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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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