BCRR Weekly Update 08/21/23 - 08/27/23

Greetings Bayou City Road Runners The Word from the Bird ­ Early bird volunteers helped assemble the main Party in the Park sign at Memorial Park. Party in the Park Packs the Park Last Saturday, Aug 19, BCRR joined HARRA for the annual Party in the Park. Run clubs from across Houston got together at Memorial Park (under a scorching sun) to celebrate running and invite nonmembers to join up.    The fun featured beer, watermelon, bagels, bananas, music, and lots, AND LOTS, of runners. There were so many runners and walkers that the park seemed packed like sardines in a can (a hot and sticky can).    SPECIAL THANKS to the many volunteers that worked to make the event a success. Some* of the folks lending a hand on Saturday are names well know to the BCRR family, including:   Anna Helm Chad Holmes Charlie Schaub Hans Wong Joe Lengfellner Joe Sellers Joel DuBois June Harris Hope Sellers Kathi Mahon Larry Lindeen Marie Hutchinson Michelle Wolpert Mike Mangan Milan Jamrich Mirka Jalovcová Robert Swanson Stephen Kallus Susan Cita *Apologies if list is incomplete. ­ Wednesday Rice Run Parking Change HEADS-UP: This Wednesday (8/23) evening is parent night at the First Christian Church/School. Please expect NO PARKING available to runners. BCRR drivers may wish to consider parking in the surrounding neighborhoods or the low-cost Rice Lot, or carpool or bike to the run.  ­ The Relay is Coming Soon! Start planning your team, and get ready for the HARRA Fall Series cross-country relay coming up Saturday, Sept 23, at Bear Creek Park! This year the (4-person X 2-miles) race is hosted by Trail Racing Over Texas and Hardloop Endurance.  Learn more HERE. Until then, Save the Date! ­ Don't get left behind Renew your BCRR membership! HEADS UP! August is the "cut off month" for BCRR emails for anyone who does not renew membership. All members are encouraged to renew their membership TODAY to avoid being cut from the club's email list at the end of August. Select this LINK TO RENEW your membership or learn more. Questions, or comments? Email HoustonBCRR@gmail.com, or reach out to any BCRR board member.  ­ The BCRR Events Calendar is Online Didn't catch the latest newsletter? Missed the plans made at a recent run? Didn't hear what location was decided for the latest meetup? All this and more is listed online on the BCRR calendar! Check it out at BCRR.org/Calendar! Be in the know! ­ BCRR's diehards slog through the Houston heat on a recent Sunday long run to stay strong going into the HARRA Fall Series. HARRA Fall Series Run and accumulate Runner of the Season (RotS) points for yourself. Top runners receive cash awards. Rankings can be viewed on the HARRA Leaderboard. RotS standings will be calculated on the best 3 out of 5 individual races in the HARRA Fall Series. Your points also count for your club standings in the Interclub Competitions. (Relay counts for Interclub Competitions only.)   Cross Country Relay: Sept 23, 2023 Space City 10 Miler: Oct 8, 2023 Houston Half Marathon: Oct 29, 2023 HMSA Classical 25K: Nov 19, 2023 Miles for Military 30K: Dec 17, 2023 Chevron Houston Marathon: Jan 14, 2024   ­ Road Warriors Report Christoph Eick, fresh off of sponsoring the Valhalla tab last Wednesday, shows more good sportsmanship by sharing his report from the Habanero 100 20K Race:   On Saturday, August 12, I finished the Habanero 100 20K Race in a time of 4:21 and earning 27th place (of 41 finishers). The temperature at the 12:30 pm race start was 99.5° F (102 in the sun) and reached a high at 3:30 pm of 104.2° F (106 in the sun). The temperature when I finished the race at 5 pm was 102° F (104 in the sun). This was the warmest Habanero 100 ever. The race was run at the beautiful 7IL Ranch in Cat Spring, Texas.   If you have a race report, or other interesting running experience to share, please email houstonbcrr@gmail.com. We'd love to feature your report! ­ Thank You for Your Vote! The polls closed on the BCRR communications survey. Nearly two dozen people shared their thoughts. The top four responses on "What would you like to see in our eblasts/newsletters?" were as follows: Event dates and Calendar notes Event Recaps/Reporting Member Profiles Race PR and Podium notices Sadly, one subject, Horoscopes and Psychic Predictions, failed to win even a single vote. ­ Alex 5K Early Bird Special THE 13th ANNUAL ALEX'S 5K - NOVEMBER 4, 2023 Registration is now open for the 2023 Alex's 5K. Thanks to all of you, we have raised over $206,000 for autism charities over the last 12 years! We were able to give $28,000 from last year's race alone! We are confident - with your help - that we can do even better this year!   Please run, volunteer or donate.   Early Bird Pricing of only $30 until September 1st! REGISTER HERE If you have questions, or would like to serve on the race committee, please contact info@alex5k.com ­ Running Warehouse Discount BCRR is proud to have business partners and supporters, and we invite all our members to take advantage of the special 10% discount BCRR members enjoy on most items at RunningWarehouse.com.   Discount Code: See member's email ­ New Members Know a running enthusiast or fan that would make a great addition to the club? Invite them to join us! We're always happy to welcome new members to BCRR!  ­ Happy Birthday! This week's birthday:  Aug 21: Fred Mathis Aug 26: Mike Crowley and Melissa Weiland Aug 27: Scott Harrell and Kathryn Vidal ­ Happy Hour This week's Happy Hour is going to be at Grand Prize Bar (1010 Banks St)! Join us Friday night starting about 7 p.m. Watch the club's Facebook page for details and updates. ­ Sundays Need Hydration Support Who likes water during the Sunday long runs? Especially during the summer temps! Our Sunday morning hydration team could use a little more help as people go on vacation. Please contact Loris at Loris0105@yahoo.com for more information on how to volunteer! ­ Friendly COVID Reminder As the number of cases fluctuates, the BCRR Board kindly requests that you receive the COVID vaccination to minimize the risk to yourself and others. Wearing a mask is still encouraged. Please maintain social distancing prior to and following club runs. Additionally, if you are feeling ill, have a fever, or have been exposed to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, please do not attend club runs for 2 weeks.  ­ Weekly Club Runs Mellow Monday 7pm at Memorial Park Tennis Center for a 3 mile casual paced run around the Park and dinner to follow Wednesday Run 6:30pm at First Christian Church for a 3-6 mile run around Rice University and Hermann Park followed by drinks at Valhalla Friday Speedwork 5:30am at Memorial Park Running Center. Contact Peter Griffiths for more info Sunday Long Run 6:30am at Memorial Park Tennis Center for a 10-12 mile supported run w/ water at 2 locations followed by breakfast at Starbucks (1300 Post Oak Park Drive) **Please note that in cases of inclement weather, i.e. thunder & lightning, group runs will be cancelled for safety reasons. Check the BCRR Facebook Page for the latest updates on run cancellations**   If you are feeling ill, have a fever, or have been exposed to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, please do not attend club runs for 2 weeks.  ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Bayou City Road Runners PO Box 66196, Houston, TX 77266