Mach Tenn Running Club meeting minutes: 08/20/09
Attendees: Mike Niederhauser (President), Lana Sain (Vice President), Denny Elston (Treasurer), Joanne Elston (Secretary), Melissa Miller, Ida Smith, Dale Smith, Steve Rubenstein, Terri Jones, Kristi Sliger, David Sliger, Mike Fruechtl, Tom Leanza, Connie Leanza
Event Updates
The Staggerwing Duathlon, held on August 1, had 103 participants and earned the club a little over $800.
The Mach Tenn Triathlon, held on June 2, had 394 registered participants (our largest turnout ever) and earned the club a little over $2000.
About 15 people joined in on the Daddy Billy's run held this past week. The next run, being slated as the Daddy Billy's Fun Run, will be on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6:30, starting at Daddy Billy's. The run course is 3 very flat miles.
Upcoming Events
Franklin County Fair Race – this Saturday (8/22) at 7:00 a.m.
Star Triathlon in Manchester – 9/5 (more info on Mach Tenn website)
Cumberland Caverns – 9/12
Frantic Frog Triathlon – 9/12
Elk River Valley 100 (put on by the Highland Rimmers Bike Club) – 9/12
Dogwood Festival 5K – 9/26
Marine Corp League 5 Miler – 9/26
Jack Daniels 5K – 10/24
David reported that the Marine Corp League race, which starts at 7:00 a.m. at the Arnold Golf Course is a fun event with a 5 mile run and a 1 mile walk. Last year there were about 80 participants and David is hoping for an even bigger turnout this year. Lots of fun and great door prizes. For more info visit the Mach Tenn website.
Discussion Items
Melissa has talked with Steve May, a public relations/marketing contact at Jack Daniels, about the possibility of a joint venture to put on a half marathon. Steve said JD would be interested so long as the event is held at a time that doesn't compete with other JD or Lynchburg events. A portion of the proceeds from the event would go to Mach Tenn while the remaining proceeds would go to some charity (either a local-based charity or a national-based charity that has a local chapter). In addition to a designated charity, the club would also expect to make donations to other charities/organizations who work as volunteers at the event. Mach Tenn would finance the event with JD's support coming in the form of using their name and logo, and possibly some of their facilities. After much discussion, a motion was raised to have Melissa move forward on meeting with Steve May to discuss potential dates (those at the meeting recommend a date in April), charities, a name for the event, etc. The motion was seconded and then unanimously approved. Next steps are for Melissa, and perhaps a couple of other people, to meet with Steve, and to then call a club meeting to begin working out the event details. Attendees of the club meeting will either be specific designated people (sub-committee) or it will be opened to anyone who wants to actively participate in making this event happen.
There was discussion about establishing a Mach Tenn group on Facebook to facilitate runners sharing info about upcoming events, hooking up with others for casual or training runs, etc. This would not just make it easier for people to get together, it would also take some of the burden off Melissa on being the primary point-of-contact in encouraging and organizing runner get-togethers. Lana will take on the task of getting something set up on Facebook.
There was discussion on establishing a Grand Prix within the club, intended also to encourage active participation by club members. Members would receive points for participating in running and multi-sport events and/or for volunteering at club sponsored events. Steve will take on the task of investigating how to set up the Grand Prix, award points and manage overall standings. Recognition and a prize would be presented at the annual run club/bike club winter party to the club member with the most points.
The next club meeting will be on Tuesday, October 20 at Ruby Tuesdays in Tullahoma . The gathering will start with a meet-greet-and-eat hour starting at 6:00 p.m., with the club's meeting starting at 7:00. For those who don't know, the club buys dinner at club meetings, so come on and join us. A reminder email will be sent out prior to the meeting.