PRTC Weekly: 12/18/2018 (The Belmont Slammer, Variety Show, and More)
The First Annual Belmont Slammer
Philadelphia, PA: The first annual Belmont Slammer was completed by four of our members in muddy conditions on Saturday morning. They received strong support from an enthusiastic cast of characters who arrived mid-morning to witness the spectacle.
The event, dreamed up by Chris and Paul, came with a few very specific rules. Athletes were to race the Belmont 5k course with the goal of running as fast as possible (hence, "Slammer"). Entry to the Slammer was secured with the donation of one item valued between $5 and $10. All items were then placed in community bags (one female/one male). The winner of each division was presented with the honor or taking home the bag and all the goodies inside. To increase the stakes even further, a six pack of Genesse Cream Ale was placed at the first mile. The first runner to cross the mile marker won the right to take home the beers.
Continuing his long-running quest to break 16 minutes on the Belmont Course, Paul took the race out hard. He cruised through the first mile mark in the lead. His focus was remarkable as he didn't even slow down to crack open any of the genny's he'd just won. Paul maintained focus for the duration of the race, but it was not the day to break 16. He did however, win the first running of the event with a respectable 16:20 finish.
Chris Mateer put up a strong fight in an attempt to notch a win over Paul. He ultimately crossed 20 seconds behind first and was awarded partial items from the bag in recognition of his effort in both the race and organizing the show-down. Max Krall beat his Mayor's Cup time while placing 3rd overall. Max was joined by his sister at the course and had a full day ahead of him as he had yet to give a stand-out performance at our Holiday Party / Variety Show (more on this later).
Abby Cember was the sole women's representative at the Slammer. She ran an honest race managing to push hard in the muddy conditions and stay on her feet for the entirety of the 5k. No easy feat! Abby's 20:42 sets the standard for next year's event.
Results
Paul Matuszak: 16:20 (1st)
Chris Mateer: 16:40 (2nd)
Max Krall: 18:29 (3rd)
Abby Cember: 20:42 (1st)
In the bag
On Display CD (Paul's band)
$3 (To make up for the purported negative value of Paul's CD)
A three day old pizza
Gingerbread House Kit
Smirnoff Ice
Cliff Bars
Animal Crackers
PRTC Holiday Party / Variety Show
Speaking of establishing annual events, we had so much fun at the Holiday Party / Variety Show, we may have to do it again in 2019!
Highlights
Tommy McClellan kicked off the evening with a very funny stand up set.
Max (vocals) and Alex (guitar) performed a stunning rendition of Franz Schubert's "Du Bist die Ruh" and "Der Tod und dad Mädchen." They followed these classics with the more modern, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."
Pete brought the magic to our variety show. He easily captured the attention of the crowd before his huge reveal of the Queen of Hearts elicited gasps and cries of "He's a wizard!"
Breandan and Steve faced off in a Pizza Pie Eating Contest. Steve fared remarkably well against the semi-professional eater with Breandan displaying his talents by finishing his pie in just over 6 minutes.
Abby showcased her language and rap skills by performing two complex, yet pleasing, Russian rap songs. She helpfully translated the message of both.
Stephanie took a break from her day job as a psychologist and entered the psychic realm. She provided scarily accurate readings and offered sage advice for 2019 to lucky audience members.
Lauren, Christy, and Kristen helped spread cheer with an enthusiastic rendition of a holiday song.
Pat provided party favors of shark teeth.
Chris Hatler (Dipking) was our last act of the evening. He performed original songs from his side project and closed the night on a true high note.
Special thanks to Kieran and Alec for entertaining us with their MC skills and allowing the use of their home!
Upcoming Runs, Events, & Races
Tuesday: NO TRACK WORKOUT THIS WEEK. Penn is not in session so the facility is not available to us.
Sunday: Long run at 9:00 AM from Lloyd Hall.
February 23rd, 2019: Fireside Frostbite 5 Miler (Ambler, PA)
March 16th, 2019: Adrenaline 5k (Haddonfield, NJ)
April 25th - 27th, 2019: Penn Relays (Philadelphia, PA)
April, 28, 2019: Revolutionary Run 5 Miler (Valley Forge, PA)
May 5th, 2019: Broad Street Run (Philadelphia, PA)
* Denotes USATF Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix Event
