|
Dear Friends and Members of Club Fat Ass,
The extra special, no-stink, long-sleeve, environmentally friendly, custom-order, "Fat Ass Wear" 2009 Club colors are now ready!
When can you get in your Club shirt? 'Won't be long now. If you joined the Club before the end of December 2008 and ordered the shirt, you will receive an email from me confirming that it's in the mail. If you opted to save the postage and pick your colors up in person, you will receive a note confirming your pick-up location at a Kintec Footlabs store.
Don't let your spiffy Club colors languish in that shirt drawer. Wear a couple of them on those cold, spring morning runs to keep you warm. Wear them to work, to the pub or when you're out running errands, too, and watch the heads turn!
Be sure to bring your camera when you wear your Club colors. The ever-popular Travelling Colours Contest is back for 2009, so be sure to record the moment and share your story with your running buddies as well as the people at work who think you are nuts. The winner of the contest will get a refund on their 2010 Club membership and priceless bragging rights. Click here to see some of the escapades Club colours have been up to.
What... you don't have a Club Fat Ass shirt? No worries. I have a few black and a few blue "classic" club technical t-shirts in stock and likely have your size. They also make great gifts, so consider a Club membership for that friend or family member who would thank you for each of the 50-odd times they participated in a Club event during 2009!
Happy Trails,
Sibylle Tinsel
Chief Executive FA
|
UPCOMING EVENTS
 Spring Mountain Highway Madness. 15 March - North Vancouver, BC, Canada. This mind-numbing interval session is officially held twice a year. Runners complete one or more 15 km laps (with approximately 1 km or 3,300' of elevation change per lap) on a wide dirt and gravel access road (no traffic). Check it out here!
Photo left: At the turnaround during the 2006 Spring MHM - will we again encounter snow this year?
Photo right: Mobile aidstation with view during the Run To the Clouds. Event Host, Pete, makes sure everybody has a great run around and above Buntzen Lake.
 Run to the Clouds. 28 March - Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada. A 10km, 13km or 25km run, all on trails with some gravel road sections. Come see and run around beautiful Buntzen Lake and surrounding mountains. The long route is challenging with over 2000 vertical feet (or 600 metres) of elevation gain/loss. Fantastic views of Buntzen Lake and the Greater Vancouver area. Details here.
Cyclebetes Spin-a-Thon. 3 - 4 April - West Vancouver, BC, Canada. Colin Freeland is putting together a joint Team from Club Fat Ass and the Capilano Eagles. Cyclebetes is an event to raise money for a cure for juvenile diabetes. A team of 1-12 riders spin on stationary bikes relay style for 24 hours. The goal is for each team to raise $1000. Colin doesn't think he could ride on a stationary bike for 24 hours and is looking for some help. More info here.
 Spring Bunny Hop. 4 April - Claremont, ON, Canada. The opportunity for Ontario members to mix and mingle and show their loyalty. This 25 km trail run (which may turn into a cross country ski outing) takes you up and down two of the Oak Ridges Moraine forest tracks. Find out more here.
Photo left: Event Host James during the 2008 Spring Bunny Hop. He predicts there will be snow again this year and will have his x-country gear at the ready.
Photo right: Amazing views on a clear day during the Burnaby Mountain Run.
 Burnaby Mountain Run. 4 April - Burnaby, BC, Canada. Check out the trails around the Simon Fraser University. Great views - weather permitting - and a killer hill! Check it out here.
Flash - Marathon Shuffle. 25 April - Powell River, BC, Canada. The Marathon Shuffle is a new CFA event with a long standing history. Since 1991, Eagle Walz has hosted the "Shuffle" as a fund-raiser for the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (PRPAWS). A CFA member is the only person to have run the whole SCT and CFA members hold the current course records for the Marathon Shuffle, a 30km run or walk through beautiful terrain and remaining stands of old growth rainforest. A Half Shuffle distance is also possible. In support of Eagle and his environmental and social goals, CFA has "adopted" the Marathon Shuffle as a Flash Event. (Free for members and non-members of Club Fat Ass). More info here.
Photo left: Views before the last descend down to Powell Lake and well deserved refreshments at the Shinglemill Pub after the Marathon Shuffle.
Flash - Hotspring Hustle. Date TBD - Pitt Lake, BC, Canada. There are hot springs in the mountains on Pitt River. They are hard to reach. Word is that they are quite beautiful. This is an adventure that aims to reward the adventure-seeker with not only an adventure, but with a relaxing dip in the springs! Find more info here.
