September 2008 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Members of Club Fat Ass,

There's a nip in the air and night is falling a lot earlier. On the West Coast, summer has lasted long into September and that was just fine with everyone who participated in the many Club events this past month.

Ran Katzman, who is chairing the Technology Committee, has worked hard behind the scenes fixing website issues you've told us about. Under Ran's leadership, we're also planning a major redesign of your online clubhouse. Any last minute wishes?

Know how painful it is to fill in all of your contact details when you register for a Club event? Well, it's now a snap as this fills in automatically with the information from your user profile.

We have a lot of plans to improve and expand the Club this year. If you have some great ideas and a few hours a month to see them through, please consider playing a role how the Club is managed. The annual Steering Committee mixer is today. All members and members-to-be are warmly welcomed and there are no expectations or obligations. If you can join us, contact me.

Happy Trails,

Sibylle Tinsel
Chief Executive FA

CFA Steering Committee meeting and mixer: 18 September - North Vancouver, BC Canada. Details here.

Mutha's Nature Trail Run: 21 September - Vancouver, BC Canada. A new edition to our calendar. Join Event Host Ryan Conroy for 10km, 25km or 50km on relatively easy trails with moderate elevation gains. More here.

Photo right: The Lions, destination on the Howe Sound Crest Trail, as seen from Cleveland Dam at dusk

Flash - Howe Sound Crest Trail: 28 September - West Vancouver, BC. Come out and join Dave on a group run of the Howe Sound Crest Trail. This trail is approximately 37 km long and has it all - steep scrambles, some light bushwhacking, beautiful alpine meadows, a short but exposed traverse, amazing views in all directions, technical sections, fast and smooth downhills, fixed ropes . . . in short, it adds up to an awesome day of fun and adventure!! Check it out here!

Ann's Get your FA Off the Couch: 18 October - North Vancouver, BC. A fun run on winding trails and backroads of lower Seymour Mountain. Two distance options, the "Old Chesterfield" 20 km or the "Cushy Couch" 10 km. Enjoy the fall atmosphere in a temperate rain forest. More info and registration here.

Photo left: English Bay and West Vancouver as seen from the Seawall at Third Beach

Seawall 100: 25 October - West Vancouver, BC. An urban 100 miler, mostly on the Seawall path from the Dundarave Park in North Vancouver to UBC. Enjoy an Ultra marathon challenge with minimal concerns for naughty beasts, altitude or elevation gain. Could definitively be described as the easiest 100 miler in North America if there is such a thing as an easy 100 mile run. Custom distances of 25-50-75 miles. Find out what else run100widow and her hilarious husband have up their sleeve here.

Photo right: Stein Valley Adventure Run

Adventure Slideshow: 4 November - North Vancouver, BC. Join us and our friends and sponsors at Kintec for a social wrap up to the year. The evening will start with images from our 2008 events, munchies and the opportunity to mix and mingle. Slideshows and presentations of recent self propelled adventures, including a scramble in the Stein Valley and a bike race in the Chilcotin will be the highlights of the night. If you would like to contribute with a story and/or photos please contact Sibylle. This evening is free for members and non-members of CFA, but please be sure to preregister so you don't go hungry.

Go Deep: 8 November - North Vancouver, BC. Challenging but beautiful 20 km course on lower Seymour Mountain. Register her e.

Mike and Melissa's Fun Run: 29 November - North Vancouver, BC. A late fall challenge not to be missed. Check it out here.

Photo left: MM 2006 saw some early season snow

Steering Committee Meeting and Mixer: On behalf of the 2008 Steering Committee, I would like to invite friends and members of CFA to our next Steering Committee Meeting and Mixer Night on Thursday 18 September 2008. The CFA Steering Committee is made up of your friends and fellow CFA members. We meet about 10 times per year and we make most of the decisions about how the Club operates.

Our September meeting agenda includes a brief business agenda followed by a "meet and greet" mixer. The purpose of this evening will be for you to get a feeling for what we do, for you meet the current Steering Committee, for us to meet you and to clarify questions you may have about how you might fit in. As a bit of background, we are looking for people to both head up and help with committees. As a subcommittee member your help may be a one time contribution of time/expertise to a specific project. You may also choose to become involved more regularly and assist in a committee or take on a specific task. If you are thinking about a committee chair role you should know that we meet once a month at a mutually agreed time at my house in North Vancouver. More info and RSVP here.

Smart Event Signup. Woo-hoo! Our event registration forms are now smart. But you have to spend 3 minutes on your user profile now if you want to save hours of tedious form-filling over the course of the year. How so? First, make sure you are logged in. Second, fill-out your user profile (click on edit, then select the "personal info" tab) with your current contact information. That's it. Now go for a run! Why fill out forms when the system can do it for you?

Banner Ads. Want to get your brand in front of a lot of outdoor minded folks? Why not consider a banner ad on the CFA website? It's easy. It's cheap. It makes good business sense. Check out what it takes here.

Free 2009 memberships. Just a reminder that all Event Hosts of scheduled events during 2008 will automatically receive a complimentary 2009 membership in CFA. All you have to do is complete the join form to confirm your contact information is up-to-date. A big thank you to all of you who are putting back into the community by hosting free events.

Promoting your Club. We would love your help in promoting the Club in person and online. One way to achieve that is, of course, to wear your Club t-shirt. Another is to provide a link on your blog or website. We also have a nice brochure we'd like to get into race packets, community centers and running stores. Please contact me if you would like some brochures to distribute.

2008 Point Series. Des is on track again to win the pair of shoes, Kintec Footlab is sponsoring for the winner of this contest. Des is trailed closely by Bill Dagg, Baldwin Lee and Penny Jakobsen. (and no, "Out of Action" Jackson and I do not qualify to win, but we like to play anyway)

If you have any causes close to your heart and want to raise awareness and/or funds let us know. A number of CFA Event Hosts use their events as fund raisers. Be sure to consider the special section on the Club website that offers ideas on how to raise money for your favourite cause while hosting a free CFA event.

Run for the Cure. The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure is Canada's largest single day, volunteer-led fundraising event dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer research, education, and awareness programs. If you would like to support one of your fellow members, please click here.

Easter Seals 24 Relay. The Easter Seals 24 Hour Relay is an annual community based fundraising event that challenges groups of people to run or walk Relay-style for 24 hours. Teams of runners and/or walkers made up of Corporate and Recreational groups collect individual pledges or organize team fundraising events to raise funds towards their collective team totals.

In 2008 CFA member, Glenn Pace, set our to run 100 miles during the 24 hour relay and raise funds for less fortunate children. Here the link to his fundraising page. Read here how it panned out.

BC Lung Association. Event Host, Craig Moore, uses his events to raise awareness and funds for the BC Lung Association.

Mary Leliveld Tri BC Fund. Mary was a friend and member of CFA. The fund was established in her memory to help deserving athletes get to competitions they otherwise might not be able to race in.

PRPAWS (Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society
The boys who ran the Sunshine Coast Trail 180 in 2003 and 2004 vowed to help raise funds for PRPAWS, a society that aims to protect old growth forest in the Powell River area.

SPONSORS