CRR officially launches new site

Today we officially launch the new Creek Road Runners website CreekRoadRunners.org!

photo of Jim Fischer trackside

CRR Jim Fischer

This site is launched on this day in honor of Coach and CRR Jim Fischer, whose nearly three decades of UD cross-country and track runners have logged many a mile on Creek Road and whose coaching career at UD has, unfortunately, been cut short.

Jim has tirelessly worked to make running fun for all ages and all abilities and will be sorely missed within the University of Delaware community. All who are associated or have been associated with Creek Road Runners wish him the best as he plans his next route, which we hope includes his remaining in this area and staying connected with the running community that has benefitted so greatly for so long from his tutelage, advocacy, and love of the sport.

photo of Matt Robinson

CRR Matt Robinson, self-appointed CEO

CRR Matt Robinson, CRR’s self-appointed CEO, hails this new site as “a positive step forward” for the nearly 30-year-old group.  And, yes, because this site features a blogging component, you may comment on any post. You may also subscribe to email notification (see button in righthand column), beyond the occasional ticklers you’ll still get if you’re on the group mailing list. As in the past, posts will comprise notices about upcoming events, race results, news, and kudos—for giving props to our runners for off-road accomplishments.  CRR Mark Deshon (pictured in righthand column) is the site administrator and webmaster.

Creek Road Runners web bannerThe group currently has “outposts” in several locales in the U.S. as well as Switzerland and Hong Kong. “We want to make Creek Road Runners a global phenomena,” Robinson adds.

We hope you bookmark this site and keep coming back for more!

Four CRRs compete in Tri-Club Challenge

Whose idea was it to have a cross-country 5K in mid-February?

Actually, three local running clubs came together to race in what the soccer world would call a “friendly.” Fortunately, the weather cooperated on Sunday, Feb. 19, and the White Clay Creek State Park XC course wasn’t too muddy (couldn’t have been better at this time of year, to be truthful). Four Creek Road runners challenged themselves on the course. The unique scoring system (by age-grading*) favored most of the old-timers; however, this meant that an 8-year-old boy won the race by virtue of having the top age grade of any of the more than 60 area runners!

photo of CRR Mark Deshon

CRR Mark Deshon gutting out the last few yards (photo by Kim Riccio)

CRR Keith Crispin, who ran for the Middletown Athletic Club, ran a 19:52 (finishing in 20th place), which was good for a score of 71.3 (26th overall). CRR Jay Coughenour, who ran for the Pike Creek Valley Running Club (PCVRC) after having done a ten-mile training run earlier in the morning, jogged through a 20:08 (finishing 22nd), which rated a score of 71.0 (28th overall). CRR Mark Deshon (pictured here and showing all the strain of XC racing), also ran for PCVRC and ran a 22:00 (finishing 39th), moving him up several places to 31st overall by virtue of a 70.0 score.  CRR Dan Simmons, running for PCVRC, got the most benefit out of the scoring system, having run a 25:35 (finishing 51st) but placing 41st with a 65.0 score.  Age does have its privileges.

*Age grading is a way of putting all race participants on a level playing field, regardless of age or gender. Age-graded scores let you compare your race times to those of different runners, as well as to the standard for your age and gender.  See an age-grading calculator.

Construction on Creek Road end of Pomeroy Trail

photo looking north toward planned Laird Campus spurThose who have been out Creek Road lately have seen the big construction equipment and the large (interstate-like) gouge out of the woods at the S-curve next to one of the railroad abutments.  All this signals that after having been planned well over a decade ago, the multi-use Pomeroy Trail is now under serious construction.  It will connect Creek Road for cyclists, runners, and other pedestrians all the way to Newark’s Hall Trail, which runs parallel to the Amtrak lines at the south end of central Newark.  Here’s how things looked today from the northern terminus of the Pomeroy Trail to the park at the corner of Paper Mill Road and Cleveland Avenue.