What a great number of runners we had for King & Queen of the Mountain last weekend. 25 individuals climbed Mt Tassie, with 9 teams racing to the top in healthy competition. Well done and a huge thanks to Race Director Ron Verschuur and all the volunteers who helped to make the day another success for the club, and a fun event for participants.
Next Thursday is our annual Xmas Bash, novelty run, celebrations, and Winter Presentation night. This has turned into a massive gathering of members over the last few years, growing in numbers every year. It’d be great to see as many club members and guests there as possible. See the flier in this NL, but make sure you rsvp via this link so we can make sure to cater appropriately.
Entry for the 58th Traralgon Marathon are now open, with generous discounts for early birds and member’s.
The club’s Aths Vic Team has really grown and flourished over the last few years, with wonderful supportive leadership by Greg Semmler, along with Miles Verschuuer, Yani Cornthwaite and Callie Cook. As is Greg stepping down, we’ll be looking for new energy to step up and take the baton. I believe Miles wants to continue on with support, and Callie is considering going around again. If you’re interested, please have a chat with me. It’s a rewarding gig, running with top people, and of course supported by the club.
Last week’s committee meeting was productive as always, and the new committee continue to impress with their ideas and positive energy, wanting to make the club the best it can be for all members. The main focus is on our events, and the operations of the club, along with how our systems can be improved. We are in a strong financial position, with membership hitting the 150 mark, and the club having invested in many assets which will serve us into the future.
A reminder that events only happen if we have members to put their hands up to organise them, and of course, members vote with their feet by showing up to actually run them. The Harriers charter says we have to run a certain amount of weekend events, but sometimes these things get stale and need refreshing, so we are looking at how we can enliven our smaller club events to attract more members and guests. The committee is always open to suggestions and ideas, so you have any, share with a committee member. Likewise, if you’re interested in becoming a Race Director, we’d love to hear from you.
I’m again asking for suggestion to improve our Winter Run schedule. Safety is always a major consideration for the club, and protecting club members is a really important aspect for all our events, and especially for Thursday runs. Many of our club winter runs were established in the past, when Traralgon wasn’t as busy, with less traffic and road crossings, and some of them now are becoming untenable as the population of Traralgon grows. We need your suggestions for new runs, which are safer, consider winter aspects of lighting, roads, traffic, volume of runners on course, trip hazards etc.
If you have a suggestion for a run in town that you think may fit the bill, have a chat with a committee member so we can consider it, do a safety audit, and hopefully include some new runs to replace some of the more risky winter Thursday courses in 2025.
A reminder, please check the Summer 2024/25 Duty Roster and the Season Run Calendar in this newsletter. The onus is on you to make sure your allocated duty night is filled, so please mark your allocated date in your diary.
The club’s X’mas Lights Run has been rescheduled to Friday 20th December. Keep a look on socials for further details.
We get so many wonderful stories in the club newsletter, and many of our members are always off doing something around the state (and indeed the world on some accounts). All members have a story, and other members love hearing about the achievements and adventures in running outside the club. Make sure you submit your stories, even if they’re just brief. It’s not just about beating your own drum; your stories are interesting, entertaining and you never know who you’ll be inspiring, so take the time to write and 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 engaging and informative, so don’t be shy to share. The editing team, led by Glenn Crawford, spend a lot of time and care putting the NL together, so shoot your articles, thoughts, photos, and running snippets through to [email protected]
*IMPORTANT Harriers Dates
12 Dec Club X’Mas Break-up, Novelty Run & Winter Presentations (RSVP NOW)!
20 Dec Club X’Mas Lights Run Traralgon (Friends and guests welcome)
23 March 2025 27th Harriers Community Fun Run (RD Trent Kooyman & Clinton Jolly)
1 June 2025 58th Harriers Traralgon Marathon (New start location) (RD Desley Gray)
As this is the final NL for the year, I want to wish everyone a happy and safe festive season.
A massive thanks to all Committee Members, Newsletter Editors, Race Directors, members who have volunteered for events, members who have done a weekly duty, marked a course, and everyone else who has contributed to making the club a genuinely wonderful organisation.
Enjoy time with your friends and family, make the moments count, focus on all the good things in life, and of course, enjoy a few runs. Thanks to all members and club friends for your support during the last 12 months. Traralgon Harriers is a wonderful club because of the people who make up its membership, and those that support, sponsor, and cheer us on from the sidelines.
See you all at the Xmas Bash, Xmas Lights Run, and we return for 2025 on the 16th of January.
Phill Mayer – President
*Duty Roster Summer 2024/25
REMEMBER: If you can’t fulfil your allocated duty, the onus is on you to swap with someone.
DECEMBER
12 X’Mas Break-up & Winter Presentation
20 X’Mas Lights Run
JANUARY
16 Megan Scott & Paul Smith
23 Stephen McLeod & Kylee Earl
30 Peter Fairbairn & Catherine Leonard
FEBRUARY
6 Darrel Cross & Alfred Warner
13 Angeline Snell & Geoff Francis
20 Elizabeth Kenney & Mandy Ellis
27 Maree Graham & Stacey Podmore
MARCH
6 Luke Witham & Timothy Graham
13 Collette Hofmann & Anja Norwood
20 Gay Cornthwaite & Owen Notting
27 Glenn Graham & Michelle Sawyer
APRIL
3 Newborough Track (volunteers please)
