HARRA 500 - Guaranteed Houston Marathon Registration Now Accepting Applications

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN....The Chevron Houston Marathon is a popular event with more runners wanting to run than the course can support. For the 2014 event, there are five options available for an early (guaranteed) registration. In addition to the HARRA 500 program, there are options for veteran runners, time qualifiers, deferred registrants and third time's a charm runners. You should review the details at the Marathon Registration web site.

Runners who do not qualify for early registration are entered into a lottery for the remaining registrations. The HARRA 500 program provides HARRA members entrance to early registration (e.g. bypass the lottery) for the full marathon if they do not otherwise qualify. To get started with the HARRA 500 program, click on On-line application to the HARRA 500 registration link.

There is no cost to apply for a HARRA member. If you are not a HARRA member, you can join HARRA now and are eligible for the HARRA 500. In recent years we have been able to accommodate all valid on time applications. Note that the marathon’s lottery starts on June 6th – after the HARRA 500 program awards registrations. So, if you apply for HARRA 500 and are not selected you can still apply for the lottery.

The HARRA 500 program is open for registration until May 5. Runners whose applications show superior qualifications based on volunteering, running and length membership will be accepted into the program on an on-going basis and notified by email. The remaining applications will then be evaluated with final awards made on or before May 6. In case demand exceeds supply, applicants who have not been admitted into the program will also be notified at that time and may wish to enter the lottery program starting June 5th. Approved applicants for the HARRA 500 program will be given a registration code that is valid until midnight May 30. You must register at the Marathon web site before the expiration date.

You can get more information on the HARRA 500 program here, or if you are a Qualified Runner, go here to register.

BCRR This Week, April 22 through 29, 2013

HELLO BAYOU CITY!

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To all of you who participated in last Monday's Boston Marathon we are happy you all made it home safely.   Unfortunately, what should had been a day of great joy and celebration ended up being a sad day for you and the running community. We wish you well with your training and hope you all get back to Boston again soon so you can fully experience the great joy of this great race like you truly deserve.

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BCRR Birthdays This Week: Jordan Parker (April 23), Jason Daniel (April 26), Caryle Graydon (April 29), Lindsey Heinzman (April 29), and Janet Sutton (April 29).  * =New Age Group

Have a very happy birthday!

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NEXT SATURDAY, APRIL 27 AT RICE STADIUM at 4 pm - Plan to attend the last race of the HARRA Spring Series, the Bayou Bash Relay followed by the HARRA Family Picnic. Many of our runners will be out of town that weekend, but BCRR can still represent!! If you have not yet formed your own team and want to run, please contact:

Lara Allen (Women 40-49) larabcrr@gmail.com
Kathi Mahon (Women 50+) kmahon@bcm.edu
Trey Beeman (Open Men) treybeeman@gmail.com
Mike Mangan (Men 60+) mikemangan@advantage-intl-mktg.com
Rosie Schmandt (Open Women, and Men 40-49, Men 50-59) rschmandt@yahoo.com

We have team for you!

Not running? Volunteers are needed to help with the picnic...please contact Kathi Mahon.

It's also a good place to renew your HARRA membership for next year, Save $5.00!.
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SAVE THE DATE: BCRR Awards Banquet, May 29, 2013, St. Arnold's Brewery, details to follow.
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Nominations for the next BCRR Board will be held at Valhalla on Wednesday night. Do you love BCRR? Consider spending a year on the board. It is a rewarding opportunity to make an impact on the club and to see all of the pieces that come together to make this club successful. Election results will be announced at the Awards Banquet on May 29th.
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Chris Eick is fielding a Running Art Exhibit (Teams need to have 4+ runners) for the Houston Electric Run (http://electricrun.com/houston/) scheduled for Saturday, June 29, 9p in Reliant Stadium.

