👟Striders E-newsletter for January 2021👟

A Message from the Outgoing President, Dave:

Striders, It’s been a pleasure leading the club through this weird year. The last social event I did in March was a Thursday night run, followed by food at Ledo Pizza. I still remember sitting next to Stephen and Derya when they found out that the Cherry Blossom 10 miler was cancelled. Little did we know that we were just beginning this saga, and that it would still be ongoing at the end of the year.

But we coped. We maintained our physical and our mental health through exercise, including running. We learned how to create Strava art while we ran, Vince did an awesome job keeping up his streak, and we even managed to have a nice club picnic in October. Club runs were some of my only social activities, and I’m thankful for seeing the familiar faces of our club members at Panera, Edison, HS or wherever we gathered.

With 2020 behind us, we’re all looking forward to a better 2021, including some real races with real people, and resuming our social lives without worrying about staying six feet apart or remembering our masks. As we look forward to the new and improved year, the Striders will have a new Board of Directors, led by President Valerie Blaemire. Most of the other board members are familiar, and I’m sure they will do a fantastic job leading the club over the next year. As always, this is *our* club, so feel free to let a board member know about your good ideas or your concerns, and please consider helping the club out some way.

Happy running!

~Dave Wiesenhahn, 2020 President

A Message from the Incoming President, Valerie:

Happy New Year, Striders! Congratulations on the excellent running in 2020. As Dave mentioned, it's been a weird year and I echo looking forward to better days in 2021. With the help of our new Board of Directors, I am excited for the promise of more activities for the Striders, whether those include Fair Winds Strides & Hops meetups, a summer picnic, a holiday party, or perhaps just improved comfort and attendance during our scheduled runs. Of course these activities are not set in stone, but things are looking up, and I'm happy to be a part of leading the way.

If you're new to the club, have any questions, or just want to become more familiar with me as I transition into this role, please feel free to email president@kingstownestriders.org. I would love to hear from you!

At last, thank you, Dave, for leading the group during such a challenging 2020. Your presidency has set us up for success. We appreciate you!

Hope to see you all soon on a run!

~Valerie Blaemire, Your President

The new year is a time of renewal, and your membership is no different.

Click here to sign up for a 2021 membership.

Just a reminder your dues cover RRCA insurance and provides other awesome benefits as a member of the club.

We are here to serve our members. Any questions or ideas for how to make the club better? Just reach out to a board member or feel free to join us in a board meeting, which are open to all members. The next board meeting is early February.

It's time to celebrate the Striders Birthday! The Join us on January 30th for our annual celebration of our favorite running club.

Facebook invite coming soon with more details.

Remember to check out the Google Docs here for weekend run details and run leader information.

Group runs continue to be Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Feel free to schedule impromptu runs on your own or through Facebook. Be sure to maintain proper social distance and/or wear a face covering at all events! Those neck gaiters are doing so much more than keeping you warm this year.

We are officially in the cold and icy the season, pay attention to the website and Facebook for any inclement weather cancellations (which rarely happen) or delayed starts. We want happy safe runs!

Cheers, to another year!