NoMa Run Club Newsletter: May Edition

Hi runners! Welcome to our third edition of the NoMa Run Club (NRC) newsletter. 

After peak bloom comes peak pollen (hope you all are surviving)! April was a busy month in the world of sports. Caitlin Clark will continue her career at the Indiana Fever (you can watch her play against the Mystics in the Capital One Arena on June 7), Scottie Scheffler won another green jacket at The Masters (where Mayor Bowser conveniently went to visit on the taxpayer’s dime under the pretext of a ‘sports and economic development trip’), the NBA playoffs commenced, players were drafted to teams in the NFL, and marathoners tackled the Boston Marathon. 

At NoMa Run Club, we introduced a new 6 mile route option as part of the Monday run, we saw quite a few runners competing this month both in trail and road races, and we hosted the NoMa in Bloom Community event. Next up, we delve into May where several runners will race in the Capitol Hill 3K/10K Classic. Also this month, Memorial Day is when we change the Saturday runs’ start time to 8 AM for the summer — our attempt to beat the heat! Our first 8 AM Saturday run of the year will take place on June 1st. 

Wishing you all a great May! And don’t forget to call your loved ones for Mother’s day!

NoMA MoMA: Monthly Member Awareness

You may know her as the friendly, smiling run club member who brings people together over her pizza plans, but I’ve come to know her as a good friend who has come a long way in completing her first marathon last fall and setting a new PR in the half this spring. I nominated Kayleigh Hasson to celebrate her accomplishments and let her know how much she will be missed. Best of luck, friend! — Carl Brewer

Why did you join NoMa Run Club?
I joined NoMa Run Club when I first moved to NoMa almost two years ago to meet new people and hold myself accountable to run consistently. I am so glad I did - since joining, I have met so many awesome people, discovered Andy's mushroom and onion pizza, and run two ten milers, two half marathons, and a full marathon!

Favorite running route in DC? 
I love running the loop from VA across Key Bridge into Georgetown, then along the waterfront and back into VA. Bonus if you add miles along the mall, Tidal Basin, or Hains Point.

Current running goal?
To get back into running more consistently after taking a bit of a break!

This member spotlight is also our chance to wish you farewell as you leave the DC-area to start law school at Harvard! What parts of your new adventure are you most looking forward to?
I'm so excited to start law school and explore a new city, but it's bittersweet - I've lived in the DMV my whole life so far! I think I will miss NoMa Run Club the most. I'm hoping to find a running community in Cambridge/Boston that makes me want to keep running even (and especially) when law school feels overwhelming.

What do you do when you’re not running?
I'm a sixth grade math teacher, so I don't have a ton of free time, but when I'm not running, I also love cooking, baking, and exploring DC!

Anything else you want to share?
I love NoMa Run Club so much that I keep coming back even though I've moved to Arlington :)

April Events Recap

NoMa in Bloom Community 5K - Sunday, April 14
NRC partnered with the NoMa BID to host the NoMa in Bloom Community 5K this month. We welcomed many runners and walkers from this community and led them on a 5K through the neighborhood. Thank you to all volunteers who helped set up and to those who acted as group leaders and sweepers. Following the run/walk, NRC member Molly Hoeg led a post-run yoga session. 

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 5K and 10 Mile - Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7
Several runners participated in the Cherry Blossom 5K and/or 10 miler race. This is one of the biggest running events in DC. Our cheer squad was also in full force cheering all runners. We also had one member acting as a pacer! Kevin Flores was the pacer for the 8:00 min / mile group in the 10 miler race and did a fantastic job. Congrats to all who participated! 

Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay VS. Philadelphia Trail Marathon - Saturday April 13

Ville to Ville
Chris Baitinger, Anthony Singer, Allegra Dawes, Anthony Braun, Jake Kenneally, and Taylor Maggiacomo competed in the Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay on the 13th, a 75-mile relay starting in Asheville, NC and ending in Greenville, SC. The vibes in the van were rather subdued at the 5:30AM start, but the excitement had reached a fever pitch as they crossed the finish line around 3:00PM, coming in 47th out of 350 teams! Team captain Chris, an experienced Ville-to-Ville racer, was a fantastic host in both Asheville and Greenville, taking the team on a legendary tour of restaurants and breweries. The team enjoyed Southern fast food classic Cookout, “mind-blasting” Indian street food, and barbecue in Asheville and followed the race with a celebratory dinner at a Belgian cave restaurant with taps hanging from the ceiling in Greenville. With Allegra and Taylor on the team, sours had to be on the beer agenda and, sure enough, visits to Dissolvr and the Wicked Weed Funkatorium served up sours inspired by cheesecake and Baja Blast, as well as those of the barrel-aged variety. As a bonus for these epicurean runners, Ville to Ville finishers received loaves of stecca bread, which is surely part of the reason the team is already signed up for next year. Congrats team!

Chris made a cute video that you can watch here!

Philly Trail Marathon
Mike was promised to the NRC Ville to Ville team when August and Liz convinced him to sign up for the Philly Trail Marathon with them instead. You’ll have to ask him whether he regrets trading the van life for over 3,500 ft of elevation, accordion music, and a 6th place finish! Emily joined Mike, August, and Liz for the weekend and entertained them with Delaware trivia on the drive up to Philadelphia. The group carb-loaded in style with some incredible gnocchi at Stina Pizzeria before hitting the trails Saturday morning. The marathon’s two 13.1-mile loops through the Wissahickon Valley Park couldn’t have been more different, with half-marathon racers choking the trails during the first loop leaving the marathon racers to a peaceful and almost deserted loop 2. Uninjured and feeling accomplished, the group planned to party all night but stumbled to bed early instead. Next up on Liz, August, and Em’s Pennsylvania trail fun docket: Rock ‘N The Knob Trail Challenge on September 14th! “PA’s highest trail race” offers 50K, half-marathon, and 10K options — sign up to join them here!

Upcoming Running Events in the DMV

Capitol Hill Classic 10K, 3K and Fun Run - Sunday, May 19
The 43rd annual Capitol Hill Classic race will be held on May 19th. This race is an annual fundraiser for the Capitol Hill Cluster School. Many of us ran it last year, and it’s a super fun race! If you are competing for a serious time, be sure to get there early and line up at the front as there are no designated time corrals at the start. 

Join the “NoMa Run Club” team when you sign up, or sign up through this link, like these people have:
- Alan M.
- Andrew M.
- Antonio R.
- August B.
- Brendan H.
- Claudia F.
- Diego T.
- Diane M.
- Liz S.
- Steve R.

Other NRC Racers in May: 
- Taylor Maggiacomo will be representing The New York Times in the ACLI Capitol Challenge 3 mile race against members of Congress, government officials, federal judges, and other journalists on Wednesday, May 15th.

 Weekly NRC Runs Calendar

As a reminder: Saturday runs now start at 8:00 AM beginning June 1. This start time will continue through the summer.

Newsletter Contributions

Do you have a running related story you would like to share with us? Did you participate in a race and want to send in a race report? Do you want to nominate someone as the member of the month?

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to stretch 🙂