Remarks from the Banquet

It’s important that we make time to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of our members. There is so much that must go right to be able to achieve a big goal, and when the stars align and the goal is reached, it is worth celebrating.

For the members whose running accomplishments that we recognized, these individuals had to have a plan, the time to invest in training, commitment, focus, determination, self-discipline, grit, good health and the good fortune to meet the moment.  And I strongly suspect that they did not achieve their goals on their own. They likely had family and friends to encourage them, to lift them up when things weren’t going their way… people who were willing to sacrifice their time to help and tell them not to give up. And surely, they also had sources of inspiration … those who through their personal example bolstered them to get up early instead of sleeping in, those who challenged them and ran beside them to complete runs in all kinds of crazy weather… and those who helped them persevere despite obstacles in their way.

Our Club is filled with sources of inspiration… from the new runner who has the courage to show up for their very first training run, to coaches who put aside their personal running goals to help others achieve theirs, to the determined runners who completed the challenging Lewis Run to the volunteers who stood outside on a cold January morning to make it possible.  

I think we all know that life can be hard. There are losses, diagnoses, and tragic accidents that leave us with a big hole in our heart. But there’s so much beauty too. We are part of a community filled with people who are willing to help one another. All of your small acts of kindness transcend running and have an outsized impact. That’s why it is also important that we recognize those individuals who stood out last year for their volunteerism and those who inspired us to believe in ourselves.

Thank you to our Volunteers!

A special thank you to the Competition Committee – Steve Dobson, Ruth Taylor and Heidi Novak – for their hard work and commitment to make the awards possible. Thank you also to Justine Springer of the Social Committee for months of planning to organize our beautiful banquet.

I invite you to join your fellow members to step up to volunteer. Please take a look at the list of Committees to learn about the operations of our Club. If any of these committees sound interesting to you, please reach out to them to learn how to join and contribute.

2024 RRCA Club Challenge

Please consider volunteering to help at the 2024 RRCA Club Challenge. Our 2023 “Unsung Hero” award winner, Mary Bellamy, reached out to me to volunteer before I even shared the opportunity!  Please consider joining her and explore the volunteer opportunities.

I also invite you to join our Club Challenge team on Sunday, February 25. The deadline to register is February 15. You must be a current member to participate. And don’t worry if you think that you aren’t fast enough. Team winners are determined by the top five male and female runners from each Club. There are also awards by age group, and this is where I think that our Club is particularly strong. Many Clubs do not have members spanning as many age groups as we do. The link to register is in the FSRC newsletter. You can also contact me directly for the registration link.

50th Anniversary Planning Committee

In 2025, our Club will mark its 50th Anniversary. I am happy to announce that we are forming a committee to plan how to celebrate this important milestone next year. We are looking for a wide representation of members to join this short-term committee including:

• New members who can bring fresh perspectives and ideas.
• Members spanning the decades of Steeps history who can help ensure that we honor our path to 50 years.
• Members with diverse talent and experience such as:
  • Graphic design
  • Communications / promotion
  • Project management
  • Event management

To join the Committee, please send an email to President@steeplechasers.org. You will be asked to participate in an initial in-person brainstorming meeting. I hope and anticipate the committee to meet monthly (as needed) throughout 2024 to develop a celebration plan that we can put into action in 2025.

Spring Half Marathon Training

Our largest and most popular training program of the year will start on Tuesday, February 13.

• Are you signed up for half marathon training? If not, sign up here.
• There is an information session scheduled for Tuesday, February 6 at 5:15 pm. Once you sign up for the training program, you can learn how to attend this information-packed session.

There’s so much going on fellow Steeplechasers! Happy running!

Michele Newton
President
FSRC