BRRC President's Message November 2015

There are a lot of things happening and a lot of things to get to in this here November edition of the Baltimore Road Runners Club President's Message, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the accomplishments of Mr. Ronnie Wong. In just three back-to-back weekends, he ran three marathons with impressive finishing times in each. All at the ripe age of 69! Ronnie finished the Baltimore Marathon in 3:48, Marine Corps in 3:50, and the New York Marathon in 3:52. Amazing accomplishments by a seasoned BRRC member. Many hope that they're still capable at that age and Ronnie is an inspiration to many.

Oh, and I also have to mention that Mr. Maurice Pointer ran a 3:02 at the Baltimore Marathon this year. 60 years old and putting this 32 year old to shame. I'll never forget running loops around Goucher College in the middle of the summer - running down to the track to find Maurice in the middle of a workout. I'm sweating and panting just jogging the campus loop and he's gliding around lane one looking effortless. I said something to the effect of him making it look easy and that he wasn't even trying. Of course, I knew he was putting in the work. He just responded with a smile and told me "you don't want to let the competition see you sweat." For some reason that quote has stuck with me. Congratulations, Maurice, on an amazing effort.

Right, so there are a lot of things happening and a lot of things to get to in this here President's Message. Johnny Business here. It's business time.

The 2015 GPS results have been finalized with the latest revision taking place just this morning. We're asking that GPS finishers take a minute to review the final standings and email any discrepancies to GPSteam@brrc.com. An email was sent out to all members who completed at least four races in the series and fulfilled their volunteer requirement with the same request. Did you notice that the GPS Standings were updated the same day as the last race in the series? It's nice to have same day results, but it requires a commitment from our great volunteers. I'd like to thank Jessica Krueger for all of her hard work in getting the standings completed and up to date.

I'd also like to recognize the efforts of our 2015 NCR Marathon race directors, Juda McGannon and Bart Rein. These two have put in a tremendous amount of work to provide runners with a top-notch experience while showcasing the Baltimore Road Runners Club. In case you haven't heard, the NCR Marathon is held annually the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year there's an attractive premium, an excellent medal and even a finishers' prize to all participants. If you're not running this year, we have numerous opportunities to volunteer and all volunteers will receive the same premium as marathon runners. Mr. Brian Flowers serves as our volunteer coordinator and would love to hear from you. Operators are standing by.

Now I've got to talk to you guys about the club's bylaws. Have you read the club's bylaws? It's a good read. Anyway, a few months ago I assembled a Bylaws Review and Working Group in an effort to revise and update BRRC's bylaws. Proposed amendments to the club's bylaws are posted on the BRRC website. I ask that you please take a minute to look over the proposed amendments. Adoption of these changes requires a two thirds vote at the club's General Membership meeting in December.

Speaking of, our General Membership meeting will be held at the Perry Hall Branch of the Baltimore County Library on December 8th.

We will also elect 2016 officers at the General Membership meeting. I'm on a committee forming tear here, so of course I assembled a Board Nomination Committee. The committee is lead by chair Jim Archibald and includes members Tom Nasuta, Denise Knickman and myself. We're looking to solicit members who may wish to serve on the board or as an officer in 2016. Ideally, we're looking to get a list of interested parties together by the middle of November with the hope of making the election process a little more informed this year - and dare I say a little smoother. If you're interested, and I hope you are, you can email Jim. This proves as an excellent opportunity to directly affect the happenings of BRRC.

Speaking of the following year, our full 2016 race calendar is posted to the BRRC website. There's even a sweet .PDF file that you can print out. It's too bad that yours truly was planning on directing a six-hour race around Lake Montebello that just so happened to be scheduled the same day as the Baltimore Ten Miler. I think that Corrigan might win that one. As always, races are subject to change.

Oh well. That's all for this month. See you at NCR.