First of all, I'm truly honored to be able to lead this club.  I'm proud of our long history as Maine's oldest, active running club.  When I moved to Maine a couple years ago, I never imagined that I would become so involved in the local running scene, much less become the president of a running club.  It's almost unbelievable how quickly it seems I went from moving to Maine, to running my first Quarry Road race, to attending a Striders meeting, to being elected club Vice President, to starting weekly summer pub runs, and now to being elected President. 

I have to acknowledge that I would never have made it to this position without the inspiration of previous club members and officers.  I'd especially like to thank former President Brendan Gilpatrick, former Treasurer Ron Peck, and former Communications Director Alicia MacLeay for making me feel welcome to the Central Maine running community and for encouraging me to get involved.  Thank you for your years of dedication to the club, and I hope we continue to see you around at club events this year and beyond.

As President of the Striders, I want to bring more value to your membership in the club.  I plan to get more discounts for club members in local races.  I will try to have more opportunities to get free or discounted Striders-themed running gear.  I intend to improve communications with our members through more email newsletters and regularly updating the webpage, and through our Facebook group.  I want to continue to host our summer pub runs and track workouts, but also want to add some additional social runs that are not focused on pubs or tracks.  I am also hoping to add an additional Striders sponsored road race or two, possibly in the 1-mile and/or 10k distances.  Most importantly, I want the Striders to continue to be a club that welcomes runners of all abilities, backgrounds, ages, and interest levels.

I'm looking forward to keeping the traditions of the Striders alive, but I also hope we can begin some new events and activities.  We have a lot of exciting things planned for the Central Maine Striders in 2020.  I hope to see all of you out there running and attending club events!

-Ryan Goebel, Central Maine Striders President

As voted upon at our December meeting, the price of membership in the Central Maine Striders will increase from $15 to $20, effective February 1, 2020.  That means that you can still pay only $15 for your 2020 membership if you pay before February 1, 2020.

For more information on how to renew your membership, click here.