging extensions of Harriers, so put them on your weekly schedule.
Winter Season Rules
-Self Timing (please give time to duty member after you’ve finished the course).
-New Runners Always Welcome (2 free runs before membership).
-ALL RUNNERS MUST WEAR THE CLUB-APPROVED REFLECTIVE VEST DURING WINTER SEASON. Guests and forgetful members will be issued a loaner to be returned. All new financial members receive a vest as part of their membership. ALL MEMBERS MUST WEAR A CLUB APPROVED REFLECTIVE VEST AT EVERY WINTER RUN. This is part of an agreement made with Latrobe City and Vic Pol.
-PLEASE check in with duty members and get your name marked off the list BEFORE you take to the course (Very important for safety so we know who is on course). Walkers still start upon arrival for winter season.
-Look after junior runners and newbies. Be careful on the road, at road crossings. Give way to traffic.
-Pay attention at any turns, crossings, corners etc. Look for arrows on the ground.
-Please run on the right hand side if running on the road so you can see traffic, or preferably, on the footpath. Watch for obstacles. Safety is the priority over times!
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Please be aware of cars if you’re running on the road. We do not have right-of-way. We’ve had a few close calls over the years, and the last thing we want to see is a member getting injured due to negligence or not paying attention because they’re “in the zone”. This is not an allocation of fault or blame, just a fact, which we need to be aware of. Please be careful, pay attention and look after yourselves when running on the road. Time should not be your major focus, your safety should be. Unfortunately, there are a lot of foolish drivers on the road, and also people who are hostile towards runners for a multitude of (probably irrational and crazy) reasons. As a club we should not contribute to this negative perception by being foolish or inconsiderate ourselves. Every time we do a Thursday run on the road during winter, we are representing the club, and taking a calculated personal risk, so make sure you mitigate the risks and remain aware.
Again, run on footpaths if possible, but if you run on the road, stick to the right hand side gutter, so you can see oncoming traffic and move onto the nature strip if required.
*All members please check the Duty Roster and make note of your rostered date. If you can’t do your allocated duty, it’s up to you to swap with someone or get a fill-in. There are a multitude of reasons why you might not be on the roster; you’re a course marker, you don’t run Thursdays (only do AV or you’re a social member only), you’re a junior member, late-in-the-season-joining new member, or you got lucky. That’s the benefit of having good membership numbers; you get to run more and should only have to do one duty in a season. The idea is to make duty fun, it’s not a chore. It’s a great way to get to know other members and put names to faces. (NB: If you’re on duty, you can run early, do the course and put in your time). Duty members should be at the course as close to 5:30 as possible. Those who do duty or course marking get bonus points in the championships each season.
*Duty Roster Winter 2024
REMEMBER: If you can’t fulfil your allocated duty, the onus is on you to swap with someone.
APRIL
4 Kylee Earl & Kristine Sapkin
11 Luke Witham & Krissi Creighton
18 Kylie Warner & Ella Warner
25 ANZAC Peter Fairbairn & Sav Mavrofridis
MAY
2 Ian Cornthwaite & Owen Notting
9 Shane Gavin & Stacey Podmore
16 Nicholas Telerico & Maggie Wills
23 Gab Browne & Timothy Graham
30 Claire Macumber & Meg Macumber
JUNE
6 Ryan McLeod & Megan Scott
13 Fiona Syme & Des Dalton
20 Collette Hofmann & Ron Verschuur
27 Angelo Gaudiano & Kathleen Kent
*The duty roster for the remainder of the season will be completed once memberships for the next 12 months are confirmed.
Thought for the fortnight: Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it!
