Walking the Classic by Phyllis Gilbert

Last weekend I had a wonderful time participating in "The Women's Classic," a running/walking event mostly for women for the benefit of the Providence Ronald McDonald House. I don't generally participate in events like this, preferring to walk locally solo or with a friend or two and my running days are long over. This meet was special, though. As a volunteer for the Providence Ronald McDonald House, I usually participate in their annual walk which is a great family festival, but I volunteer there as well so that is very different.

The Women's walk gathered women, their friends and pieces of families in a wonderful variety of ages and fitness standards. Many women were seriously competitive but the sense of fun never got lost. I particularly enjoyed seeing mothers and daughters of all ages registering and yet the young runners' club groups were an inspiration as well. The event was beautifully organized. Never did I see confusion about where to go or what to do. Questions were asked and answered and there were plenty of nice people to help. As a walker in the 5K, my walking friend and I had to hurry down the street to catch the group, as we had dawdled getting started. We passed the back of the crowd eventually and managed to come in a few places from last when all was over and clocked. Unfortunately, there was no booby prize. Obviously we weren't among the competitive participants, but it was a great walk with lots of nice women on a lovely fall day.

It was inspiring, during the awarding of prizes to realize that women of all ages put in serious effort and competed together in what for me was an affirmation of the possibility of remaining active and energetic from childhood into old age.

Westchester Track Club Wins Team Competition

Congratulations to the Westchester Track Club for their excellent showing at the PRMH Women's Classic 5k. Their top three runners combined for a time of 53m40 seconds. The Westchester Track Club from Westchester New York is a remarkable organization that supports both elite and recreational runners. Read about their coach Mike Barnow in this article from the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Records from last June.

2nd place was the Brown Running Club and 3rd place went to the Providence Ronald McDonald House Running Club.

Many of the volunteers from the race are members of the PRMH Running Club and our race is very much committed to supporting the running club community. Running clubs provide a great way for you to combine your fitness with your social life. And if you are looking to take your running to the next level, nothing beats running with a group.

If you live in the Providence area, consider joining the PRMH Running Club. See the welcome message from our president, Rick Ripley

If you are outside of Providence, other Rhode Island clubs are listed at The pRIx or just ask one of the people at your next race who they run with!

We thank the Westchester Track Club for traveling to our race and hope to make the PRMH Women's Classic a destination competition for women's running clubs.

Salome Kosgei Wins 2nd Annual PRMH Women's Classic

Westchester Track Club's Salome Kosgei upset local favorite Amy Rudolph winning by three seconds in today's Providence Ronald McDonald House Women's Classic 5k Race.

New York Times article February 6, 2009 about Salome Kosgei

When Salome Kosgei arrived at Kennedy Airport with only a change of clothes and a track scholarship, she stepped into a world she had never imagined.

Read Full Article

Congratulations to All Runners and Walkers!

Congratulations to all runners and walkers and thank you to all the volunteers who helped us make the 2nd Annual Providence Ronald McDonald House Women's Classic a success.

We will be posting results shortly as well as your stories about the day, so check back here frequently as we add more to the site.

We welcome your feedback on the race. What did you like about the race? What could we improve upon? Add a comment below. All comments will be forwarded on to the Race Committee so that we can make the 3rd Annual race even better than this year's.

Thank you!

Shout Out to AbbyCraunby!

GO ABBYCRAUNBY!

Good luck in the 400 M Kids Race!!

Love, Daddy