18th Annual Run Like Hell Recap
After 2008, I decided to attend this race again in 2009. It was the same location, but they moved registration across the street due to the construction and expansion at Xavier University. Thank goodness, the rain held off until about an hour after the race finished. It was much warmer(about 78 degrees) than in years past but windy so more runners competed this year than in years past. The course was the same as we ran through the Walnut Hills Cemetery with runners and walkers dressed in costume. I must be getting old as I don't remember the cemetery being quite that hilly. Unfortunately, a deer decided to join the run and missed every runner until it cut across the road and sideswiped one runner just coming out of the cemetery as I was going in. The biggest complaint about the race was that since the race was so much larger than in years past that they ran out of things like goody bags, T-shirts(thank goodness, I preregistered), water so the staff had to go out and buy some, long beer lines and it was quite hard to move around in the post-race. Fortunately, a brief rain cleared the crowd out just enough so people could move and get beer. The post race although not as good as the Reggae Run(but what race is) had a few more additions from 2008 like Donatos Pizza which I got before they ran out. They did not runout of burgers, goetta sandwiches, and hot dogs. The highlight of the event is the costume contest which I did not win but there is always next year.(I am thinking of going as a Giant Taco that craps ice cream in 2010.)
Run Like Hell Race Results.

Upcoming Sin City Hashes
For the next two weeks, the Sin City Hashers have a couple of big hashes on back to back weekends. If you plan to do Run Like Hell in costume and would like to wear it again in 2009, go to the Halloween Hash in Dent especially if you have no life and no other party to attend. They will be glad to have you. The following weekend of November 7 will be their 600th Hash at Mount Airy Forest(It just seemed like they just recently completed their 500th Hash). For information about hashing, and the Sin City Hashers, visit their website www.sch4.com.

Go to Run Like Hell in Costume
If you know that you not be one of the top 50 male runners or top 50 female runners, you can always come in costume. Run Like Hell has expanded the use of costume categories to include the following:

• Best Use of anything Bubble in your costume- Winner or Winning Group receives a Three Olives Vodka Start Your bar prize pack - Must be 21 to win
  
• Best Use of Cincinnati Bell or any of their products-Winner or Winning Group receives Nokia 5800 phone
  
• Best WEBN themed costume-Winner or Winning Group receives a WEBN prize pack
  
• Best Use of Budweiser or any of their products-Winner or Winning Group receives a Budweiser Prize Pack
  

Then, there is the Crowd Voting at 9:00pm for the following categories:

• Best Non-runner Costume
  
• Best Cartoon or Superhero Group Costume
  

If you registered for the race and don't have a costume yet, you can do some last minute shopping at Cappel's. Bring your Run Like Hell Race Registration and receive 10% off your costume at any Cappel's location!
For more information about Run Like Hell, go to www.cincyrunlikehell.com.

Chip Timing at Run Like Hell
This year's edition of Cincinnati Bell's Run Like Hell features chip timing. If you believe that you will be one of the top 50 men (about 20 minutes for a 5k) or the top 50 women(about 25 minutes)(view last year's results), you need a chip otherwise, you will not be eligible for an award or the recognition that goes with being one of the top 50 males or females. If you preregistered but did not sign up to get a chip, you can pay the additional $2 fee when you pick up your race packet or on race day near Dana and Woodburn. Visit www.cincyrunlikehell.com for more information.

