Loop the Lake Recap

The 12th annual Loop the Lake was held Saturday, April 14, at the scenic new venue of Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines. Three hundred and twenty five runners registered for this flat, fast 10k on a mix of paved and crushed gravel trails circling Blue Heron Lake. It was a damp and cool morning, but perfect for running, as evidenced by the times for Men’s Open winner, Scottie Cross (35:52), and Women’s Open winner, Sara Hendrickson (42:22).  All participants were treated to great post-race food and beverages and cool technical running shirts.  Age group winners were rewarded with gift cards to Scheels and Fitness Sports – allowing them to buy more racing gear.  Other place winners received Polar insulated water bottles for those upcoming sweltering summer runs.

We also invited eager young runners ages three to 10 to enjoy our Little Lakers Race, and race they did!  Every Little Laker was given a winner’s medal for participating. 

Many thanks to our sponsors, including Prairie Pella, Fitness Sports, Prairie Life Health and Fitness, Scheels and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.  Capital Striders could not host great events, such as Loop the Lake, for the Des Moines running community without supportive business partners such as these. 

And, we cannot forget to thank all those great volunteers who woke up early and gave freely of their time and energy to make it all possible. They provided course support and traffic control, manned the finish chute, put out all of that great food and water, handled the set up and clean up, and much, much more.  It takes a lot of wonderful people to pull off a good race! 

Thank you runners, sponsors and volunteers for making Loop the Lake 2012 another successful event!

Curtis Downs Race Director

Do you need a quality photo of your race? Check out all the great race photos by JK Photography at www.jkfamilyphotography.com.  And, Capital Striders members get 15% off their order with coupon code CAPSTRIDERS12.

Dwight Dash postponed until this Fall

The Tim Dwight Dash will still occur in 2012, we're just moving the date to later this Fall.  If you have questions about the event please email mike@capitalstriders.org.  

Congratulations Contest Winners!!!

We had tremendous response to our "Sign Up for Membership Before January 15th" Contest, and we're happy to announce our winners. Congratulations to Jeremy Arickx, he is the winner of our Grand Prize, which is free entry into both Loop the Lake and Capital Pursuit.

Our Second Place winners were Alvin Ravenscroft, Connie Robinson, Robin Weiler and Bill Lawless.  Each won free entry into their choice of Loop the Lake or Capital Pursuit.

Pork, Prizes and Solar Energy Made for a Great Annual Dinner

The Capital Striders Annual Dinner felt a bit like a family reunion ~ a very big family reunion. Eighty-four members filled the tables at the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant where the overall clad wait staff served up a family-style meal of chicken, pork, homemade bread and delicious side dishes.  Topped off with a cookie, it was a meal Grandma would've been proud to serve. President Mike McGinn presided over the business portion of the evening. Guest speakers included Abby Fellingham of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Korrie Hoskins of See-Us Run Des Moines, Todd Schemper, Chairman of the Capital Striders Scholarship Committee and Tim Dwight, football and track standout and head of the Tim Dwight Foundation.

Fellingham spoke of the importance of the Tour De Lights and Jolly Holiday Lights. This past year proceeds from these two events helped fund more than 35 wishes, with each wish having an average cost of $8,300.00. Member Carl Voss told how the Tour De Lights started with the Striders as a small event, but has grown through the years, this year attracting more than 1,000 participants.

Hoskins discussed See-Us Run Des Moines ~ a mentoring program through the Des Moines Public Schools that pairs local runners with at risk students to help them train for the Des Moines Marathon. In its third year of operation, the program has seen very positive results in the teens utilizing the program. Hoskins encouraged members to apply to be mentors at: www.iowakidstrong.com.

In club business, Schemper relayed that there were 23 applicants for last year's three $1,000.00 scholarships.  Out of the many qualified students, the committee chose Tanelle Berard of Dowling Catholic High School, Drew Prescott of Urbandale High School and Kelsey McDougal of Roosevelt High School. The deadline for submitting applications for this year's scholarships is April 6.

The "Golden Shoe Sponsor of the Year" award went to Fitness Sports for their continued support of the Capital Striders. Their most visible contribution is in their sponsorship of our Winter/Spring Training Runs. Our Board and runners are very grateful for the weekly maps and water support they provide every Saturday morning January through May!

