This week’s run is the Tennis Court 5k (starting and finishing on Franklin Street). Parking on Franklin Street, or the soccer club car park. Club Dinner after the run, at the Butter Factory.
Duty: Michelle Colwell and Kathy Quinn. Course Marker: Tobi Grzmill.
Next week is the Netball Court 5k on Breed Street. Park in the car park; parking is limited on Breed Street.
Duty: Darrell Cross and Michael Walker. Course Marker: Kate Mayer.
Membership is now due for renewal. We ask everyone to renew (or sign up if you’re a newbie to the club) today. It makes managing the club, duty allocation, AV organisation and insurances smoother to administer, and means we don’t have to chase people.
Please finalise your membership by Thursday 27th April at the latest. Being a member gives you Thursday runs, discounted entry or free entry to club events, a club reflective vest worth over $60 to help keep you safe, social functions, discounts on club merchandise and a sense of belonging to a fantastic club! (Hopefully you’re sold)! When selecting your membership option, most will be Recreational Members, and there is also a Junior Rec Member option this year.
The club tries to keep its portion of the fees low, but it is noted that AV membership is quite expensive for those doing AV level participation - however it’s much cheaper than football/netball club membership or the cost of membership at most city clubs.
Marathon entry is open and all events are almost half full. Please note that numbers in each event will be capped so we encourage members to sign up early. Sunday June 4th is the date. The 56th running of the event will be a fantastic day as always, so enter the full, ½ or ¼ asap to avoid missing out. The first 50 entrants in each event will receive a special commemorative t-shirt.
Go to the Membership and Marathon entry pages for more information.
All members please check the updated Winter 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. If you’re not on the roster it’s because you’re a course marker, you don’t run Thursdays (only do AV), 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).
*UPDATED Duty Roster Winter 2023
REMEMBER: If you can’t fulfil your allocated duty, the onus is on you to swap with someone.
20 April: Michelle Colwell and Kathy Quinn
27 April: Darrell Cross and Michael Walker
4 May: Krissi Crieghton and Luke Witham
11 May: Errol Poole and Angelo Gaudiano
18 May: Nick Hodson and Kylee Earl
25 May: David Hood and Andrew Broburg
1 June: Claire McCumber and Emma Marino
8 June: Ron Verschuur and Collette Hoffman
15 June: Mark Fairbairn and Ian Cornthwaite
22 June: Paul Rollandin and Nicholas Talerico
29 June: Stephen Renehan and Andrew Panayiotou
6 July: Kate Cumming and Clinton Jolly
13 July: Glenn Graham and Kathleen Kent
20 July: Trent Kooyman and Owen Notting
27 July: Jason Odlum and David Wirken
3 Aug: Kylie Murray and Rose Croft
10 Aug: Michelle Sawyer and Maree Graham
17 Aug: Katelyn Rowe and Felicity Beasley
24 Aug: Bjorn Luxmann and Paul Smith
31 Aug: Tania Whitehead and Denise Twite
7 Sept: David Barr and Josh Dalton
14 Sep: Anthony Magali and Andrew Greenhill
21 Sep: Gary Fox and Shane Gavin
28 Sep: Liz Kenney and Matilda Lappin
5 Oct: Newborough Track Duty TBC
12 Oct: Samantha McGown and John Richards
IMPORTANT Harriers Dates
27 April: Committee Meeting - Next Week
4 June 2023: 56th Traralgon Marathon and Running Festival - 7 weeks
29 June: AGM
We’ve got some great feedback about the new club website (still at traralgonharriers.org.au)! It has a new look, a new layout and new, easy to navigate pages. Excellent work by our tech geniuses Dave Barr, Andrew Broburg and Sep Marino has resulted in a great updated website. All you have to do is go check it out, and find the button links to renew membership, enter the Mara or find out any info you may need. Keep the feedback coming, let us know what you think, and if we’re missing anything or you have ideas, have the conversation and make the suggestions.
Winter Season Rules
PLEASE ensure you check in with duty members and get your name marked off the list BEFORE you take to the course. This is very important for safety so we know who is on course. Walkers will still start early for winter season.
Due to membership numbers, and safety on the road for in-town runs, we’ll be running 3 Groups for our winter season:
Group 1 (Walkers/ Slower Runners) start upon arrival, up to 5:55pm
Group 2 starts at 6pm
Group 3 starts at 6:10pm
Self-Timing. Please provide your time to the duty team once you cross the line. This also helps ensure everyone has safely returned following the run.
