Event Description
Since 1996, the Charlottesville Track Club has guided over 4500 runners to a safe completion of a fall marathon or half-marathon of their choice. The program is designed to properly prepare runners of all abilities to complete their first long-distance race or to improve on a previous effort. Each participant receives a personalized program tailored to match their individual needs, abilities, and specific goals. The program is supervised by Coach Mark Lorenzoni, who has over 40 years of experience, and each individual will be able to consult with this coach (for specific and personal concerns) throughout the training program.
How It Works:
1. Sign up here and you will receive a confirmation email along with the worksheet you will need to fill out at the beginning of your training
2. Join the group orientation meeting with Coach Mark (time and date TBD)
3. Schedule your 1:1 meeting with Mark to review your worksheet, training history, goals, and to create your training plan. The scheduling links for these meetings will be shared when we are closer to the orientation meeting
4. Join the group for the long Saturday runs starting in late June, and enjoy your training program!
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WHEN: The program kicks off on June 26th with an orientation meeting. Group runs start in early July and go through early November.
WHERE: The group meets every Saturday for a “long” run at one of six different scenic and low traffic locations (we rotate each week) in the City and County (usually around 6:15 in the morning to beat the heat).
WHO: Anyone can participate, but the Marathon program has a minimum requirement of a recent (within 4-7 weeks of the start of the program) long run of at least 6 miles. The Half-Marathon program has a minimum requirement of a recent long run of 2-3 miles. Last year 175 folks participated in the two programs and they each were able to select a fall marathon or half-marathon of their choice (last year 20 different marathons and 10 different half marathons were selected by the individual participants). The finishing race paces ranged from 6:45/mile to 13 minutes/mile.
COST: $50; $40 for Charlottesville Track Club members
COACH: Mark Lorenzoni has served as the coach (on a volunteer basis) since the program started in 1996. Virginia Knight now serves as volunteer e-mail coordinator. Molly Wraight now serves as our volunteer website designer. Joan Bienvenue has served as Program Assistant since 2006 and she helps coordinate the three-person teams for the weekly long runs (they mark the course and set out water and Gatorade at 2-3 mile intervals along the route).
