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Home & Current News   Old News (pre 2008)

Look Out World, Here Come the Wanderers!

The Wissahickon Wanderers are planning to compete as a team in the 2007 USA Track and Field off-road series for the mid-Atlantic region. The Wanderers team will be open to EVERYBODY! There is only one requirement. For an individual's performance to count, he/she must be a member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of the US Track and Field Association. The annual dues are $29.95, and for this you receive a small discount in the price of each race entered. The USATF is a good organization which promotes running in the Delaware Valley, and simply joining the organization will help make the sport stronger.

Members can obtain the membership form by clicking on the USATF web site at mausatf.org and clicking on the documents and resource center link on the home page. Or click here to download the form (PDF) directly. Once there, click on the Mid-Atlantic USATF individual membership application link, fill out the form (PDF) and mail in with the check. Make sure to note that your club is the Wissahickon Wanderers (#92).

The USATF has both an off-road running series , which consists of seven races, and a 10-race road series. The Wanderers will be entering the off-road series. The scheduled races in the off-road series are as follows:

February 25 @ 10 am: Ugly Mudder Trail Run,
Reading, PA

April 7 @ 9am: Delco 10k cross country race,
Tyler Arboretum , Media, PA

April 28 @ 10 am: Triple Crown 10k Trail Run,
Carpenter Rec. Area, Newark, DE

August 12 @ 9 am: Half-Wit Half Marathon Trail Run,
Reading, PA

October 14 @ 9 am: Radnor 5k Steeplechase,
Malvern
, PA

November 4 @ Noon: Philadelphia Catholic Leauge Open 5k,
Belmont Plateau
(Phila., PA)

November 24 10 to 11:30: Delaware Open XC Championships,
Brandywine Creek, Wilmington, DE

Any number of the Wanderers can enter these races, but only the top five will be considered in each team score. Now, here is where it gets interesting. The team must include one master (over 40) and one woman. Also, the results are weighted by age so that an older Wanderer runner might score higher than a younger Wanderer even though that runner might have finished sooner. The weighting system is a little complicated, but it is all worked out by Norm Green, the legendary secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Association of the USATF.

In addition to the team scores, the individual results of Wanderers will be tabulated for the off road series. Standings will be tabulated throughout the year, both on a team and an individual basis.

The USATF series in the Delaware Valley was started about four years ago. The Philadelphis Athletic Charities, with Chuck Shields, Paul Hines, Fred Kenney, Mary Pat McFarland among others, has been a real powerhouse. The Pike Creek Valley Running Club and the Rosemont Running Club are the two other perennial teams in the competition.

Chris n' Polly will be supervising the Wanderer team entries along with Chris M. and Carnage. Members can contact any of the above for more information. The races are flexible. Members can run in as many or as few races as they would like. But it is important that the Wanderers have at least five runners, of whom one must be a master and another must be a woman. If more than 20 Wanderers sign up as USATF members, then there should be little difficulty finding five runners for each race. Please sign up for the USATF Mid-Atlantic association as soon as possible.

 

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