2009 Shirts. If you ordered the 2009 "Fat Ass Wear" collectors shirt with your membership, you will have your shirt in your hands very soon. Jess Marshall handled the graphics (cute porker label, Jess) and Vanessa Fors again was the driving force behind sourcing the innovative no-stink chitosante fabric, designing the shirts and handling the pattern making and sewing. Michele and I are packaging your shirts tonight to get them ready for mailing or pick-up at a Kintec store. Details will be in your inbox soon.
CFA Steering Committee. A small group of community minded people are selflessly working behind the scenes to build and manage your Club. We are always looking for help and fresh ideas. If you can spare a couple of hours a month to work with one of our committees, please drop me a line. We are especially looking for an enthusiastic person to chair the membership committee, some help with media relations and marketing promotions (any tweeters out there?)
2009 Membership Registration. Registration and Renewal for Club Fat Ass for 2009 is ongoing! Don't miss out on a whole year of free events.
TECH TIPS
Help! Goodness, this "online clubhouse" of ours is getting very sophisticated. I'm no rocket scientist... all I want to do is ______! (fill in the blank.) Well... help is on it's way. Yes, your steering committee has been hard at work after hours and on weekends making the website help easier to use, more complete and easier to understand. Our goal is to answer all technical questions in this one place. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for help questions that need answering or thoughts on how we might improve our online help.
Who Else is Running? It's been a tough week. You have a party on Saturday evening and you know you'll be hung over for the Club Fat Ass run on Sunday. You want to bail, but you can't if So-and-So is running because they're beating you in the point series. If only you knew who was signed up! Thanks to Ran, you can now see the names of everyone who has registered for a CFA event. We'll be implemeting the feature on all Scheduled Events over the next month or so, but here's an example of how you will be able to use the function on a typical event page.
CFA ON THE WEB
    
PAST EVENT RESULTS AND REPORTS
 Capilano Canyon Night Run. Event Hosts - Ean and Sibylle . As I was greeting runners at the start last night, it occurred to me that the MardiGras Night Run had grown up. Why’s that, you ask? No, not so much that it’s been an annual cult gathering for 7 years running. Not because the event now attracts more than a handful of nutcases with headlamps. Not because there were now starters from as far away as Singapore or Switzerland, either. No… what impressed me the most as I stood in the parking lot checking folks in was that our little event boasted two portable toilets next to the start line… just like a “real” race! This year,  starters were blessed with clear skies, temperatures just below freezing and perfect winter night running conditions. It was great to welcome friends and veteran Capilano Canyon night runners, but I was especially surprised to see so many keen first time night runners. Are we at the forefront of a new running trend? Roxy the Ultradog howled with excitement as we took the obligatory starter photo, separated into short and long-course groups and headed off into the night. Full report and results here.
Speaker Night - Survive Outside. Events Host - Sandra Ferguson (Adventure Smart) and Kintec Footlabs. We had a full house, an interesting and informative presentation followed by a lively discussion and a brew or two at the pub. More info about Adventure Smart and the 10 essentials can be found here.
CONTESTS
 2009 Travelling Colours Contest. Pictures of your 2009 adventures wearing your Club shirt (any colour) can be posted to Flickr following the instructions here. Who will be the first to submit photos of their 2009 collectors shirt in action? Rumour has it that Glenn and Rick are leaving for a business/training trip on Thursday and are taking their new shirts along for the ride. All submissions will be posted here. Contest details are here.
2008 Point Series. Same contest, same rules, new year. Up-to-date standings here. Read here about how to collect points and win a pair of spanking new trail shoes.
Refer a Friend Contest. This contest is intended to recognize those hyper-active Club members who share their love of Club events by telling their friends. Tell them on a run. Tell them at work. Tell them when they ask about your Club colors at the gym. Tell them in person or tell them on Facebook. However you tell them, be sure to tell them you told them... because you could win a SOLE footcare package valued at over $200 Check out the simple Refer a Friend Contest rules and meet the competition here.
CAUSES YOUR CLUB SUPPORTS
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 about his adventure here.
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. You can help, too, by participating in the Marathon Shuffle.
SPONSORS
 .img_assist_custom.JPG)  
CFA does not sell or otherwise distribute our member list.
|
