One day a few weeks ago, shortly after we announced we were asking people to submit entries to be considered for this year’s Rookie, a good friend asked me how many entries I thought we would get. “I’ll be floored if we get 5.”
Fast forward to last Friday when I was compiling all the entries for our review team to read. I called that friend. “Consider me floored. 2 times over.”
Eleven. Eleven of you took the time to write to us and offer to share your experience on a weekly basis (no small commitment) as you train for your first KeyBank Vermont City Marathon. The numbers would have been even greater if we had opened the opportunity to people living outside of Vermont. I’m thrilled that as many of you wrote to us as you did. Honored, in fact.
The best part of reading (and in one case, watching) your entries was that each one made me smile. Several made me laugh out loud (as in with you, never at you). The staff at RunVermont and the team at Green Mountain Running Medicine Shop had the very difficult job of selecting the 5 finalists.
They are, in no particular order:
- Erin Bancroft, Burlington VT
- Melissa Gaudio, Milton VT
- John Strout, Waterville VT
- Krysten Farrell, Burlington Vt
- Kacie Desmond Meixell, South Burlington VT
Every story is one worth telling and hearing and even though in the end we’ll have just one Rookie writing weekly posts, the rest of you aren’t off the hook. I plan to keep in touch.
We will post one finalist’s entry each day beginning this Friday and running through Tuesday. On Wednesday, January 23 our Facebook poll will open; you can vote for your favorite Rookie through Friday, January 25. Finalists are welcome to recruit their friends and family members to vote. RunVermont and Green Mountain Running Medicine Shop will make the final decision and announce the winner on Tuesday, January 29.
In exchange for sharing a weekly blog post that details the ups and downs of training for the full 26.2, our Rookie will receive the following from the Green Mountain Running Medicine Shop:
- Free video and functional analysis by on of our physical therapists at the beginning of training to help select the correct pair of running shoes and identify any issues such as weakness or injury prior to training cycle.
- 20% off running shoes, accessories, nutrition; 30% off running apparel
- Free injury screens along the way.
- Access to Sam Davis, our in-house running coach extraordinaire, for training program, questions, workout suggestions, etc.
And from RunVermont:
- The thrill of being a part of a well-read blog
- An official KeyBank Vermont City Marathon InTraining shirt (or if you already have one, a KBVCM merchandise item of similar value).
- 20% discount on all KBVCM/RunVermont merchandise
Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry. I wish all of you, and all of our first timers, the very best of luck as you begin your training. May 26, 2013 is going to be your day to shine.
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As the first Rookie, I LOVE this! Having the accountability of blogging each week, and knowing I could lean back on the local running community, made the entire process that much more entertaining and meaningful. Not only did I begin to look forward to writing my posts, it gave me something to think about on those lonely, cold long runs and showed me how welcoming runners are! (not to mention my writing improved over the training (even though writing is a big part of my job)).
So happy to see this “column” is continuing on
. Good luck to all of the finalists!