This year's "Volunteer of the Year" is Brad Dains. Brad served as our Saturday morning training group coordinator for our Summer/Fall training runs, ensuring our volunteers had the equipment necessary to keep our runners well- hydrated ~ a very important task!

Four new members were voted onto the Board of Directors: Brad Dains, Ellen Wade, Steve Halstead and Kristy Feldman. All four will serve two-year terms.

Tim Dwight was the Guest Speaker and gave a very energetic presentation. He spoke briefly of his sporting accomplishments, his Tim Dwight Football Camp and his Tim Dwight Foundation, but the majority of his time was spent discussing his passion for, and belief in, solar energy. Dwight is invested in solar energy not only as a businessman, but also as a true believer in its importance for the future of the United States and the world.

The evening ended with great door prizes going to some lucky members. Many thanks go to our Sponsors who generously donated gifts and services for this drawing:

Byron's Best Massage Compass Chiropractic Fitness Sports Iowa Health Out patient Therapy Kyle's Bikes and Fitness Peggi Taylor Personal Best Massage Scheels All Sports The Body Project Wade Wearmouth WCM Metalworks Work Systems Rehab Aspen Athletic Clubs Prairie Life Fitness

Red Flannel Run 2012 coming up

It's that time of year again, for the Red Flannel Run!View the printable registration brochure or choose to register online now.

The Riverfront YMCA Red Flannel Run will take place February 11, 2012 at 9 a.m. at the Riverfront YMCA in downtown Des Moines. This run is the unofficial start of the running season. And you've got options—a 3-mile and 5-mile route.  Bring your friends, family, dogs and of course your best red flannel to this fun-filled event.

REGISTER ONLINE NOW

Capital Striders Board Elections - Feb. 3rd

Elections for this year’s Board will be held at the Annual Dinner and Meeting on February 3rd. Each membership is accorded one vote. We are very fortunate this year to have six terrific candidates for the four open seats on the Board. Our candidates are: Brad Dains, KristyFeldman, Steve Halstead, and Ellen Wade. Each would bring unique talents to the Board.

*Denotes current Board Member

For those who don’t really know what the Board does, here’s just a sampling:

• Puts on “Loop the Lake” and “Capital Pursuit” races
• Hosts social events throughout the year ~ Mitten Run, Annual Dinner, picnics
• Sponsors training runs
• Supplies volunteers (oftentimes themselves!) for the Summer/Fall water stops
• Sends out the Striders Newsletter
• Manages the Striders Website
• Keeps track of the Club’s finances
• Handles membership fulfillment
• Hosts a water stop at the Des Moines Marathon
• Keeps the Club Bylaws up-to-date
• Hands out three $1000 Scholarships

…..and more!

As you can see, the Board has its hands full and we’re very excited to know that, no matter how the election ends up, we’ll have plenty of good, qualified help in the year to come.   Check out their bios online to see what fine candidates we have.

2012 Annual Dinner Details

February 3rd is shaping up to be a great night in Striderland! We've reserved the big room at The Machine Shed restaurant to accommodate plenty of runners and are bringing in guest speaker Tim Dwight. You might know Tim from his college running days (three Big Ten Championships in 1999), or for his record-breaking punt return yardage and punts returned for touchdowns while at Iowa, or even for his 94-yard touchdown return in Super Bowl XXXIII (yes, the man has serious sports credentials!) But he's not a man to sit back and rest on his laurels.

He has now taken up endurance sports ~ competing in triathlons and marathons. He is also founder of The Tim Dwight Foundation ~ a non-profit organization that strives to help children and young people. More than $100,000 has been raised to date, benefitting both the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and the Tim Dwight Foundation Scholarship. A multi-faceted man, to be sure. So what will he be talking about? Well, it's billed as "An Evening of Great Strides". Want to know more? Then join us for fun, food and some motivation from Tim Dwight.

Join us on February 3rd! Machine Shed Restaurant, 11151 Hickman Rd., Urbandale Social Hour: 5:30-6:30 pm ~cash bar Dinner:  6:30 pm

Members: $25@person ($35 after 1/30) Non-members: $35@person ($45 after 1/30) Register online @ Getmeregistered.com

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

New Year's Mitten Run - 2013

Capital Striders Family and Friends New Year Mitten Run/Potluck forBoys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

• 11:00 Fun Run/Walk (Choice of 3,4,5, or 6 mile)
• 12:00 Serving Food

Located at:

Lion's Park (Click Here for Map)
72th St
Ubrandale, IA

Bring a pair of gloves, mittens, coat or cash donation for Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa. Burgers, hot dogs and pop provided. Bring a dish to share FREE to Strider Members $5 for guests

2013 Membership forms will be available

Come visit with running friends and learn about upcoming 2013 Strider Events.