Run Like Hell this Friday
This Friday is the 18th Annual Cincinnati Bell Run Like Hell. Even though preregistration ended, you can register at the following locations on the following days(Cost is $35, add $2 for a chip):

• Monday October 26 - Cincinnati Bell-Crestview Hills Town Center - Near Dillards Crestview Hills, KY - 3:00pm to 7:00pm
  
• Tuesday October 27 - Cincinnati Bell-Northgate Mall - Near Applebees from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
  
• Wednesday October 28 - Cincinnati Bell-Hyde Park Plaza - 3:00pm to 7:00pm
  
• Thursday October 29 - Fleet Feet Sports 9525 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash - 3:00pm to 8:00pm
  
• Friday October 30 - Race Day Site - 3614 Dana Avenue - 10am-7:20pm
  

If you preregistered, you can also pick up your race packet at one of the above locations and avoid the last minute race day rush. If you did not sign up to be timed and want to, you can pay the additional $2 fee then to be timed. Reminder: Only the Top 50 men & Top 50 women who are timed will receive awards.

Stone Steps 50K this Sunday
This Sunday is the Stone Steps 50k, Cincinnati's only ultramarathon. It is held at Mount Airy Forest, a gem of a park. The course is a single track loop course, with lots of hills, roots, rocks and, of course, stone steps. Here is your chance to see ultramarathoning without having to drive about an hour.

Race Details:

• DATE: Sunday,October 25, 2009
  
• TIME: 8:00AM
  
• PLACE: The Oval(Area 13), Mount Airy Forest
  
• INFORMATION: Cincinnati's only ultramarathon! If you want more information about the race like course, registration, to participate or to volunteer, visit www.stonesteps50k.com.
  

Great Bearcat Run Results and Recap
About 60 runners took part in the Great Bearcat Run this past Sunday under cold but sunny skies. Runners and Walkers ran inside and outside the UC Campus culminating with a finish on the field of Nippert Stadium. Matt Gancedo repeated as the men's champion with a time of 16:56. Club Member Linda Jeanmougin was the top woman with a time of 22:55. A Big Thank You goes to the UC Running Club and the volunteers who made the race a success. Thank you to our sponsors: Bob Ronckers' Running Spot,Bagel Brothers, Busken Bakery, Krogers, Panera Bread, RoadId, vitaminWater, and Waltz Business Solutions. View Race Results.

Register for Run Like Hell and Arrive in Style!

Everyone that Registers by Wednesday October 21st is in the running for a Halloween limousine ride to and from Run Like Hell for Themselves and 5 Friends(*Pick-up and drop-off in one location within 275 loop. One winner.) Register today at www.cincyrunlikehell.com.
Limo ride courtesy of Night Shift Limousine. Check out the Halloween Limo at www.nightshiftlimousine.com.
Just a reminder: Online registration closes on October 23rd at 11:59 PM.

No Group Run this Sunday
Due to the Great Bearcat Run on Sunday, October 18. there will be no Sunday Group Run. The Sunday Group Run will resume on Sunday, October 25 at the Koka Coffee Lounge in Mount Adams.
If you need your group run fix for next week, you can join us at Hyde Park Square on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

Group Run Details:

• Sunday - 9:00 AM - Koka Coffee Lounge - No group run on Sunday October 18 due to Great Bearcat Run. Sunday Group run resumes October 25.
  
• Wednesday - 6:30 PM Run - Hyde Park Square - meet by the fountain - 3-6 miles - all paces welcome.
  

Perfetti Van Melle Health Fair
Perfetti Van Melle USA, Inc held their annual health fair on October 14th for employees at their Erlanger KY facility. For those who are unaware, Perfetti Van Melle is a candymaker. Their most recognized candy for me is Mentos due to those commercials in the 90's. This is the 6th year that they have had a health fair for their local employees. It gives them an opportunity to see the various options out there to keep healthy whether medical, dental or fitness. This was the first year that the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati participated in the health fair and they were happy to have us as they have quite a few runners and walkers(due to the 1/2 mile track around the facility). It was slated to be a 3 hour event but due to the unusually cold October weather, it was shortened to two hours since we would be outside under a tent. The club had a chance to meet many employees looking to improve their running, start running, or improve their fitness through running or walking. I had a few ask me if I knew what hashing was? It also gave the club a chance to promote club events like the Great Bearcat Run, the Valentine's Day Race and the Holiday in Lights Run. Overall, a fun event despite the weather that the club may continue to attend in the future.