He would like to assemble a team/set of teams for the event, register for the race by May 9, and starting middle of June the team will be working on ideas for the exhibit and the exhibit itself. Send Chris an e-mail no later than Monday, May 6, if you are interested in participating in this endeavor .

Chris(toph) Eick e-mail: ceick@aol.com
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The Runners High Club has invited BCRR to their interclub picnic Saturday, May 25 4:30pm-8:30pm. The will have volleyball, horse shoes, bean bag toss, and food. They ask that you bring a dish. They will provide beer and frozen margaritas. Location: Memorial Park (Arnot & Haskell)
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The BCRR Beach to Bay Marathon webpage is up and running (http://www.bcrr.org/corpus13.html).
Please let our webmaster know the status of your team and condo. Our website makes it easy to coordinate runners and roomies for the crazy Corpus Christi weekend. For new members, if you've never heard of this event...The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is a six-person relay running event that totals 26.2 miles of beach, pavement, a little sweat, an occasional tear and a bunch of smiles. Beginning on the sands of North Padre Island, winding through Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and ending at McCaughan Park along Corpus Christi’s scenic Shoreline Drive, the course is divided into six-legs of roughly 4.4 miles each. Held on May 18th, Armed Forces Day, B2B proudly honors the men and women serving in our United States Military.
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Want a destination marathon in your future, consider joining Steve and Susan Davis for American Discovery Trail Marathon (includes a half) in Colorado Springs, CO on Labor Day. This trail marathon is a USATF certified Boston Qualifier, easy to run for it is a slight downhill most of the way, very low key, and views of the Rocky Mountains. It makes a great start or finish for a fun vacation in the mountains. The Antler Hilton is a nice hotel with reasonable rates near the finish line and has a special bus to take you to the start. Susan used it as the perfect training run for the Chicago Marathon last year. For more information check out their website at http://www.adtmarathon.com
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Please email your marathon or half-marathon stories and pictures to Chris McGrew at bcrr.news@gmail.com to put in the newsletter. Lauren Wilder also could use photos for her monthly Inside Texas Running article at laurenwilder@juno.com
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WORD FROM THE BIRD wants to hear from you. Feel free to contribute with any interesting running material you want to see in the newsletter. The bird is always on the lookout for entertaining run/race reports, how-to/technical articles, editorials, and photos. Just submit your story to (bcrr.news@gmail.com). The Deadline for consideration to the next newsletter is always the 20th day of the month.
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Want to know about local races, training runs and BCRR events? Just go to the BCRR Calendar.(https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=runwiththebird1%40gmail.com&ctz=America/Chicago)
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REPORT YOUR RACE RESULTS: We want to know what our members are doing on the roads and/or trails. Send all your results to us at (bcrr.results@gmail.com)before the 20th day of the month and we’ll make sure they hit the next newsletter!
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Running Calendar:

SUNDAY, MAY 5TH: The Lupus Foundation of America, Texas Gulf Coast Chapter is hosting the 6th annual Walk for Lupus NOW & 5k Run on Sunday, May 5th at Minute Maid Park. To register for the race please visit the following link:
 http://2013walktoendlupusnowhouston.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1047739
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OCTOBER 12TH: The Texas Mud Run 5K: http://westtexasmudrun.com/Mud_Run/Welcome.html


HARRA TOUR DE BAYOU:  Stage 4 tomorrow (April 23rd) and Stage 5 on April 30th both at the Ho Chi Minh trail, Memorial Park Rugby Field.
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Wednesday (Rice University): Join us every Wednesday evening at Rice University for Sprints and Spirits. The group meets at the First Christian Church/School parking lot off Rice Blvd. (1628 Rice Blvd.) at 5:45 pm (run leaves at 6 pm). The Bayou Run (6.6 miles) is the usual route but there are shortcuts and alternative routes as well. All levels are welcome. And the best part is the cheap beer at Valhalla, a delightfully casual and economical watering hole, afterwards. Come on out! It's a great way to break up the stressful work week.

