2020 Winter Blood Drive Is A Success

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Written by Mike Casper Mike Casper

THANK YOU!

A hearty thanks to everyone who came out to donate, invited someone to donate, or helped someone get to the Nittany Valley Running Club’s Winter Blood Drive! The NVRC’s reason for hosting blood drives is to encourage healthy, able donors to come out and donate, because just 4% of the population is providing blood for the nation’s emergency needs, so you generous donors are invaluable. With your generosity, we collected 12 units of whole blood at this drive. That translates to saving up to 36 lives – which is no small achievement. Thank you!

Our presenting donors were treated to fresh Pizza Hut pizza, running films, and recent Trail Runner and Ultrarunning magazines. Whether you were able or unable to participate in this drive, we encourage you to take a moment to put the NVRC’s Fall Blood Drive, set for Thursday, Sept. 10, on your calendar now – it’s likely to creep up on us before we know it!

The presenting blood donors, volunteers, and those whose lives may be saved by those donations were the drive’s many winners. Drawing prizes went to:

Jim M. – The NVRC Rodney Myers Memorial 17th Annual Egg Hill 10 Miler and Relay entry (May 5). Link: http://nvrun.com/index.php/racing/club-sponsored/run-around-egg-hill

Suzanne W. – Crack O’ Dawn 5K Run/Walk & Pancake Breakfast entry (June 6). Link: http://nvrun.com/index.php/racing

Erin Y. – 45th Annual Sue Crowe Memorial NVRC Arts Festival 5K and 10K Races (5K-10K) entry (July 12). Link: http://nvrun.com/index.php/racing/club-sponsored/arts-festival-races

Kathryn H. – $100 credit toward an individual or team entry in the Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathon (Oct. 11). Link: http://www.tusseymountainback.com/

 

WHEN AM I ELIGIBLE TO GIVE AGAIN?

If you donated at this drive, you’ll be eligible again on March 13. If you didn’t donate at this drive, we encourage you to seek out a blood drive near you anytime! 

Thanks for supporting the American Red Cross and the NVRC!

NTF Youth Cross Country Program

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

The Nittany Track and Field (NTF) youth club will kick off its 15th Cross Country season on August 26th! We invite boys and girls 8-18 years of age to join our fall cross country program. The program is geared towards a wide range of athletes - from beginners to advanced competitors. Our goal is to create a fun training environment for the youth to help them appreciate running as a life activity, train, improve, and achieve their goals. Cross country as a youth sport provides a good balance of the physical and social aspect - we go on runs in parks and on trails, travel to races, play our favorite games, and just have a good time in fresh air. See if your children want to be part of our team this fall.

Here is some information about the program in the nutshell:

Season: August 26 - November 17, 2019
Practice hours: 5:45 - 7:15 pm Monday through Thursday (+ Sunday long runs 3:00 - 4:15 pm). Attendance flexible.
Practice location: Tudek Park / Location varies for Sunday runs
Registration fees: $70 per season ($50 siblings)
Registration for the Fall season is open, and you can sign up online HERE. (Deadline September 5th)
Orientation session will be held at the beginning of the first practice (8/26 at 5:45 pm) at the first pavilion (near the tennis courts) at Tudek.

During the fall season, NTF athletes will have an opportunity to compete in local all-comers cross country races (NVRC-CRPR, Juniata Valley Striders), Middle School Invitationals, and Cross Country Regional and National Championships.

Here is the program FLYER you can forward to anyone who you know have children that may be interested.

For more information, please check NTF website (www.ntfxc.com), or if you have any questions, please feel free to email them to Mark Fedkin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Marathoners For Medicine to Hold Kick-Off Dinner February 6

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Written by Jaimie Wright Jaimie Wright

Members of the 2019 M4M team at last year's kick-off dinner at CVIM

Be part of this year's Marathoners for Medicine team, and use your love of running to support Centre Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM), a community organization that provides free and discounted medical and dental care to low-income adults who live and work in Centre County and their families. While running is often a solitary activity, Marathoners for Medicine lets you use your love of running to benefit our community. The team has raised over $600,000 for CVIM to date.

