West Philly Runners: To the Tap House

We have reached that point in the winter when it is safe to start to imagine the springtime. Even though more than a month separates us from the actual Spring, the lengthening days and the occasional warm(ish) day bring thoughts of running in a tank top and still breaking a sweat. It also fills me with anticipation of the race season that's coming up and the chance to spend a few mornings with friends pushing myself a bit faster and harder towards PRs and post-race beers.

Last week we put together 7 teams for our Lenape Survival Challenge tribe (still plenty of time to sign up so if you haven't, you should think about joining) and we have nearly reached our goal of 20 people on our ODDyssey half marathon team. With these events to look forward to, the winter already feels like it's over.

Coming Up:

There are a number of races coming up:

Chili Cheeks - February 24

Lenape Survival Challenge - April 27
Broad Street Run - May 5

WPR 26x1 Marathon Relay - May 18

ODDyssey Half Marathon - June 9

20in24 - July 20

Chili Cheeks 7.2 Mile Trail Run. February 24. Hosted by Pretzel City Sports in Reading, PA, this is a super fun "show them how tough you are" kind of trail race. There are whispers of interest from several WPRs who have represented at this race in the last 2 years. Very good chance that there will be a spot for you in a carpool so just let people know that you are interested.

Lenape Survival Challenge. April 27. I love everything about this race: it combines hilly running (this year it's a trail race) with canoeing; pairs you with a partner and forces you to finish your run together (so that you can pile into the canoe together); and let's you compete with a tribe of three or more pairs of runners/canoers to compete with other tribes. This year, I want to get a big group of WPRs to come out and participate. Basically, there's going to be a good crowd of -like-minded West Philly Runners ready to have a great time running and paddling. If you know who your partner is, you should register and list your tribe name as West Philly Runners. If you don't know who you want to partner with, email me and we'll figure it out.

Broad Street Run. May 5. You've probably heard plenty about this one. Registration for the lottery closes on Feb 15 so register now if you haven't already!

26 x 1 Mile Marathon Relay Challenge. May 18. WPR's official race is happening again this Spring. We will race against other local running groups as a team of 26, running 1 mile each for a collective marathon. The race takes place outside the Horticultural Center in beautiful West Fairmount Park (our backyard). We're putting together our team now. Spread the word!!

20in24 Relay. July 20-21. WPR is putting together a team of 5 to run 2 Kelly Drive loops each as part of this year's 20in24 starting at 6pm and going through the night! Anyone interested should let me know right away. This race does involve fundraising as part of registration.