Friday Hills at Mount Bacon (Tanglewood): Join us for this weekly run from St. Martins Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road to Mount Bacon. We meet in the church parking lot at the corner of Sage Road and Woodway Drive at 5:30 am. We have a 1.3 mile warm-up run to Mount Bacon and do 2 to 4 miles of hills with a 1.3 mile run back to the church.

Sunday Long Run (Memorial Park, 6:30AM): Join us for the weekly long run from Memorial Park zero-mile marker. We leave promptly at 6:30 and members typically run between 10 and 15 miles. Breakfast afterwards somewhere.

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Your BCRR Board!!!

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Are you stressed, sore, or do you just need a relaxing massage? Contact Peter Blackwell, LMT, a BCRR-affiliated massage therapist. Call (832) 248-2339 and let him know you're a BCRR member when you book your appointment.

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Visit Finish Strong Sports at www.Finishstrongsports.com. Finish Strong Sports isn't like your regular athletic store. We understand that every person has different feet, different fitness levels and different exercise goals. Whether you're looking for the latest shoes, apparel or accessories, our knowledgeable staff will take the time to understand your unique needs and recommend products and solutions to help you achieve peak performance.

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"MultiSportHealthCenter" for runners utilizing ART& FOOTMAXX. Contact Dr. Chris Sanders at 713.572.4100 for Injury Treatment& Prevention Through Structural Management or visit http://www.multisporthealthcenter.com

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How would you like to see your own advertisement above in this weekly email? For all personal or business advertising inquiries, please send an email to our treasurer susancita.bcrr@gmail.com

BCRR This Week, April 8 through 15, 2013

HELLO BAYOU CITY!
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Welcome new members David Martinez and Xavier Avila,
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A large crowd was on hand at Sue Leone and Alan Svoboda home on Saturday evening for the final four watch party. Thanks to Sue and Alan for once again hosting a wonderful party at their home.

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BCRR Birthdays This Week:  Ross Davis (April 11), Shelley Grahmann (April 11), Eric Pace, At Large Board Member (April 11), Robert Schamus (April 13), Jeff Eisele (April 15), Lana Moody (April 15) and Rich Vega (April 15) * =New Age Group
Have a very happy birthday!

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BCRR This Week, April 1 through 8, 2013

HELLO BAYOU CITY!

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Thanks to Alonso Vargas who sponsored the beer tab at Valhalla last Wednesday.

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BCRR Birthdays This Week: Naomi Childress (April 2), Scott Johnson (April 3), Jo Ann Luco (April 3), Carol Munyua (April 3), Suzy Seeley (April 4), Larry Cullen * (April 5), Heidi Zimmerman * (April 5), Serai Abraham (April 6), Kelli Stilley (April 7) and Jerry Robinson (April 8). * =New Age Group

Have a very happy birthday!

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Thank to Paul Schulz for the great party at his house celebrating his annual 39th birthday. Everyone had a great time.

Thanks also to Chuck and Cheryl for hosting a cocktail party at their place in New Orleans last Saturday for those who were in town running the All State Sugar Bowl Crescent City Classic Race.

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MEMORIAL PARK WARNING: There has been a significant rise in car break-ins at Memorial Park during daylight hours. Thieves are watching you leave your car for a run/walk - then they break in to your cars. HPD has been more visible since the break-ins and since the BB gun shooting incident, but please do no leave valuables in sight and remember to lock your cars.

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SAVE THE DATE May 18, 2013......BEACH TO BAY in Corpus Christi. It's time to start organizing your relay team. 

BCRR This Week, March 25 through April 1, 2013

HELLO BAYOU CITY!

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BCRR Birthdays This Week: Alonso Vargas (March 26), Doug Carlisle (March 30) and Mark Miller (March 31)

Have a very happy birthday!

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This was such a busy event weekend, so BCRR was spread all over the map!

