We hope everybody survived and a great Thanksgiving Day holiday.  November has been a great month at STRIDERS, we love all our customers who came out for our friends & family night at the store and we're happy to announce there were no fights or wrestling matches during our Black Friday sale.  If you missed these sales, there are still lots of shoes and other cool stuff we've marked down for the holiday shopping season: 
All apparel is at least 20% off
Teva sandals are 40% off
Sanuks are 20% off
Swim gear (excluding wetsuits) are 30% off 
Clearance shoes range from $25-$75 and many newer models from 2011 are 25% off. 
If you need a gift for your Christmas party, we've put together little gift bundles chuck full of items from the store ranging from $10-$20.  We'll also customize a gift bundle for you.   
Gift wrapping for your purchases from STRDIERS are also FREE.

The STRIDERS 2012 Winter Racing Circuit is shaping up to be the biggest yet.  Registration for all 5 WRC races is at $125 at STRIDERS or online at www.strideracing.com  On December 1st, registration will jump to $140.  2012 will be a busy and fun year for racing.  Here are some 2012 races we recommend:

February 11th - WRC 5K (Weber State)
February 25th - WRC 10K (Weber State)
March 10th - WRC 10M (Weber State)
March 17th - Canyonlands Half Marathon (Moab)
March 23rd-24th - Buffalo Run 100M, 50M, 50K & 25K (Antelope Island)
April 7th - WRC Half Marathon (Red Moose Lodge, Eden)
April 21st - NUTS Gib Wallace Memorial Trail 10K (Ogden)
April 21st - Salt Lake City Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K
April 28th - WRC 30K (Red Moose Lodge, Eden)
May 5th - St. George Ironman
May 19th - Ogden Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, 5K, Kids K
May 28th - Memorial Day Classic Half Marathon, 5K & Kids Mile (Syracuse)
June 2nd - Squaw Peak 50 mile (Provo Canyon)
June 2nd - Fully NUTS Trail Half Marathon (Ogden Canyon)
June 9th - Gerald Anderson Memorial 5K (Morgan)
June 9th - Utah Valley Marathon (Provo)
June 15th-16th - Utah Ragnar Relay
June 30th - NUTS Wolf Mountain Trail 10K & 5K (Ogden Valley)
July 14th - Farmington Festival Days Half Marathon, 10K, Trail 10K, & 5K
July 24th - Deseret News Marathon & 10K (Salt Lake)
July 28th - Speedgoat Trail 50K (Snowbird Resort)
August 4th - BAIRGUTSMAN (Fruit Heights)
August 10th-11th - 18 Hours of Ogden Trail Relay (Ogden)
August 18th - Skyline Mountain Marathon (Ogden Valley)
August 18th - Park City Marathon & Half Marathon 
August 18th - HURT in the DIRT (Ogden)
August 25th - Top Of Utah Half Marathon
September 1st - Huntsville Half Marathon & 5K (Ogden Valley)
September 7th-8th - Wasatch 100 (Kaysville to Heber City)
September 8th - Classic 10K & 5K (Layton)
September 15th - Top of Utah Marathon (Logan)
September 22nd-23rd - XTERRA (Ogden Valley, Snowbasin)
September 29th - BEAR 100 (Logan to Bear Lake)
September 29th - Layton Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
October 6th - St. George Marathon
October 13 - HAFB Firehouse Run - 15K, 10K, 5K & Kids K
October 20th - Mountain View Trail Half Marathon (Antelope Island)
October 27th - OV50 (Mt Green to Ogden Valley)
November 10th - Antelope Island Trail 100K & 50K

I'm sure I've missed something, so don't be mad if I didn't list a race you love.  As 2012 progresses, we'll spotlight races and keep you updated with the race calendar.  As always, the best resource for racing in Utah is www.utahrunning.com 

The 2012 Ogden Marathon sold out in 3 days and this morning the Ogden 1/2 Marathon sold out in 2 hours.  "Wow" is all I can say.  Who would of thought...?  So, if you planned on running the full or the half, hopefully you were able to register in time.  We congratulate the GOAL Foundation for a job well done on the marathon and the good things they've done in the community.  If you weren't able to register in time, I believe race entries are still available at the VIP level; which (BTW) is a tax deductable donation.  Registration is still available for the Marathon Relay & 5K - www.ogdenmarathon.com GOAL is going to have their hands full in the upcoming months getting ready for race day on May 19th, and STRIDERS is back as an official sponsor and a supporter.  We hope to help where we can. The 2012 STRIDERS Winter Racing Circuit is the official "training" series for the Ogden Marathon, so we'll work hard organizing those races as you work hard training for the Ogden Marathon.  We'll also be organizing a few FREE runs this winter in between WRC race dates.  We'll announce those dates on this blog and in our newsletter.  So, with the marathon only 6 months away; let the training begin!  For info regarding the 2012 WRC, go back to the STRIDERS website - registration is still open at www.strideracing.com 

The 2012 BUFFALO RUN (www.buffalorun.org) is on for March 23rd & 24th and features a 100mile race in addition to the 50mile, 50K and 25K race distances.  There are entry limits on the Buffalo Run in 2012, so register early. 

