President's Corner

Club members may run in the Alaska Dome every Wednesday night from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in January, February and March.

Sign up online (preferred) or at the Alaska Dome. Check in at the front desk to sign the waiver and take care of the paperwork. Here's another membership incentive: use the Hotel Captain Cook's Athletic Club on Saturdays during the month of January from 7:30 to 10:00 AM for free (except January 1). Just check in at the front desk. Some of us are meeting at the Downtown Kaladi Brothers at 7:30 each Saturday morning for a one hour run in the downtown area, except on New Year's Day.

All of our running events will be back in 2011. Complete details can be found in the Alaska Runners Calendar published by the Municipality of Anchorage's Parks and Recreation Department--visit their website for general information. Exact times and location will be on the ARC website. Know that all of our club events are produced by generous volunteers--DO CONSIDER BEING A VOLUNTEER THIS YEAR.

Another change this year is that the club is producing the newsletter entirely online, rather than in print. Going green saves trees, time, and money.

The Club's main fundraiser, The Big Wild Life Runs, welcomes new sponsors for the marathon and marathon relay--the Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria and the Bear Tooth Grill. All of our other sponsors are back: Skinny Raven Sports for the half marathon, Snow City Café for the 5K, and the Children's Hospital at Providence for the kids 2K and "Nigel's Kids Marathon Challenge". Runners World's Chief Running Officer, Bart Yasso, will be back to host our event for the third consecutive year. Olympian Jeff Galloway will bring back his training clinic that sold out last year. It is fair to say we have grown to become a legitimate destination marathon. Our target is over 3,000 registered runners this year.

Obviously, the BWLR keeps getting bigger and better every year. How is this accomplished? The answer to that question is: our wonderful volunteers and the outstanding organizational skills mustered by the BWLR race committee. Our club pulls together over 400 volunteers to produce a quality event. Special thanks goes to members of the executive committee: Bonnie Swanson, Gregory Dixon, and Sharron Fisherman.

Together we make our community a healthier place. The Running Club continues to support youth running, high school graduates, UAA Athletics and fellow nonprofits. Last year we also assisted some emerging events like the Shamrock 5K, the Faster than a Falcon 5K, the Twilight 12K, the Anchorage Bucs Run for Home 4 Miler, and the UAA Architecture and Engineering Club's Home Run Series 2K, 5K and 10K. New events mean new energy and new volunteers for our club.

A few dates to remember in the early months of 2011:

• January 5th--Alaska Dome Run self-timed 2 miler. Clock starts at 6:30 PM so you can record your time and then recheck your progress on the first Wednesday in March.
• January 11th @ 8:30 PM--see the documentary "Hood To Coast Relay" followed by a panel discussion at the Regal Tikahtnu Stadium 16 IMAX at 1102 Muldoon near the Glenn Highway. It promises to be a motivational experience for all, like the Klondike Relay.
• February 9th--Alaska Dome "Sweetheart 4 by 1 Mile". You and your partner each run a mile, alternating 4 times. Total distance 4 miles, self record.
• March 2--Alaska Dome--self-timed 2 miler and then compare your time to the one recorded in January.

Finally, my wish for you in 2011 is simply this: make your dreams a reality. Now lace up your shoes and head out the door.