Great Bearcat Run Preregistration Ends Today

Less than 3 hours remain to preregister for the Great Bearcat Run. The deadline for Mail entries ended Tuesday October 13. Online Registration is available through 5:00 PM today. You can also preregister in person at tonight's group run in Hyde Park at 6:30 PM(Exact Change Please). Register now before the price goes up. Visit the club website for more information about the race or Wednesday's Group Run.

Cure2Endure

Cure2Endure is a 6 week Injury Prevention Clinic for the Endurance Athlete. It currently runs every Monday at the Running Spot in O'Bryonville from 6:00PM - 7:30 PM for 6 weeks. It is a great way to learn injury prevention. A couple of our club members took it and LOVED IT! They highly recommend it to anyone who has been injured or does not want to get injured. The first session was yesterday on October 12(Columbus Day). They may have a few spots available and you may still be able to join it for weeks two through six. Contact Lisa Coors at 513-476-7151 for more information. About Cure2Endure.

Great Bearcat Run Mail-In Registration Extended to October 13 
Happy Columbus Day! 
Rain, sleet or snow may not stop the mail but a Federal Holiday can so the deadline for mail-in entries is extended one more day until Tuesday October 13. All mail-in entries must be postmarked by Tuesday October 13. 
Online Registration is extended until Wednesday October 14 at 5:00 PM. Get the flier and send it in by tomorrow or register online by Wednesday before 5:00 PM to get the pre-registration price. 
Visit the club website for more information about the Great Bearcat Run or contact us for questions.

New Poll Question
The new poll question is out! We want to know: What is your favorite Cincinnati Park to run in or from? Vote now! (By Cincinnati Parks, we mean this.)

Sunday Group Run to meet at Gettler Stadium on the UC Campus
This Sunday, the Sunday Group Run will travel to Gettler Stadium to run the Great Bearcat Run Course as a preview to the race sans the sprint down the middle of Nippert Stadium to the finish. It will be about 3 miles and maybe a few more extra miles afterward.
Details:

Sunday - 9:00 AM - Gettler Stadium - UC Campus - running the Great Bearcat Run course and maybe we will run it backwards for a total of 6 miles.

Great Bearcat Run Preregistration Ends Early Next Week
Mail in entries for the Great Bearcat Run 5k Run/Walk must be postmarked by this Monday October 12. Online Registration is open until Tuesday October 13. Get the flier or register online now before you forget and the price goes up! Go to www.cincinnatirunning.com for more information.

The Great Bearcat Run – A Brief History Lesson
The following was featured in the club's Fall 2008 newsletter.
Warning: The following was put together using past club newsletters, rumors, hearsay, eavesdropping and the internet - all unreliable sources. No actual people living or deceased were interviewed in the writing of this article.

The Great Bearcat Run originally began in the late 1970’s. The Clifton Track Club precursor to the Runners’ Club of Greater Cincinnati had a prominent role in securing volunteers and helping the race in the early years due to its proximity to the University and a number of members working for the University. In return for the club’s help, the club got to use the Indoor Track at the Armory Fieldhouse for free on Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:00PM provided the club verify that each person was a member of the Clifton Track Club. In 1986, controversy arose over the cheapness of the awards given out and club members wondered which bozo picked those awards. The bozo in question was the current club president at the time.

As the 1980’s progressed, the club had less of a role with the race. In 1991 complaints again arose about the race as a 1991 Article in the Clifton Track Club Newsletter called it the Not so Great Bearcat Run due to several issues like the crappy awards, no t-shirt available for purchase, the high price of $9.00, and less amenities than the RCGC Summer Cross Country Series. The club looked at getting involved in the management of the race but what became of it was hard to say.

