Get Ready for the New Year!

Start the new year off right during the Capital Striders Annual Mitten Run! WHEN: Wednesday, January 1, 2014

TIME: 10:00am

WHERE: Lyons Park, Urbandale

WHO: Capital Striders Family & Friends

WHAT: Make a resolution to help out the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa by bringing a pair of gloves, mittens, coat or a cash donation. Also bring a side dish to share for the potluck.

COST: Free to Members. $5 for guests.

At 10:00 we will run/walk your choice of 3, 4, 5, or 6 miles At 11:00 we will chow down potluck style

Learn about 2014 Strider Events and bring in the New Year on the right foot.

Paper maps will be provided or you can upload the maps from MapMyRun to your mobile device.

Join Us for Tour de Lights

A fun run and holiday lights tour combined – what could be more fun?!  Join the Capital Striders at Tour de Lights this Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. and run through the Jolly Holiday Lights at Water Works Park, located at 2201 George Flagg Parkway in Des Moines.  Two routes of varying distances are available, and runners, walkers and bikers are welcome during this sneak peek of the festive displays.  Stop by the Capital Striders table and say hello before you head out on the fun run!

Join us for the Turkey Trot Fun Run on Dec. 1

Meet up with the Capital Striders Turkeys on Sunday, Dec. 1 at Lake Ahquabi State Park south of Indianola. It has a fairly easy 4-mile trail, which is great for beginner runners.  Trot off some excess turkey while enjoying the beautiful trail around Lake Ahquabi. Although this is not a timed event, we will have a clock and volunteers will be yelling out times as participants finish. The fun run is approx. 4 miles or 1 loop around the lake. http://connect.garmin.com/course/2825555#.URBtIwZOjG0.email

Directions to Ahquabi State Park:

Address: 16500 118th Ave., Indianola, IA 50125.

Take 65/69 South, turn right onto Co Rd. G58, go until it T’s (don’t go into the main entrance); Take a right on 118th St and go 1-2 blocks, and turn left into the park. Park in the first lot to the left and the trail will be near the lake.

Sycamore 8

The Capital Striders Running Club has been given the honor of carrying on a Central Iowa tradition and will be hosting the 2013 Sycamore 8-mile Trail Race in Johnston on Dec. 7. This 8-mile trail race will take place on the Sycamore Trail between NW 66th in Johnston and the Polk County Office on Euclid. With the perfect wintry blend of road and groomed single track trail it promises to be a messy good time. Unpredictable Midwestern weather has given participants a unique run whether it is dealing with snow, ice, sleet or flat out perfect conditions like last year.

Click here for more information on the race and here to register.

Tour de Lights 2013

Please plan on joining us for "Fitness Night" at the 2013 Tour de Lights on November 24th. A group from the Capital Striders will starting at Water Works Park at 6:00pm. Sign up to join our team here, meet us at our tent at Water Works, get a complimentary glow stick and run with some of the most awesome people in Central Iowa for a great cause.  More information on our Facebook page.

Fall Fun Run: Salvation Army Red Kettle 5K

The Capital Striders are helping sponsor the upcoming Salvation Army Red Kettle 5K on Nov. 2 at 9 a.m. at Raccoon River Park. This is a BARGAIN 5K at only $5. This run will serve as the club’s fall fun run and is a great way to celebrate the finish of the season. Runners get a $5 Capital Strider discount off of the normal $10 registration when they use this link and the passcode: rkr2013 to register. Some race details:

• This is a chip timed race!
• They are giving medals to the top three men and women!
• They also give door prizes!
• Enjoy AE chocolate milk and orange juice, along with doughnuts, cookies and doughnut holes donated by Quick Trip.
• Power Life Yoga will do a pre-race yoga inspired warm up at 8:30 a.m!
• Stay for the post-run Running Workshop too.

See you there!

Capital Pursuit Wrap-Up

It was a perfect running day with sunshine and temps in the low 60's on Sunday morning, 9/29/13 for the 31st Annual Capital Pursuit. We had over 600 runners register to toe the line at 8:00am. Thanks to the RRCA (Road Runners Club of America) for making our 10-Mile and 5k the State Championship events again this year.

The overall winner of the 10-mile race was Luke Demmel of Des Moines, finishing in 54:12.  Our 10-mile female winner was Stephanie Mortenson of Windsor Heights, finishing in 1:05:09.

The 5k overall winner was Patrick Riley of Des Moines with a time of 17:00.  The overall 5k female finisher was Bridget Conlon of Des Moines with a time of 19:47.

Many thanks to the City of Des Moines and the DM Police Department for keeping our runners safe and traffic moving. We were not able to reserve Nollen Plaza this year so we applaud ING Insurance for giving us their parking lot as our Home Base.

