The evening started with a Mix & Mingle time, where club members got to reconnect and share their best running stories from the past year.
Dinner followed- catered by our friends at Pahgre’s- and the evening program began with a look back at the club’s accomplishments in 2018, which included:
– 53 Members
– 3 Community Education events
– 4 Races with 657 participants in total
– $4,000 raised for local community charities
A special recognition was made for Ammon, Kim and Spencer Leggett who helped with the 2018 Turkey Trot, which enabled the club to give $1,000 to the Oak Grove Elementary School’s playground grant project.
Thank You’s were mentioned for the year:
– Board of Directors: Scott Gleason, Sherry Heinel, Christian Martin, Julie Osborne, Mary Plumb and Dan Unrast.
– Race Directors: Becky Sondergard, Jan Peart, Dan Quigley and Kylee Smith. A special recognition was given to Kylee as she is stepping down from Race Director of the Turkey Trot after many years of selfless service. Thank you Kylee!
– Sponsors: Sense of Motion Footwear, Dr. John Unger Montrose Chiropractic, Montrose Office of Business and Tourism, Alpine Bank, Looney Bean Coffee, Horsefly Brewery, Beutler Design & Illustration, Cimarron Coffee Roasters, In Motion Therapy and Ridgway Adventure Sports
The following club awards were made:
– Most Dedicated Volunteer: Lori Lambeth
– Most Dedicated Runner: Ammon Leggett
The Board announced the donations that will be made in 2019:
Beneficiaries of Races: Oak Grove Elementary School (Turkey Trot); Mended Little Hearts (Rim Romp); Peer Kindness (October Trail Run)
Direct donations: Montrose Amateur Radio Club, Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, Telluride Adaptive Sports, Girls on the Run, Montrose High School Cross Country Team, Welcome Home Alliance for Veterans.
After dinner, Bill Sycalik, founder of the National Parks Marathon Project, gave a fascinating and informative presentation about his full-time effort to run a self-directed, self-managed, self-measured 26.2 miles in all 60 U.S. National Parks. If you are interested in joining Bill for one or more of his remaining National Parks in Alaska this summer, or if you know someone in Alaska who might be able to provide logistics help or recommendations please reach out to Bill. He would appreciate any help. You can also contact him if you are looking to have him speak at an event:
Bill Sycalik
email: runningtheparks@gmail.com
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZIRCC5BbV46NMDNYxOVD0g (over 100 videos from our National Parks!)
instagram: @runningtheparks
The results from the Election of 2019 Board of Directors were:
· President: Scott Gleason
· Vice-President: Ammon Leggett
· Secretary/Treasurer: Julie Osborne
Also, key leadership positions were filled as followed:
· Community Outreach and Education: Mary Plumb
· Equipment Manager: Dan Quigley
· Membership and Communications Director: Lori Lambeth
The following roles remain unfilled, and volunteers are most welcome:
· Historian (which is an Officer position in the club)
· Social Events, Activities and Sponsorship Coordinator
· Web and Social Media Presence Manager
Race Directors for 2019 are:
· Rim Romp: TBC
· Black Canyon Ascent: Nathan Moyer
· Trail Town Ten: Dan Quigley
· Turkey Trot: <OPEN- looking for a volunteer!>
· October Trail Run: Mary Plumb
The club is also looking for a volunteer to lead and coordinate training for each of the following 2019 races:
– Dreamcatcher Half, March 2nd, Grand Junction
– Canyonlands Half Marathon and 5 Miler, March 16th, Moab, UT
– Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, August 24th-25th, Colorado Springs
– Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon, August 17th, Ouray/Ridgway
– Imogene Pass Run, Sep 7th, Ouray/Telluride
– Rimrock Half and Full Marathon, Nov 2nd, Fruita, CO
The next upcoming event is the regular Board of Directors meeting which will be January 10th at 6:00pm at the DOWL offices in Montrose.