For the last few years, the UC Track Team managed the race. The race usually happened on UC Homecoming Weekend and started about 15 minutes before the kickoff of the Homecoming Parade. About 100-150 runners would start near the corner of Straight Street and Clifton Avenue, sprint down Clifton Avenue, wind their way through Burnett Woods and make their way to Martin Luther King, and on the streets around the University and eventually finish back on campus.

The Great Bearcat Run last graced the UC campus in 2005 when 10 people showed up to do the race and nobody was there to sign them up or register them. The UC Track team decided to not hold it in 2005 and nobody stepped forward so it just went away. Everybody knew about its disappearance except for the 10 unlucky souls who showed up on race day. In 2006 or 2007, a 5k walk managed by the UC Greek System replaced the race and raised money for Make-A-Wish Foundation on the Friday of Homecoming Weekend.

In April 2008, the Runners’ Club of Greater Cincinnati Board of Trustees and key members of the UC Running Club met and decided to work together. Since we are both running clubs and two things that running clubs do is run and put on races, we decided to put on a race together. After deciding to do it on the UC Campus, neither club knew what to name it nor really thought much about the name. Since it would be on the UC Campus, we initially decided to call it the Bearcat Run. The UC Running Club checked with the University about any issues with the name and they suggested the Great Bearcat Run to revive and revitialize the tradition of this past race.

Be sure to register online or get the flier for the 2009 race at www.cincinnatirunning.com.

Poll Results - Are You Running a Marathon in the Fall?

Here are the final results from the latest poll. The question was: Are you running a marathon in the fall? Almost half of those that voted will be running a marathon on the fall as it garnered 11 votes followed by The 100th Thanksgiving Day Race only comes once a century so I am doing a 10k with 5 votes. The low vote total was Marathons are for wimps! I am doing an Ultramarathon.(Guess they are out training). Thank you to the 27 that voted. The full results will be up for the next couple of days.

One Bourbon Chaser Wanted
This was posted by Bob Roncker on his Facebook page and also at the Enquirer Running Blog, but here it goes:

Karen Bruce is doing the Bourbon Chase, a 24 hour 12 man relay race on October 9th and 10th. They had a last minute runner drop out because he is being forced to travel for work. Any one you know would be interested?... Details are here: http://bourbonchase.com. The cost is $200 but you will hopefully get a few bucks back - all items except clothes and shoes are covered. PLEASE HELP!! PASS THIS ALONG!

Email Address: karenbruce@fuse.net

Tale of Two Races
This past Saturday, I was at two races. The first race, I was a timer. It was a race in Morrow Ohio called "A Mile in Their Boots" which raises proceeds for Operation Thank You. It was a 5k Run/Walk at Veteran's Park in Morrow Ohio that was part of the Morrow Family fest that began after the race. About 50 people showed up for the 5k Run/Walk. It had a cross country feel to it as runners started and finished in a grassy area before heading onto the Little Miami Bike Trail. Runners' Club Member Paul Harkins won the race in a time of 21:04.
Later that night, I ran the Reggae Run. The Reggae Run is held in Ault Park and is the largest 5k in Cincinnati. This year they had about 5000 entrants. It is put on by the Olberding family and is done in honor of Maria Olberding, who was fatally attacked while training for the Boston Marathon. Race proceeds benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. 2009 was the 16th Reggae Run. I have run all of them but the 1rst one(I had not yet begun to run) and the 13th(case of Triskaidekahobia)It is one of my favorite courses and the race has the best post-race in Cincinnati with live Reggae Music. Since it is the largest 5k, you may have to park aways from the start and walk awhile. This year, they had buses from Lunken Playfield which I should have taken advantage of instead of my usual mile walk to the start. Oh well, I got to the start about 5 minutes before the gun, but I needed to use a portolet for which there was a wait so I had a late start of about 3 minutes. The most challenging part of the race is navigating the crowd of people on the course. Again the post race was terrific as this year I was able to get pizza, subs, grilled cheese etc and so on.