We had 36 student athletes and adult mentors from See-Us Run Des Moines run our races this year. Capital Pursuit sponsors SRDM by inviting the students and mentors to race free of charge.  SRDM is a wonderful program of Iowa Kidstrong, Inc.   See-Us Run Des Moines helps teens who face adversity in their lives learn that they are capable, resourceful, and resilient to respond to Life's challenges by providing them the opportunity to experience first hand the benefits of goal setting, character development, adult mentoring, and improved health through committing to training for and completing the Des Moines Marathon.

We had scads of Pursuit Junior runners this year.  They showed the applauding crowd just how CRAZY FAST Des Moines's next generation of Pursuit winners will be.

Here are some statistics.  As of Thursday at Midnight there were 288 Females registered, 267 Males.  LADIES RULE! Average Age was 39.  The youngest was 2 and the youngest at heart was 74. We only had a few short weeks to organize this year's race.  Due to less promotion, we only had 5 from out of state this year.

Thank you to our Board of Directors who worked diligently to insure that the curtain would not go down on the 31st Annual Capital Pursuit Races.  Thank you to our many  wonderful sponsors who without, we would not be able to continue to put on this race.  These businesses, organizations and individuals provide critical resources to support our races.

Living History Farms Race Scheels Fitness Sports Crystal Clear Water Gatorade Lint Van Lines Accelerated Rehab O'Malley's Taco Johns Brueggers Bagels Capital City Fruit Roberts Dairy Prairie Life Fitness America's Best Apparel, Inc. DMU Osteopathic Finish Line Treatment The Suites of 800 Locust ING Insurance Dahls Grocery

As anyone involved in race directing knows, the weather and runners are only part of the formula to a successful event.  More than 200 people volunteer each year to help with Capital Pursuit.  They pour water, serve as course marshals, help with registration, distribute food, provide massages, and a host of other tasks that go on seamlessly behind the scenes.  Thank you to all our volunteers.  Thank you for getting up early Sunday morning to volunteer with set-up, late registration, and wherever needed.

A big thank you to Prairie Life Fitness for allowing us space for packet-pickup on Friday night.  Thanks to Gail Bormann and Paul Rearick along with fellow Board members.

Thanks to Terry Lint of Lint Van Lines for being an wonderful sponsor, providing the truck that carries all the water and supplies for our races. Many thanks to former Board member, Steve Halstead and the Lint Van Lines volunteers who did all the heavy lifting and provided invaluable assistance in moving materials and supplies to set-up and tear down our race courses.

Thanks again this year to Larry Jablonski for providing and setting up the finish line scaffolding.

Thanks to Cal Murdoch for his 31 year's worth of timing this event and providing race history.  We are so pleased to announce that Cal recently re-joined our Board of Directors.

Thank you to the The Suites of 800 Locust for helping us out with lots of last minute details as well as providing storage space for us.

Thanks to Scheels and Fitness Sports for providing awards.  Also special thanks to Wade Wearmouth of WCM Metals for providing the medal hanger awards that went to our top men & women winners.

A huge thank you to our Water Stop support teams:

Kate Altmairer & friends for - Water Stop #1

Dan Hostager & the Drake Men's Cross Country Team - Water Stop #2

Todd Shemper of Work Systems Rehab and his friends of Central Presbyterian Church - Water Stop #3

Chris Burch and friends of IMT Des Moines Marathon - Water Stop #4

Thank you also for all you cell phone photo snappers who will share your photos with us on Facebook.  Many thanks to our professional photographers who have already provided links to some fabulous photos.

We are so fortunate to live in such a supportive running community.  Great job everyone!

2013 Capital Pursuit Results

The 2013 Capital Pursuit results are now posted on the Capital Pursuit event page.  Great job to everyone who ran, walked, volunteered or was a race sponsor.  The Capital Striders' Board can't thank you enough for your support of this 31st annual race!  Can't wait to see you all again next year!

Register for the 31st Annual Capital Pursuit Race

There’s still time to register for the 31st annual Capital Pursuit race, Iowa’s fastest 10-miler and 5K! Both races start in downtown Des Moines at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, with the 10-miler winding through the nearby northwest neighborhoods. Registration fees are only $35 for the 10-miler and $25 for the 5K (through Sept. 26). Register now! The kids can have a fun day of racing as well, with the Pursuit Juniors race, starting at 9:30 a.m.. There is no fee for Pursuit Junior participants but they do need to register.

Visit our event page for links to the maps, details on packet pick up and anything else you want to know about the race. See you at the start line!

