MRM’s Housekeeping & Other News, January 2025

Quarterly Education: Looking for Guest Speakers (By Becka Lyons)

Do you know someone who has a wealth of knowledge to share with the running community? If so, reach out to us and we can add them to our list of Quarterly Education speakers! Education Nights are typically hosted at Elevation Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Peterborough, but we can travel too! If we don’t get any leads, you might be stuck listening to Smith or me drone on for hours…you know we can ;)

Membership Renewal & Club Sponsorship (By Becka Lyons)

Membership renewal seems to be going smoothly so far! What do you think?!? Send us your feedback!

Many of our Members join & renew in the New Year with the start of the Winter Chiller’s Series. Membership operates on a rolling basis and those with upcoming expiring membership status should have received a reminder email. Last year we switched to Tiered Membership ($25, $50, $100) with different perks at each tier. These different levels can be reviewed online in each tier’s description. We are encouraging members to PLEASE renew your membership online in order to decrease the amount of hands on work, money handling, etc needed to be performed by Board Members. 

Along the same thread, we are looking to continue connecting the club to our Community via Sponsorships from local businesses. Divine on Main is one of our 2024 sponsors and is a great example of the symbiotic relationship we can have with businesses in our community!  If you own a local business or know of someone who would be interested in sponsoring the club through their business, please let us know or fill in and hand out a copy of the Sponsorship Letter! We are nonprofit and any donations towards the club are tax deductible.

2025 Winter Chiller Race Series

We are looking forward to the Winter Chiller’s Race Series with 5 races in 5 locations across the Monadnock Region on the docket for 2025! Races will range from 3 - 5 miles in length and will commence with delicious food, warm drinks, thrilling raffles, and better company! Complete 4 out of 5 races and a Winter Chiller Shirt will be coming your way…show up or miss out on the shirt with the most positive feedback ever!!! 

In the spirit of community, we will be collecting non-perishables to donate to the Food Pantry, so please bring something if you can! As always, we will be looking for volunteers for help with set up, course marshals, cheerleaders, break down, food supplies, and more! If you are interested in assisting, sign ups for EACH RACE are in this google doc! I still can’t get over how smoothly events run because of our volunteers!

Dates Will Be: Jan 18 (Peterborough), Feb 1 (Jaffrey), Feb 15 (Temple), Mar 1 (Hancock), and Mar 15 (New Ipswich). Registration starts at 8, racing at 9 for all races! Further details to follow!

From the President (By Becka Lyons)

January, the time for all of the “New Year, New Me” propaganda. I don’t know about anyone else, but the short days and cold nights don’t exactly scream “let’s get this party started!” I am more of a hunker down, find rest & restoration, and build a solid foundation kind of person…so that when the warm weather makes its appearance in April (or May, or June - we do live in NH afterall…) I am fully ready to tackle the long days, warm nights, late dinners, and big adventures that go with it!

So, if you aren’t feeling all hyped up for the New Year, know you are in good company. If you were a patient of mine, I’d be preaching consistency over perfection. Move your body daily, but don’t worry if it is foundational miles, strength training, yoga, swimming, skating, skiing. The reality is, it all adds up. It all keeps you moving forwards, and it’s all better than sitting on the couch and doing nothing - although a little of that is good for the soul too!

 The Winter Chillers are coming and I think the reason they are a top favorite among Milers is that they help us find consistency and motivation in a season that can be challenging to do so. I am looking forward to seeing you all out there, hitting your stride and enjoying the company of others in a time that otherwise has us all cozied up at home:)

First Chiller on the 18th!

Becka

Runner’s Book Club - DiVine on Main - TBD 2025

Another Book Club at DiVine on Main over delicious wines and brews while we discussed “Once a Runner” by John L Parker, Jr. was held in November! The first book of 2025 was chosen to be “The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life” by Amby Burfoot. P.S. Did you know DiVine was on NH Chronicle recently?!?

2025 Winter Chiller Race Series

We are looking forward to the Winter Chiller’s Race Series with 5 races in 5 locations across the Monadnock Region on the docket for 2025! Races will range from 3 - 5 miles in length and will commence with delicious food, warm drinks, thrilling raffles, and better company! Complete 4 out of 5 races and a Winter Chiller Shirt will be coming your way…show up or miss out on the shirt with the most positive feedback ever!!! 

In the spirit of community, we will be collecting non-perishables to donate to the Food Pantry, so please bring something if you can! As always, we will be looking for volunteers for help with set up, course marshals, cheerleaders, break down, food supplies, and more! If you are interested in assisting, sign ups for EACH RACE are in this google doc! I still can’t get over how smoothly events run because of our volunteers!

Dates Will Be: Jan 18 (Peterborough), Feb 1 (Jaffrey), Feb 15 (Temple), Mar 1 (Hancock), and Mar 15 (New Ipswich). Registration starts at 8, racing at 9 for all races! Further details to follow!

Quarterly Education: Looking for Guest Speakers

Do you know someone who has a wealth of knowledge to share with the running community? If so, reach out to us and we can add them to our list of Quarterly Education speakers! Education Nights are typically hosted at Elevation Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab in Peterborough, but we can travel too! 

2024 In Review…By The Numbers

68 (and steadily growing…) - Members
3 to 77 Years - Participant Ages
6 - Races
42 - Average Chiller Attendance
½ a Truck Bed of Food Donated
1 - Track Meet
5:07 - Fastest Men’s Mile
5:39 - Fastest Women’s Mile
13.7 Seconds - Fastest Men’s 100m Dash
14.5 Seconds - Fastest Women’s 100m Dash
26’ 8’’ - Furthest Shot Put Throw
11’ 3’’ - Furthest Long Jump
3 - Book Clubs at Divine on Main
# of Glasses of Wine - What Happens at Book Club, Stays at Book Club!
3 - Education Nights
~75 Pairs of Sneakers - Delivered to Third World Countries through #Sneakers4Good

Wow…that went by real quick and was full of so much fun, opportunity, and impact! 

Website upgrades

Website changes continue to be small but impactful.  We now have a more streamlined & automated “Welcome” to those joining the club (as of Dec 8th), connecting new members to opportunities, social media outlets, and more! No more wondering if your registration was received or fumbling around to start taking advantage of community offerings! We have been cleaning up and updating our Sponsor Page, so be sure to check that out! In addition, we have been bringing our general information up to date, making information more readily accessible, and working to bring an equally enjoyable experience whether one is on desktop or a mobile device!