At the Law Week Run on Saturday, despite the warm weather and small crowd, BCRR was represented well, with several age group winners! We're still waiting for the final results to be posted. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated!

Tom and Sheila competed in Team 1!

A large number of BCRR members ran in the Texas Independence Relay this weekend, and we'd love to hear about it!!    Why not write something for our blog or our newsletter?   I've seen some great pictures on Facebook!

Several BCRR members ran as "For Those about to Run" 

This Sunday afternoon, BCRR once again set out to prove why we run and don't bowl. Several bowling PRs were set, but Lisa Thompson has relinquished the much coveted "Why I Run and Don't Bowl Trophy" to Kate Philbrick. A rematch is planned for the end of the summer.

Paul Schulz is celebrating his 39th birthday (again) and is inviting BCRR to celebrate with him.  Paul and Sue would like to invite folks by their house for beer, wine, pizza and snacks!  Party begins at 7PM Friday March 29th.  Come and go at any time.  Pool and hot tub will be on.  Very informal - a glorified Valhalla evening!  3030 Amherst St., Houston, TX 77005 (same street as Prego's and Le Madeleine, just 3 blocks west)  See you there!!!

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BCRR Member Joe Sellers on Great Day Houston

BCRR Member and former president Joe Sellers made an appearance on KHOU to promote the Bayou City Classic on "Great Day Houston" last month. In case you missed it, here it is:

A Call to Arms (or Show Me the Way to the Boat Shed)

A MESSAGE FROM BCRR PREZ ROSIE SCHMANDT:

Our resident “do everything guy” John Phillips recently underwent surgery to repair some torn ligaments in his left shoulder, putting him in the “one armed man” category and on the disabled list until the end of the HARRA Spring Series. This leaves BCRR with an unusual problem, and the opportunity for us to help John out.

Big John at the Boatshed 

We are a very lucky club.  The day before every HARRA race, John goes to the Boat Shed (usually alone) where he loads our big purple tent, porta-potties, tables, chairs, carpet, banners, flags, and any other BCRR accessories onto his trailer for the next day’s race.  On race day, he usually arrives 2.5-3 hours in advance of the race start time to set up everything up for us in a premium post-race party location, so that we arrive to a fully assembled BCRR command center.  Then at the end of the race, he returns everything to the Boat Shed until next time.  It’s a lot of work, and although he never complains, John always appreciates help with this chore.  Now our help is absolutely needed.   He can’t do it alone.  Since all of the spring series races fall on a Saturday, we need volunteers that can go to the Boat Shed with John on Fridays, prior to a race, to load the trailer, we need early assistance on Saturdays for tent set up, and then post-race volunteers to tear down and return our stuff to the Boat Shed.  We’ve had great help from several of our usual volunteers thus far, but if you’ve never volunteered for this job before, here is your chance.  Consider it your entry to a secret society…people who have actually been to the Boat Shed.

The remaining HARRA spring races are:

• ·      March 23, 2013  Law Week 8K Run
• ·      April 13, 2013 Bellaire Trolley Run 5K
• ·      April 17, 2013 LP Run (no help needed for set up for this race)
• ·      April 27, 2013 Bayou Bash Relay (and usually HARRA picnic)

We shouldn’t need more than 2-3 volunteers (burly guys especially welcome) each trip to the Boat Shed.   (No additional help is required for the LP run as we usually just bring our BCRR banner).

Where is the Boat Shed?  It is on the southeast corner of the 610 loop, and if you’ve ever run the Texas Independence Relay, you’ve run through nearby neighborhoods. 

Contact Rosie or John for the exact physical coordinates, or you can make arrangements to meet John and follow him down.  The first trip is always a little confusing.  The neighborhood is industrial and not particularly picturesque, so this may be the best option.  It’s a worthwhile experience and is a real eye opener to what goes on before and after every race we run, and why John Phillips is such a valued member of BCRR.  Thanks in advance for volunteering!

Let's Help John Out!!