Above: Denise Twite slashing two and a half minutes off her previous years’ time in an impressive performance at the recent Jells Park AV event.
We’ve hit the 120 members mark in record time, as the club continues to thrive thanks to the wonderful energy, dedication and enthusiasm from many members, in particular the committee, not to mention the time and work being put in to make the club a fantastic environment for all.
On that note, Committee Meeting this Thursday.
If you haven’t renewed your membership, it is overdue. 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. AV have deleted our “Life Member” option, so we ask Life Members to sign up as Social Members. Please go to traralgonharriers.org.au and click the “become a member” button to renew in a timely manner.
Everyone please check and note in your calendar, the updated Winter Season Duty Roster.
We’re 5 weeks into Winter Season, and there have only been a handful of forgetful runners, not remembering their club vests, which is great to see. It’s quite the sight watching a mass of Harriers wearing their reflective vests, and I’ve had many messages and comments from the general community (all positive, which is a welcome change). 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.
Our new club sponsor, Momentum Physio and Rehab Group, is giving 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 at the club. Make sure you stick around for 15 minutes to support a business that is supporting us.
The Mother’s Day Classic Run is on this weekend, and I know a lot of club members support this event, running from either Toongabbie or Traralgon. The event raises much needed funds for valuable research into breast cancer. This run has a special place for me, as it’s the annual reminder of my own mother’s passing (a decade ago now). She died a week before Mother’s Day and 4 weeks before her 72nd birthday, so it’s an appropriate way for me remember and acknowledge her life, with a run and then a bottle of red at her grave. Mum was diagnosed with early-onset dementia and 2 years later developed cancer. This is an important time to show love and appreciation to all our mums, who contribute so much to our lives. To the mums in the club, hugs to you.
It’s fantastic to see our AV Team doing well and having such solid representation. Great work to all team members, especially the new runners, and thanks to our team captains for their hard work in organising and coordinating.
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]
The 2024 Traralgon Marathon and Running Festival is officially sold out across all events. We hit our event caps last week, 4 weeks out from the event. If you’re not running and can help out on the day, please support first-time marathon RD Desley Gray as she puts together the 57th running of our iconic event.
*IMPORTANT Harriers Dates
9 May Committee Meeting TONIGHT
23 May Quick Presentation on Injury Management by Momentum Physio
2 June 2024 the 57th Traralgon Marathon
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 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 club championship each season.
*COMPLETE 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 & Dave Mann
23 Linda Jones & 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
JULY
4 Michelle Colwell & Kathy Quinn
11 Darrel Cross & Mandy Ellis
18 Mark Fairbairn & Gary Fox
25 Glenn Graham & Bjorn Luxmann
AUGUST
1 Chesney Podmore & Andrew Panayiotou
8 Samantha Riddle & Michelle Sawyer
15 Adrian Sutcliffe & Jason Odlum
22 Sally Theobald & Angeline Snell
29 Paul Smith & Marieka Reilly
SEPTEMBER
5 Adam Riddle & Shay Lorenz
12 Samantha McGown & Jay McGown
19 Ann Maloney & Anthony Magaldi
26 Catherine Leonard & Karen Graham
OCTOBER
3 Geoff Francis & Lea Francis
Thought for the fortnight: The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation!
Phill Mayer – President
