St. George Island Sizzler 5K

St. George Island, FL

Aug. 11

Summerfest 10K/5K

York, SC Aug. 25    

High Country Triple Crown

June 16 - 7miles - 

Valle Crucis, NC

Aug. 25 - Half marathon -

Blowing Rock, NC

Oct. 5- 2miles - Boone, NC

It's only a few days before the 4th of July and most of the South is sweltering in the heat. Remember to exercise caution running on these hot days. Many of you are getting ready to run in one of the many 4th of July road races across the South. We hope you have a great time and enjoy the Holiday!     

Still looking for a 4th of July race? Check the Running Journal race calendar.     

In the July issue of Running Journal, you'll find coverage of the final race of this season's Running Journal Grand Prix, the Cotton Row 10K. There's also a review of the latest in Minimalist Shoes from the Running Network's shoe reviewer,  Cregg Weinmann. Cedric Jaggers shares tips for safe running in the summertime, and Lena Hollmann discusses cross-training for runners. All this, plus more columns, stories from our readers, race results, and our comprehensive race calendar.  

If you are not currently a subscriber to Running Journal, see the special offer at the end of this newsletter and subscribe today!

The BLUEgrass Runners (Lexington, KY) celebrated their 40^th anniversary on June 23. The club hosted a trail run followed by breakfast in the morning. That same evening, members gathered for a 40^th anniversary party.  

The Greenville (SC) Track Club has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the official world record holder of the fastest 100 x 5 km relay completed in 30 hr 1 min 15.3 sec. The race consisted of 100 runners consecutively running a distance of 5 kilometers and then passing the baton to the next runner. GTC hosted the challenge event on May 21 and 22, 2011 at the Eastside High School 400 meter track in Taylors, South Carolina. Each runner completed 12.5 laps before passing the baton. Click here to read more.    

The Florida Striders are sponsors of Marathon High for the second year. Marathon High is a program that promotes healthy lifestyles for high school kids by training them for a half marathon. Marathon High is a nonprofit program that encourages high school students to develop self-respect, confidence and healthy lifestyles through training for and running a 13.1 mile half-marathon.

Congratulations to Janet Bawcom of Rome, GA, who will be competing in the Women's 10,000 meters at the Olympics in London. Bawcom finished seventh in the Olympic Trials 10,000 meter race, but earned a spot on the team because she was one of only four women in the race to have run under the Olympic "A" standard of 31:45 this past year. Click here to read the full story of the Women's Olympic Trials 10,000 meter race. Bawcom is a former champion on the Running Journal Grand Prix.

Brambleton, VA, is one of four cities selected by the RRCA as a Runner Friendly Community. According to the RRCA, "The goals of the Runner Friendly Community program are to shine a national spotlight on communities that standout as runner-friendly and provide incentives and ideas for communities to work towards becoming runner friendly communities."

Free July 4 low-key runs will be held at Savannah, GA, July 4 at Lake Mayer Park. The six and eight-mile Watermelon Crawl runs are called "fun group runs" by the sponsoring Fleet Feet Sports store. After the runs, plenty of watermelon. No registration, no fee, just show up. Good idea!   

The Competitor Group recently announced the new Rock 'N Roll Lexington Half Marathon to be held on March 30, 2013. The half-marathon will start and finish at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, KY.  

As seen on a bumper sticker and posted on the Memphis Runners Track Club's Facebook page -- "Running is a mental sport and we are all insane".

On June 1, Coach Rae Ann Darling Reed of Florida completed her first ultra marathon, running 57 miles to support tornado victims in her hometown of Monson, MA. The town was torn apart by the tornado last year, and Darling Reed ran along the path the tornado took. You can read about her experience on her website:  http://runnergirl.com/tornado57miler.shtml  

Running Journal serves runners online at http://Running.Net , plus with the monthly print edition mailed to subscribers, plus with our monthly email newsletter. We also link to running clubs and running stores throughout the South. We are members of the Running Network and link to member publications across the country. Running Journal is also linked to various other running sites. Running clubs and stores can link to our website - and a great many do so. (Note: Just add a link to http://Running.Net.)

By Carolyn Mather
While covering the recent, scorching Boston Marathon I had the privilege to hear physicians on the BAA medical team explain a new initiative intended to give runners a chance to make a difference if they witness a downed runner. The new protocol eliminates the mouth to mouth administration and is quite effective. As a nurse and runner who actually was able to save a runner many years ago during a race, I thought this information is well worth sharing as doing something always beats doing nothing.

The Boston Athletic Association medical team in partnership with the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross collaborated to produce a video focusing on lifesaving "hands only" cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which demonstrates how to use CPR when witnessing a running related cardiac arrest. The basics demonstrated in this video can be utilized to perform rapid and effective techniques that could save a life. Bystander CPR performed immediately when a runner goes down is the most important determinant in life or death. Click here for the rest of the article.  

Don't forget to send information on your race for the print and online Running Journal Race Calender, plus this Racing South Newsletter. It's easy to list your event. Click here to submit your race details to our race calendar today.