Jolly Holiday Lights 2011

Jolly Holiday Lights is one of Des Moines' favorite holiday traditions. Open nightly from 5:30 to 10pm. Just $10 per carload with all proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. If you haven't been there yet, mark your calendar for Wednesday, December 28th as this is the evening that the Capital Striders will be volunteering at the gate. We would love to see you and you would be supporting a great cause. We still have room for a couple more volunteers, if you want to help and don't mind frigid temps and crazy board members send an email to volunteer@capitalstriders.org

Guest Post: Anti-Grav Treadmill

John Taylor III, a long time Capital Striders members, writes a guest article on his experience with Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill: Do you have an injury that is preventing you from doing the appropriate training to prepare for an upcoming race or competition?  Do you feel that you’re getting out of shape waiting for an injury to heal? Over the years I’ve heard countless people say that they have given up running because of miscellaneous ailments.

On the bus to last year’s Boston Marathon I sat next to another runner who mentioned that he had an injury that prevented him from his normal training routine. Given the fact that running Boston was very important to him he did most of his training on the Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill®.

I had been dealing with Plantar Fasciitis around the time I was training (attempting to train) for this year’s Boston Marathon. After running Boston I went in for one last Physical Therapy treatment for my Plantar Fasciitis. My Physical Therapist, Ginni Peterson said that Iowa Health Outpatient Therapy West was looking at purchasing that very same Anti-Gravity Treadmill that the fellow Boston Marathon runner had used to prepare him for his big race.

After running 20 miles one Saturday morning I set up an appointment to test out this machine. I’m limping in due to just running 20 miles so I felt this would be a perfect time to test the Anti-Gravity Treadmill. After being fitted and adjusting my weight to 50% of my actual weight I started running. I was SHOCKED by what happened. All of a sudden I felt like I was fresh and had not run at all that day.

Below you will find a summary of this revolutionary machine.

The world’s best athletes and sports teams consider the Anti-Gravity Treadmill an essential part of their athletic conditioning and rehabilitation programs

• Strengthens and improves coordination of muscles, which in turn protects surrounding joints.
• Promotes the full range of motion while minimizing stress during athletic conditioning.
• Enables injured athletes to maximize their fitness retention as they recover.

The Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill® generates a powerful lifting force using Advanced Differential Air Pressure Technology (ADAPT). The athlete wears neoprene shorts and zips into a pressurized, airtight enclosure which calibrates to their exact body weight. With an easy to use control panel the athlete can change his/her weight, reducing it by as much as 80% in precise 1% increments.

Trainers and coaches have found the Alter-G to be a ground-breaking training tool that is changing how athletes train. Injured athletes can recover free of interference from water or tethers which transitions seamlessly back to full weight bearing during sports rehabilitation training programs. Until now, there has not been an effective means for athletes to preserve high fitness levels while they are injured. The Alter-G permits injured athletes to reach the aerobic intensity of their regular workouts while lowering the impact on their injured body during training.

Alter-G’s performance treadmill is a highly effective athletic conditioning tool for both recreational and competitive athletes by allowing the user to train longer, run faster, gain additional strength, and enhance cardiovascular performance while minimizing impact and stress on their joints.

Another added feature of the Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill® is that you can see live video of your running form on the television screen in front of you. If you prefer you can also watch television or perhaps bring in your own DVD.

The Iowa Health Outpatient Therapy West location at 6001 WestownParkway, Suite 205 in West Des Moines would be happy to demonstrate this new revolutionary Treadmill. Call (515) 224-5225 to schedule an appointment. Many folks have purchased a Multi Visit Punch Card (10-30minute sessions) for $80. The only additional expense would be the $10 Initial visit and Instruction and to either purchase the special Alter-G shorts for $75 or rent a pair for $6 per visit. After every use the rented shorts must be dry-cleaned.

I trust that you will be amazed. I was!

John W. Taylor III

Capital Pursuit photo information

If you want to get your photos from the 2011 Capital Pursuit, our photographer, Josh Klein, just posted them on his website.