Here's how it works: You sign up for any spring race (it doesn't have to be a marathon) and ask your friends and family to make a donation to CVIM. We do not require you to raise a minimum dollar amount, and every dollar that you raise goes directly to CVIM.

The kick-off dinner will be February 6 at 6:00 p.m. at CVIM (2520 Green Tech Dr unit d, State College, PA 16803). See firsthand the amazing work that the CVIM staff does and tour the clinic, as well as enjoy dinner and fellowship with your fellow runners and our honorary coach, Olympian Greg Fredericks.

To sign up and bring a dish to the potluck, click here: https://www.PerfectPotluck.com/KORZ4206

Contact Jaimie Wright at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions. Hope to see you there!

Marathoners For Medicine Raise $45,000 For CVIM

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

The NVRC Marathoners For Medicine raise money for Centre Volunteers In Medicine, a local medical and dental clinic serving the working poor in our area. Participants use a spring race as a focal point for their fundraising efforts. You don’t have to run a marathon to be part of the team. Sue Forster at Centre Volunteers In Medicine announced that the Marathoners For Medicine fundraising campaign of the NVRC raised $45,000 for CVIM in this year's effort. Here's the announcement:

"The 2019 Marathoners' team raised $45,000 to support the medically uninsured living or working in Centre County. Whether you believe in CVIM because you too have experienced the cost of being uninsured, because being a part of the team gives you the incentive to run/a purpose beyond personal accomplishment, or you are grateful for your health and health insurance YOU are a part of helping to save lives. Being a M4M team member means that you help to relieve dental pain, detect cancer earlier, get patients much needed medications and SO MUCH MORE.”

Thanks to Jaimie Wright for organizing this year’s effort. M4M will be gearing up for their 2020 effort after Christmas. If you’d like to join, contact Jaimie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

NVRC Supports 2019 United Way Day of Caring

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Written by Martin Mazur Martin Mazur

The 2019 United Way Day of Caring brought crews totaling 65 volunteers to the jogging/walking/biking trail adjacent to the Penn State Golf Courses to clear brush from wooded parts of the trail. The trail has been a Centre County United Way Day of Caring project each year from 2011-2019. Joe Hughes--Penn State Golf Courses PGA General Manager, Liz & Jim Kisenwether, and Cheree Jones coordinated the project.

This year's volunteers: The Penn State University men's lacrosse team, State College Borough employees, Joe Hughes--Penn State Golf Courses PGA General Manager, Liz Kisenwether--KidTech, Inc., Jim Kisenwether, Cheree Jones, and several individuals worked tirelessly to clear brush and make the trail safer.

The Nittany Valley Running Club, as usual, chipped in for food and drinks (lunch).

Here are some photo highlights of the day.

State College Borough Volunteers and Liz Kisenwether

Volunteers from the Penn State Lacrosse team

Read more: NVRC Supports 2019 United Way Day of Caring

Nittany Track and Field Youth Track Program To Start Season Monday, April 29!

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Written by Mark Fedkin Mark Fedkin

Nittany Track and Field youth club is kicking off its 2019 track season this coming week – Our first practice will be on the State College High School track on April 29th. The club is open to any youth athletes in the age range from 7 to 18, and its main mission is to create environment for the kids to be introduced to the track and field as a sport, learn new skills, and train to achieve their athletic goals. The program is suitable for both experienced athletes and beginners.

The practices will be held from 6:15 to 7:45 pm Monday through Thursday (except for the youngest group which practices two days a week), and our season goes until July 18. The lead coaches for the summer program are Mark Fedkin, Andrew Maguire, Matt Lindenberg, and Jayson Jackson. We are also engaging a number of event coaches and volunteers for our practices. The events we are practicing for this season include: sprints, distance, hurdles, jumps (long, high, triple), and throws (shot, discus, javelin). Also we are looking to organize several youth pole vault clinics over the summer.

If you have children or friends who are interested to join our track team this summer, be sure to sign up soon! Here is the link to the registration page: http://www.ntfxc.com/registration.html which has all the information. We are also looking for volunteers and support coaches for various groups and events, so if you have any interest to be involved, please email Mark Fedkin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information about NTF club and our summer and fall programs, please visit our website www.ntfxc.com or connect to our Facebook page. Also I will be happy to answer any questions about the program.