Capital Striders Annual Picnic

Come join us for this year’s annual picnic, which will be held on Monday, June 17 at 6 p.m. in conjunction with the Beginning Runners Group. Meet up at the Campbell Park Shelter House, join your fellow runners for a nice run and then regroup for a terrific summer meal. The Capital Striders Board will be grilling up hamburgers and hot dogs. Bring a friend and your favorite side dish (chips, fruit, veggies, dessert) to share. Beverages and dinnerware will be provided.

GALS ONLY! Unique Volunteer Opportunity

Girls on the Run, with the Boone County YMCA, is seeking female running buddies to run with their 3rd-5th Graders for their 5K run. The race starts at 6:30 p.m. at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines on Friday, May 17th. If you can help, please contact Chelsey Bowermaster at chelsey.bowermaster@dmymca.org.

Change to Training Run on Saturday, April 27

Due to the Drake Relays this weekend, the Drake campus will be closed to the Capital Striders’ Saturday morning training group. Instead, if you are still interested in running, we will be moving our start to Fitness Sports, located at 7230 University in Clive. The run will still start at 7 a.m. and offer up to 10 miles of supported run. Runners can choose to run less by turning around at any point, as the run will be five miles out on the Greenbelt Trail (out to the Glen Oaks Lake), and five miles back. Good luck to every one running in the Hy-Vee Road Races at the Drake Relays this weekend! There’s still time to sign up to participate, and all Capital Striders members get a $5 discount when using the discount code: bulldogs. And, don’t forget to stop by the Capital Striders both during the expo!

Revenge of the Penguins 5K Fun Run/Walk

Don’t forget to join us for the Revenge of the Penguins 5K Fun Run/Walk, taking place on Saturday, May 11 at the southwest terrace at Gray’s Lake at 9 a.m.  Capital Striders’ members can sign up for only $5.  Non-members can join in the fun for $25; this fee includes cost of the race and yearly membership into the Capital Striders Club.  All race entry fees will benefit Above & Beyond Cancer, Inc.  Kids can get active too for free during the Kids’ Race, which starts at 10:45 a.m.  To learn more, visit the event page or register here.

Prayers for Boston

As many of you have heard, our running community was struck by the tragic events during yesterday’s 117th annual running of the Boston Marathon. According to news reports, nearly 160 Iowans were registered for running’s pinnacle event, and thankfully, all are reportedly safe. The Des Moines Register has first-hand accounts of the events from Iowans who were at the event in today’s online Register. The Capital Striders send heartfelt thoughts and prayers to everyone who was affected by these events. This is a tragedy for the running community and we wish everyone a safe return home.

Free Essential Running Workshop for Beginners

Don't miss out on the free Essential Workshop for Beginning Runners, on Monday, April 1 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Compass Chiropractic in Clive.  This workshop will help you learn the concepts and techniques of low impact running style and proper form.  This information will help you ease into running without pain or injuries. View this flier to learn more!

THANK YOU!

Thank you everyone who was able to join us for the AMAZING evening with Michael Wardian at the Capital Striders Annual dinner. We had 88 attend which was fantastic considering we had a winter storm blow through just hours before the program started. We were all very pleased and relieved when Michael’s plane arrived in Des Moines on time especially since he had to come all the way from DC and had a layover in Chicago. A big thank you to Chelsea Ochylski, Annual Giving Coordinator at Make-A-Wish Iowa who shared with the group the mission of Make-A-Wish is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. She also noted that Tour De Lights raised $20,274.68 and that Jolly Holiday Lights numbers are still preliminary, but they are on track to make close to $300,000.

Thank you Erica Peterson for telling us about the financial support and impact to the students from the donations of hats, cots, mittens, boots, and scarves gathered from our Capital Strider Mitten Run. Erika noted that this year’s contributions clothed 82 children in winter wear and that they are grateful for the difference you are making in the lives of these youth. Thank you Cindy Elsbernd for telling us about the Mission behind Iowa Kidstrong is to promote healthy, active lifestyles among youth. Thank you also to Paxton Bennett who shared some of his personal experience with See-Us Run Des Moines. SRDM is an innovative intervention program that challenges teens to train for and complete a marathon. Paxton has served as a Running Mentor ever since the program was launched in April 2010.

Thank Living History Farms for being so generous. Thank you Steve and Nancy Bobenhouse for sharing and for being terrific sponsors. Thank you to all our wonderful sponsors, many of which donated fantastic door prizes. Thank you to our new in 2013 Bronze Level Sponsors O’Mally’s and Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers.

Thank you to our Golden Shoe – Sponsor of the Year recipient, Work Systems Rehab and Fitness. Thank you to Amber Crews and Roy Ney who have worked their tails off to support the Capital Striders. A huge Thank you our many, many, wonderful volunteers who help us throughout the year.

