Page Topic First Quarter, 2011 1 NBMA Scholarship Fund Challenge Match Goal & Scholarship Applications 2 2010 KwanzaaFest 5K Run and Walk 4 Member Story Boston or Bust - By Tia Pettgrue 5 2011 NBMA International Gathering - Bermuda Triangle Challenge Extravaganza 9 2011 NBMA Upcoming Gathering - Deadwood Michelson Trail Event (With Great NBMA Member Discounts.) In case you missed it, the NBMA was in the Dec. 2010/Jan. 2011 edition of Ebony and the February, 2011 issue of South Carolina s Go magazine. Links to running clubs in Washington, DC, New York City, and Richmond, VA are on our Fitness webpage. NBMA Scholarship Fund Challenge Match Goal & Scholarship Applications In December, our members were given a challenge. Every dollar that was donated to our scholarship fund would be matched by a dollar. Thanks to your donations, we collected $715. Our challenger decided to match this entire amount, instead of the first $500. Thus, we collected a total of $1,430 for the scholarship fund. The winner of the drawing for the $50 gift card to RoadRunnersSports.com was Wilbert Moultrie of Maryland. Applicants for the 2010/2011 program year must: Be a socially and/or economically disadvantaged student finishing her/his senior year of high school. Attend a United States high school. Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0. Be accepted for enrollment in a US college or university. Must have o Run on the high school cross country team, o Competed in a distance event (1500 meters or greater) on the high school track team, or o Finished a full, certified 26.2-mile marathon. o Note: Your finishing time is not considered in the selection process and you do not have to compete at the collegiate level. Applicants will be judged based on their: Past academic achievement in high school. Leadership skills or community service. Completed application. The application deadline for the program is April 30, 2011. The scholarship applications are available at http://www.blackmarathoners.org/scholarship.html. www.blackmarathoners.org Page 1
2010 Dallas KwanzaaFest 5K Run and Walk December 12 NBMA member, Bridgette Collins, was the Race Director for the Kwanzaafest Beat Obesity Walk/Run 5K on December 11. It was held during the 20 th anniversary of Kwanzaafest in Dallas Fair Park. Over twenty members came out to support her efforts to reduce obesity by walking and running. Our member, Angela Eusery, was the first female finisher. Members gather for a pre-race photo. NBMA member, Angela Eusery, was the overall female winner NBMA member, Tony Reed took first in his 50 to 59 age group. www.blackmarathoners.org Page 2
Member Story Boston or Bust By Tia Pettgrue My husband ran his second marathon this past February (after having run his first one in 1997). His goal was 4 hours but he ended up running 4:04. Not bad, considering he had only gotten back into running 6 months earlier. Well some weeks after, he got this crazy idea to qualify for the Boston Marathon by the end of the year. He just turned 44, so his qualifying time would need to be 3:20:59. Talk about a lofty goal. He spoke with a couple of very experienced runners. They didn't say it was impossible. However, with his work schedule, they thought it might be a little aggressive. He s a supervisor for Waste Management. This is very physical work for almost 60 hours during a six-day week. So my husband trained. I found an online schedule that worked with his schedule. Did I mention he's also a Pastor of a small church? So, he also has responsibilities there. He was very diligent with his training and only missed running days if he got home too late and had worked too physical that day. He did speed work on the treadmill. He did his long runs on Sundays after church, since he worked on Saturdays. So he decided on the Space Coast Marathon Nov. 28th in Cocoa Beach, FL. Not too far from home and a flat course. He went into it figuring he could do 3:30, but I "made" him go with the 3:20 pace group. After all, he was here for Boston right? So he ended up finishing at 3:19:46 with over a minute to spare! He said he hadn't really believed he could do it. However, my belief in him spurred him on. He said it was an easy race for him. So, I'm so proud to say my husband Johnny qualified for the Boston Marathon. It will be 2012, since 2011 filled already. He shaved 45 minutes off of his previous marathon, which was 9 months to the day earlier. Just thought I'd share, as I'm extremely proud of him! Now it's my turn to qualify! Tia Pettygrue www.blackmarathoners.org Page 3
2011 NBMA International Gathering - Bermuda Triangle Challenge Extravaganza The NBMA held its first Gathering in St. Charles, MO at the 2005 Lewis and Clark Marathon and Half Marathon. Since that event, many members expressed an interest in an international gathering. Two years ago, we selected the Bermuda International Race Weekend. This event was selected, in part, due to Bermuda s Swans Running Club. This club had previously interacted with Atlanta s South Fulton Running Partners at the Peachtree Race. This event offered something for everyone, including their Bermuda Triangle Challenge. The events included a one-mile (Friday evening), 10K (Saturday), and a half and full marathon (Sunday). The Bermuda Triangle Challenge consisted of finishing the one-mile, 10K, and the full or half marathon. These participants received a medal for each event, plus a special Triangle Finishers Medal. Eleven hardy members tackled in the Triangle Challenge. Thirteen members participated in the singular events. And everyone had fun in the 60 degree weather. Marathon Triangle Challenge Charlotte Simmons Christopher Bullock Marvia Bright Half Marathon Triangle Challenge Anthony Chadwick Bernard ElDorrado Deanine Halliman Harriette Wiggins Marie Richardson Marvin Foster Patricia Duboise Rosa Head Marathon Half Marathon 10K Ronald Clay Laura Lockett Albert Bakari Mary Epps Deborah Reed Robert Truedale Marc Johnson Ruby Ervin Tanya Johnson Stephanie Glien Tony Reed Traci Jones Wanda Truesdale Yolanda Kennedy Additional photos from this event are on our Facebook company and group pages. The links are at www.blackmarathoners.org. www.blackmarathoners.org Page 4
Members finishing the 10K NBMA, Decatur, GA s South DeKalb Striders, and Bermuda s Swan s Running Clubs www.blackmarathoners.org Page 5
Members gather before the half and full marathons Members enjoying themselves after the half marathon. www.blackmarathoners.org Page 6
Three of our marathon finishers 2011 NBMA Upcoming Gathering - Deadwood Michelson Trail s Tenth Annual Event Runner s World has called this event the best kept secret in marathon running. On June 5 th, they ll celebrate ten years of offering runners from around the globe the most unique running experience of their life. Where else in the world can you run on a course that takes you from an abandoned mining town, across railroad trestles, through a mountain, past monolithic rock formations, beside a babbling creek and finish in Deadwood.a town that is an historic landmark. Worried that the course is a trail? Jonathan Beverly, editor-in-chief of Running Times, made this comment after his experience on our course: If I were to design a course for beauty and a perfect running surface, it would like a lot like the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon course. A couple of other reasons why you might want to toe the line on June 5 th..jeff Galloway will be at the fitness expo; 50 Staters and Marathon Maniacs will be around; America s Marathon Man is the Race Director; the National Black Marathoners Association will be in town for our annual gathering, and, you ll have opportunity to earn one of their unique 10 th Anniversary Finisher s Medals. Great news!!! There are NBMA coupon codes set up in Active.com. You may register for either the half or the full Marathon through April 26 th for only $55. If run in either of these distances, you know that this is a real bargain. www.blackmarathoners.org Page 7