Please click the link below: 2011 Capital Pursuit Photos

Josh Klein JK Photography Cell- (515) 710-6726 Visit us on the web at www.jkfamilyphotography.com

To find your photos, the photos are separated by number groups.

Capital Pursuit After Race Report

The 29^th Annual Capital Pursuit Races were a huge success! 517 runners tackled the 10-mile course and 197 zipped through the 5K ~ all enjoying the crisp fall weather and the wonderful volunteer support. A bevy of young runners toddled, trotted and flew through the Pursuit Junior runs (keep an eye out ~ there’s a lot of talent coming up, folks!)

 Race Results

Finishing first in our 10-mile race were:

• Marcus Murphy, 29 ~ 53:06 (Interesting side-note: Marcus was the first recipient of the Capital Striders’ Dave Hurd Scholarship back in 2000. Nice to see one of our ‘kids’ coming back to run AND WIN our race!)
• Semehar Tesfaye, 20 ~ 58:52

Finishing first in our 5K race were:

• Eric Cogdill, 30 ~ 16:06
• Casey Owens, 28 ~ 17:47

Race director Bobbi Snodgrass and the Capital Striders Board would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the multitude of volunteers and supporters who made this race possible ~ too many to list them all. Some of those we’d like to thank:

Awards Table- Mike McGinn

Packet pickup and race registration - Gail Borman, Marcia Swinney-Shay, Mike McGinn, Jacob Johnson, Carrie Van Quathem, Curtis Downs, Chris Brooks, Teresa Brooks and Sheron Lininger

Course Marshalls - Brian Palmer and volunteers, Steve Halstead, Don Hostager and the Drake Men's Cross Country Team

Water Stop and Course set-up - Curtis Downs with great help from Lint Van Lines.

Start and Finish Line - Carrie Van Quathem and her crew, Steve Bobenhouse, Susan Kobliska, Linda Bergeson, Stan Smith and Cal Murdock

Pursuit Junior - Cindy Elsbernd

Announcer - Del Lasswell

Bike Support - Carl Voss & Tim Lane

Course Marking - Denny Wheeler and Scott Dennis

Water Stop support:

Greg Altmairer of Principal & friends - Water Stop #1

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

Todd Schemper 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

Singer – Lori Ballard

Treasurer – Kent Altena

Additional thanks go to:

• Larry Jablonski for providing the finish line scaffolding & set-up
• The City of Des Moines and the DM Police Department for keeping our runners safe.
• Prairie Life Fitness for allowing us space for packet pickup on Friday night.
• The Suites of 800 Locust for helping us out with many last minute details, as well as providing an area for race day registrations.
• Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) for making our 10-Mile and 5K race the State Championship events.
• Tim Dwight for attending our race, running the 10-Mile and helping with race commencement.
• Josh Klein and crew of JK Photography, for taking digital photos.  JK Photography is a new Merchant Sponsor, they are offering 15% discount off your purchases.  A link to the race day pictures will be posted on our Capital Strider Website on Friday.
• Wade Wearmouth of WCM Metals for providing the special awards ~ beautiful medal hangers. Wade is another new Merchant Sponsor; he is offering a 10% discount off his merchandise to Capital Strider members.
• COSC Center on Sustainable Communities, Waste Management, Waste Connections and the Des Moines Civic Center for helping us reduce waste, reuse commodities and recycle.

 A big “Thank you” goes out to Cal Murdock and Stan Smith for their 29 years of devoted service to the Capital Pursuit races. Cal is our timer and race historian; Stan provides our sound equipment, the starting gun and some of our finish line equipment.

Without sponsors, we wouldn’t have races. Big thanks go to our sponsors:

• Crystal Clear Water
• America's Best Apparel
• Gatorade
• Momentum Magazine
• Lint Van Lines
• Pella Windows
• Living History Farms Race
• Fitness Sports
• Scheels
• Prairie Life Fitness
• Capital City Graphics

Great post-race refreshments provided by:

• Taco Johns
• Bruegger’s Bagels
• Capital City Fruit
• Roberts Dairy
• Gatorade
• Crystal Clear Bottled Water

 Most of all we want to give all you runners a big high five; you trained hard and it showed! Thanks for your continued support of one of the fastest races in the Midwest. We welcome you to post your personal stories and pictures on the Capital Striders Facebook page. Good Job!

