From the Desk of the President . . .

An extraordinary run of remarkable fall weather enabled the LTC to conclude a very successful year of record participation at many of its scheduled events. The newly minted Bryan Health Capitol City Classic (formerly known as The Governor’s Cup) almost doubled in size from the previous year’s entrants thanks to the marketing efforts of the Bryan Health folks. Additionally, Buffalo Run and Holiday Run entrant numbers were up substantially, such that LTC was able to donate net proceeds of $5,000 to the Capital Humane Society, the Holiday Run’s annual beneficiary. This was a whopping $1,500 increase from 2015.As we continue to promote our mission of giving back to the community throughout the year, don’t forget that the LTC’s College Scholarship Award applications are to be submitted to the LTC Scholarship Committee no later than Tuesday, January 31, 2017. This will be the fourth year in which at least six high school senior track and cross country athletes are selected to receive $2,500 each in scholarship aid. Applications can be obtained from any high school head track or cross country coach in Lincoln or Lancaster County or on the LTC website www.lincolnrun.org.In the last newsletter, I mentioned we were working on the development of some exciting changes to our 2017 schedule of events. There are two changes from past years.

• Tabitha has assumed the sponsorship lead for the long-established Novartis Run now to be known as the Tabitha 10K Run scheduled for Sunday, April 8, on the same Holmes Lake course.
• GSK (aka Novartis) has assumed the sponsorship lead of a resurrected 5K Night Run on UNL’s East Campus scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 5. This race will replace the Thunder Run, whose event logistics were impacting disappointing participation levels.

Also, 2017 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Lincoln Marathon scheduled for Sunday, May 7. As displayed on LTC’s website, online registration will open at 3:00 a.m. CST on Saturday, January 7. Set your alarm to register early and secure your entry before it sells out. As previously announced, Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray will be our featured guest and, yes, he is planning to run as well.On Sunday, January 29, LTC will convene its Annual Meeting at the Antelope Park Shelter. Attendance is open to all members and prospective members as we recap our 2016 events and recognize those who have displayed distinguished achievement and service. The renewal run starts at 4:30 p.m., Valentino’s pizza will be served at 5:30 p.m., and our meeting agenda and awards program begins shortly afterward. Please plan to attend and renew your LTC membership for 2017.As always, thanks for being a member of the Lincoln Track Club and your ongoing commitment to the Lincoln running community. Your involvement enables LTC to give back to the community in many ways. If you are not running an LTC event, please show your support by volunteering. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and may the New Year exceed your goals and expectations. Glen MossPresident, Lincoln Track Club