New Runners Always Welcome (2 free runs).
ALL RUNNERS MUST WEAR THE CLUB-APPROVED REFLECTIVE VEST AT EVERY WINTER RUN. Guests and forgetful members will be issued a loaner to be returned. All financial members receive a vest as part of their membership (over $55 value). Wearing the reflective vests is part of an agreement made with Latrobe City and Victoria Police.
Please look after junior runners and newbies. Be careful on the road, at road crossings. Give way to traffic. Please run on the right-hand side so you can see traffic, or preferably, on the footpath. Watch for obstacles. Safety is the priority over times!
The course marking roster is now full. Thanks to those who claimed a course to mark. Runs can’t happen without our essential and valued course markers. Marking fulfils a member’s allocated duty slot. Course markers, make sure you adhere to the CM outline below.
The AV Team is gearing up for a new season, with the first race this weekend. Club Captain Greg Semmler has worked with Miles Verschuuer to put together our club’s reps and teams. This is the strongest representation the club has ever had at AV level, with many teams, new faces and a great enthusiasm making up the largest contingent we’ve seen, certainly in my time as a member of the club.
It’s fantastic that the club has so many levels and reasons for participation, and each is excited and enthusiastic for their involvement. Whether its Thursday runs, coaching, training groups, the social and recreational aspect, our club weekend events or AV level participation, this club has dedicated members who support each other, and many great friendships develop. Add to that those members who volunteer their time to sit on committee, race direct, do media reports, contribute to the newsletter, mark a course, help out with events or the myriad other small jobs that make the club run smoothly, and everyone can see why this club is so special, successful and in such a great position.
But remember, a healthy club requires new energy, new ideas and a little helping of selflessness to keep it going. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to think about taking on a designated role, becoming a Race Director or joining the committee. The AGM will be after the Marathon in June.
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GENERAL CLUB NOTES
For those doing Thursday duty, please arrive by 5:40pm at the start of the course. The list will be there provided by Handicapper Andrew Legge. You need to check-in all attending members (by highlighting their names) before they set off on course, and write in their times at the end. One person should be responsible for the list, the other should be on the clock and announcing start times for the groups (use your phone). Give each group a five-minute, one minute and 10 second warning, and then a clear vocal start.
Course markers should inform of any aspects on the course for safety, and you should be familiar with the course if there is a Plotaroute (many summer trails don’t have them) so you can give directions especially to new runners (who you should make feel welcome and inform me of their attendance to give a shout out at the end). Plotaroutes are posted on the club’s FB page and Insta. The course marker should make note of any obstructions or obstacles and point them out at the start of the run and inform those on duty. Winter in town runs must be marked with white chalk with large arrows.
Traralgon Harriers Merchandise – Remember we’ve got club socks, caps, visors and beanies; socks come in women’s and men’s and are $15 for members ($20 for non-members), caps are one-size fit $20 ($25 non), and beanies are $20 for members ($25 for non). We also have running singlets at a cost of $30 for members. All merchandise is at a subsidised cost to members; we’re not trying to make money off these items, just provide another way for members to unify, identify and fly the club flag.
Don’t forget the Lucky Member Prize Draw after each Thursday run. All financial members are on the list. Remember you must be there to collect your prize otherwise it is re-drawn (This happens a fair bit, so don’t miss out - Don’t be a winner who leaves and therefore loses). The value of the prizes has gone up so it’s even more worth your while sticking around. Remember, the draw happens after the last runner is through and all times have been recorded. Thanks to Kaye Livingstone for organising the weekly prizes.
At the end of each Thursday run we also welcome and acknowledge any new runners who have joined us for the first time. If you see a new face, say hi, chat to them and make sure they stick around and feel welcomed. We seem to have new runners every week and a lot are actually joining after their 2 free runs.
*T-Squad Weekend Sessions: usually Saturday mornings, various locations with Greg Semmler. Join the FB Group “T Squad” for more details.
*Tuesday Group Sessions: at the Little Aths Track, Davidson Street Traralgon from 6pm with me and a great team. Join the FB Group “Traralgon Tuesday Running Group” for more details.
Remember to shoot your run reports and fitness adventures to Twitey to be included in the newsletter. ([email protected]).
Thought for the week: Running hurts, but so does not running. The truth is, there is always some pain required to achieve any gain, but not running hurts more in the long term. The first kind of hurt goes away in hours or a few days, but the second kind of hurt can last a lifetime.
Phill Mayer – President