Thank you The Running Room for donating jackets to the Marriott for donating 1-night weekend stay with brunch included as additional door prizes. Also thanks to the all the Board of Directors as well as the Banquet Planning Committee; Brad Dains, Mike McGinn, Ellen Wade, Jeff Gray, Curtis Downs & Bobbi Snodgrass for another successful event.

Thank you Lance Bergeson and the Des Moines Register for providing the following summaries in the Mile Posts Running/Triathlons Blog.  Article 1 l Article 2

Don’t Forget: Time Change for Saturday Runs Starts This Week

Starting this Saturday, March 2, the Saturday training runs will begin at 7 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than previous Saturdays, for the remainder of the training program. Participants are asked to be at Meredith Hall on the Drake University campus on time, as the group will leave promptly at 7 a.m. Hope you’ll be there to join us!

Annual Dinner Reminder & Menu

Don't forget to get signed up for the Capital Striders' Annual Dinner, taking place on Friday, Feb. 22.   Join us at 6 p.m. at the West Des Moines Marriott for a night of great food, good friends and interesting commentary.  It's sure to be a crowd pleaser! Make your reservation today, only limited tickets available at the door.

Join us on Friday, Feb. 22! West Des Moines Marriott

1250 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines Social Hour: 6 to 7 p.m. (cash bar) Dinner: 7 p.m.

Members: $25/person ($35 after 2/18) Non-members: $35/person ($45 after 2/18) Register online @ Getmeregistered.com

Speaker: Mike Wardian Runner, Triathlete, Ultra-marathoner, & Olympic Medalist

Menu: Braised Round of Beef Roast - served with sour cream, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, braised vegetables and pork pan gravy.

Pecan Encrusted Chicken - chicken breast that is beer battered & pecan encrusted with wild rice pilaf and whiskey caramelized onion & demi-glace served with chef selected vegetable.

Eggplant Napoleon - layered eggplant, zucchini, roasted red pepper & portobello mushroom placed on top of a red pepper coulis.

All entreés are served with fresh garden salad with two dressing options, fresh baked dinner rolls with butter, red velvet cake or chocolate overload cake (both are a two layer cake and table is pre-set with each at alternating place settings), coffee & water.

Get to Know the 2013 Board Candidates

We have some great candidates who are interested in becoming part of the Capital Striders Board of Directors, and helping the club continue its long tradition of being a vital part of the running community in Central Iowa.  Learn more about them here.

2013 Annual Dinner Details

Don’t miss out on the Annual Dinner, taking place on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.  Join us for a night of good food, drinks and company at the West Des Moines Marriott on Jordan Creek Parkway.  Hear from Mike Wardian, a three-time U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, five-time member of Team USA for the 100K World Championships, and two-time member of Team USE for the 50K World Championships, and a gold, silver and bronze medalist, speak on “The Ultra Life: An Evening with Mike Wardian.” Mike ran his first marathon in 1996, and qualified for Boston with a time of 3:08.  Since then, he has completed over 150 marathons, 60+ Ultra marathons on three continents, 20 triathlons and one adventure race.  He was the highest USA finisher even on the men’s side at the “Marathon Des Sables” (150-mile stage race across the Sahara Desert) in 2010 with a third place finish.  In addition, he has won multiple major big city marathons, including San Francisco, Rock & Roll National Marathon in Washington, D.C., Deleward, Kauai, and Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham, Ala.  He has set multiple Guinness World Records for Fastest Marathon Pushing a Pram, Fastest Marathon as a Super Hero, and currently has the Indoor World Record for fastest indoor marathon with a time of 2:27:21.

Mike, his wife Jennifer, and their two sons, Pierce (5) and Grant (3), live in Arlington, VA.  Mike works full time as an International Ship Broker.

You won’t want time miss out on this informative and entertaining event!

Join us on Friday, Feb. 22! West Des Moines Marriott

1250 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines Social Hour: 6 to 7 p.m. (cash bar) Dinner: 7 p.m.

Members: $25/person ($35 after 2/18) Non-members: $35/person ($45 after 2/18) Register online @ Getmeregistered.com

Menu:

Braised Round of Beef Roast - served with sour cream, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, braised vegetables and pork pan gravy.

Pecan Encrusted Chicken - chicken breast that is beer battered & pecan encrusted with wild rice pilaf and whiskey caramelized onion & demi-glace served with chef selected vegetable.

Eggplant Napoleon - layered eggplant, zucchini, roasted red pepper & portobello mushroom placed on top of a red pepper coulis.

All entreés are served with fresh garden salad with two dressing options, fresh baked dinner rolls with butter, red velvet cake or chocolate overload cake (both are a two layer cake and table is pre-set with each at alternating place settings), coffee & water.

“Make your reservation today, only limited tickets available at the door”