Our friend and Buffalo Run RD Jim Skaggs is organizing a training run this Saturday, November 12th at Antelope Island.  The SOP is to meet at the main gate in Syracuse at 8:00am to carpool onto the Island, there is a $9 park entrance fee, so carpooling will mitigate the cost.  Saturday's run is on the Mountain View trail, which is flat, non-technical and very easy on the legs.  It's an out-and-back run, so you can turn around when you need to.  The big group plans on 6 miles out for a total of 12.  All are invited, bring your own water and provisions and dress for the conditions. 

It's been a short but HOT summer,  but there's a bit of a chill in the air during the AM training sessions, so fall is almost here.  This is the best time of year to get out and race.  They say the difference between a jogger and a runner is a race entry form, so we invite you to come out and run in some of our favorite events this fall.  This weekend our friends from XTERRA are flying in from Maui to stage the XTERRA Triathlon championships at Snowbasin where Lance Armstrong will go toe-to-toe with Conrad Stoltz.  That will be a sight to see.  The next day, Sept. 25th, Snowbasin will also host the XTERRA trail running national championship where the winner will go home with the title and $1,000.  Registration for the triathlon & trail run are still open, details at www.xterrautah.com The original Utah Mud Run is also this weekend in Midway.  Registration for The Dirty Dash & Piglet Plunge are available at www.thedirtydash.com  We have FREE Piglet Plunge coupons at STRIDERS.  We're all aware Utah has some of the best marathons in the country but we also have two of the toughest and most scenic 100 mile endurance runs in the world; one being The Wasatch 100 but The Bear 100 in Logan has quickly become a favorite of ultra-runners.  It starts on Friday at 6am; runners have 36 hours to complete the course.  We have some friends running, so we're heading up to support and lend a hand.  They have a great online runner tracking tool if you want to follow along at www.bear100.com  The St. George Marathon has snuck up on us, it was a fast summer, and will take place October 1st.  Good luck if you were lucky enough to draw out, be safe in your travels.  Come see us at STRIDERS if you need last minute race supplies.  If you're looking for something to do on October 1st, Snowbasin is hosting the Livastride 5K, 10K & 25K trail runs.  Livastride in a non-profit organization set on helping disadvantaged kids.  It's a great cause, details at www.livastride.org October 8th will bring us the 2nd Annual Layton Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K & 5K.  If you want to qualify for the Olympic Marathon trials or attempt to set a new marathon world record, the Layton Marathon is the ONLY sanctioned course in Utah to do it.  How cool would that be to have an Olympian born at the Layton Marathon? Let's see if anybody can do it.  Details at www.laytonmarathon.com Park City will be hosting the final race of The Pink Series with the Half-Marathon on October 8th.  This is a great event and a excellent way to support the quest in finding a cure for cancer.  Details at www.thepinkseries.com October is the best time of year to run the trails at Antelope Island, lucky for us we have the Mountain View Trail Half Marathon on October 15th.  Late Morning start, burgers and dogs when you finish. Details at www.buffalorun.org We're helping with a charity 5K at Jensen Park in Syracuse on October 15th at 4:00pm. A little girl has been in a coma since August so the Syracuse community is coming out to show their support and hopefully raise a little money for the family.  Call Striders for details or just show up ready to run, carnival after so bring some cash. On October 22nd we'll be staging (Kris & I) the 6th Annual Ogden Valley 50 mile Ultramarathon.  This year we're bringing back the fast course from 2006.  The OV50 is about as much fun as you can have suffering through 50 miles.  We would love to have you join us, it is a Western States 100 qualifying run.  Regsitration forms are at Striders and www.stridersrunning.com  October 29th is the Up-and-Over trail 5K & 10K race in North Ogden that benefits the Ogden Nordic foundation; who maintains many of the trails for us.  It's a Halloween themed race, so find the best Captain America or Harry Potter costume and come on out.  Details at www.up-and-over.com  At this time winter is almost here but what a way to end the year with the Antelope Island 50K & 100K.  On November 5th, the rangers at Antelope Island allow us to run on the  west side of the Island along the beach then up on the Century trail.  You can run the loop once for 50K or twice for 100K.  The race is limited so register now and don't forget to bring a camera.  Details at www.buffalorun.org  So there you have it, there's still lots of miles to be ran, or raced, before the snow comes.  Get out there and have some fun!