Capital Pursuit is fast approaching!

Bring a healthy appetite on Sunday morning because GOOD NEWS the 29th annual Capital Pursuit post race celebration will include:

• Mouthwatering Taco Johns Jr. Breakfast Burritos  It's about what you want!
• America's Authentic ~ Bruegger's Bagels, everything else is just toast.
• Bananas ~ from Capital City Fruit
• Dairy refreshments provided by Roberts Dairy.
• Gatorade
• Crystal Clear Water

Former NFL and Hawkeye Tim Dwight to run Capital Pursuit

One of Iowa’s greatest athletes, Tim Dwight, NFL wide receiver and return specialist and Big 10 Track Champion has registered to run the Capital Pursuit 10-Mile race. Keep an eye out for him as he also plans to help with Awards after his run. You are going to look marvelous in your beautiful royal blue long sleeve New Balance technical t-shirt, so don’t miss out, register today. Starting today, you can register online via GetMeRegistered.com or with check via mail by downloading the registration PDF.

2011 Capital Striders Picnic - July 31st

Mark your calendar for the Summer Picnic Sunday, 7/31/11

What's better than a nice run with friends on the last day of July? A run with friends followed by a picnic!

We'll be holding our annual summer picnic on Sunday, July 31st, 4-9 at the enclosed shelter in Greenwood Park (4800 Grand, Des Moines).  Click here for map

Capital Striders will provide the hamburgers, brats, chips and lemonade. Bring your running shoes, a side dish and any additional beverages you might want to consume (beer is allowed in cans only ~ no glass containers in the park.)  The picnic is free to Strider members, $5 for everyone else.

See you there!

Des Moines Marathon needs Pacers

The IMT Des Moines Marathon is seeking experienced distance runners that have a strong desire to giveback to the sport by serving as Running Room Pace Team Leaders for the IMT Des Moines Marathon & Half Marathon on Sunday, October 16, 2011.

Marathon pace team goals will mirror the new 2013 Boston Marathon qualifying times, ranging from 3:05 to 5:25 hours. Half Marathon pace team goals will be every 10 minutes from 1:30 to 2:30 hours. Although many of last year’s Pace Team Leaders will return this year, there are always few positions to fill for each race. Tara Thomas is returning for her 8th year as the Coordinator of the Running Room Pace Team for the IMT Des Moines Marathon.

Please click here for more information. If you are interested in serving as a Running Room Pace Team Leader, please contact Tara Thomas at davetara1118@msn.com or 515-251-3756.

Mark your Calendar for Capital Pursuit!

Please be sure to save the date for Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011 for the Capital Pursuit 10-Mile and 5K Road Races which will be at 8 a.m. in Downtown Des Moines. Strider Members get a $5 discount when you pre-register now through September 16th. The 10-Mile race is the state of Iowa's RRCA Championship event! Long sleeve technical T-s and free Pursuit Junior races at 9:30a.m. COME to RUN then stay and enjoy a great post race celebration at Nollen Plaza.

Summer Training Runs Starting

Join the Capital Striders Summer & Fall Training Group every Saturday morning at 7 a.m. beginning June 18th through October at Gray's Lake Park. Take the main park entrance off of Fleur Drive and Gray's Lake Park Road and take the road past the beach parking lot. Follow it all the way back around the lake until you come to the Southeast corner parking lot. Our official kickoff will be Saturday June 25, and breakfast will be provided.

2011 Loop the Lake - Race Director's report

The 11th annual Loop the Lake 8k was held Saturday, April 9th at Gray's Lake Park. It was another successful race and I'd like to thank all the runners who participated. There were 372 finishers on a cool, overcast morning. Nearly four dozen volunteers were on hand to make sure cars were parked, late registrations were complete, food and water stations were set and tags were collected at the finish line. Many local merchants also contributed in a number of ways and we are grateful for their support. The list of business partners includes Pella Windows and Doors, Fitness Sports, Scheels, Living History Farms, Prairie Life Fitness and Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Capital Striders could not host events like Loop the Lake for the Des Moines running community without all of these great business, volunteers and of course the runners. Thanks to all for a great race! Curtis Downs Race Director

2011 Loop the Lake - Wrap Up

The results for April 9th 2011 race have been posted:

2011 Loop the Lake Results

The race report by the race director should be posted shortly.  In the mean time, here are some posts from today's race.