Testimonials:

The Parkway Running Club receives great feedback about Walter's Run.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with any comments, suggestions and (most importantly) kudos!  Here are a few recent testimonials:

1. The gentleman who wrote this letter loved the amenities and family friendly atmosphere of Walter's Run.

2. Selected thank you notes below that were sent to PRC from Walter's Gang members after they attended a week of running camp on a Walter Burgess Scholarship.
   
   Dear Walter's Club members, I would like to thank you again for awarding me with the American Running Camp scholarship for this year. For the past 2 years I have traveled to the Portsmouth Abbey school to train for my upcoming cross-country season. This past summer, there was talk of my local Gardner High school not having enough girls to run for the year, and I am just an 8th grader. This camp helped me to improve not just my times, but my confidence. As my cross-country season started, Gardner High school was trying to get a waiver to pull up all 8th grade girls. Before that had actually happened I had run for 2 of my middle school races winning both and smashing my own school record by 57 seconds from a 15:07 to a 14:10 on a 1.97 mile course. After that I was pulled up to help the Gardner High school, I was still only one of 4 girls and we needed 5 to compete. We had many girls run or walk for one race then leave the team. There were really only 4 true runners. As the season went on I had become the number 2 runner by only a couple seconds each race behind a sophomore. When the big races started to come up like districts, I missed making states by 13 seconds as an 8th grader. Just recently I ran a 5 mile turkey trot and beat the sophomore for the first time in 2 years, including when she had run with me in middle school track.
   The American Running Camp helped me see that running is a very hard sport but that I can do it. And that the harder I train the better I will become. I look forward to attending the American running camp for the rest of my high school career.
   Thank you again for presenting me with such a great honor of a scholarship.
   Miranda R. Gardner HS '17

   I would like to take this time to thank the scholarship committee for awarding me the Walter Burgess Scholarship to the American Running camp. I had a great week, meeting a lot of athletes and coaches from all over the country. Even though people were from all over the place, it goes to show you how small the running world is. The coaching staff was great and motivating. One of the coaches remembered a former C.M. athlete from years back who gave him a C.M. t-shirt. I was able to run with Matt Centrowitz Jr., which was pretty awesome, as well as train with top collegiate runners. The campus was really nice, but more importantly....the food was awesome! I definitely felt challenged, well conditioned and ready to start my xc season. Thank you again and although I am injured right now, I will make every effort to attend Walters Run in December.
   Respectfully, Ryan R. Catholic Memorial School '13
   Editor's note: Matt Centrowitz Sr. is a running camp coach and former Olympian.  Matt Centrowitz Jr. won the bronze medal in the 5k at the World Championships in 2011.
   
   Hi, my name is Renee and I was one of the runners that received a Walter Burgess American Running Camp scholarship. The camp was so much fun and such a great experience! I definitely want to go again next year. I learned a lot while at the camp and I am excited to share with my team all of the information I learned. I was taught new stretches and racing tips that will be very helpful for this upcoming cross country season. I also met lots of amazing people while at the camp and they taught me how to be successful and have fun at the same time. I was also grateful because the camp leaders and counselors talked about college running and that is something I am very interested in doing. This camp could not have been any better and I can not wait until next year! Thank you for allowing this great opportunity by selecting me to receive a scholarship. The running camp was an amazing experience!
   Thank you again, Renee C.

   My name is Anna and I am truly honored to have been a recipient of the Walter Burgess American Running Camp scholarship this year. My time at American Running Camp was very enjoyable and I learned many new things, that will further help me in my running career.  I learned things from racing techniques, to nutrition to form analysis; that will help me become a stronger runner, and hopefully improve on my race outcomes. I thoroughly enjoyed getting tips from all the experienced runners, and learning things that I can bring back to my team this year. I made many new friends at camp and learned the importance of teamwork and self-confidence (when it comes to running). I thank you for the opportunity and will definitely come back next year!
   Thank you, Anna C   
    

3. This letter was written by one of Walter's Gang - a young runner who is a recent recipient of a Walter's Run scholarship to the Newport Running Camp (now the American Running camp) in his memory.

4. Please take a moment to read Running's Everyman, A tribute to a runner who made the sport better by Don Allison, December 2003.

5. Here is Karyn's story.  She is using Walter's Run 2010 to get back after a long injury.  We will be sure to give her a loud cheer at the race!!!

At the end of October (running the Mayor's Cup), I tore my meniscus in my left knee in two places, fluid leaked into the back of my knee, caused a cyst, etc. Result was surgery at the beginning of November (very discouraging when I was in good shape and psyched about my Boston Marathon 2011 entry). I decided I needed to have a goal, and I figured a semi-realistic one was to be ready to walk/jog a 5k by mid-December (about 6 weeks post surgery). So of course I chose Walter's Run. Ten days after surgery I got in the pool and started swimming. And a week later I started stationary biking. And the next week was elliptical. Now I'm doing all three (not simultaneously) and this week I'll try to treadmill SLOWLY to see whether that works. The goal is to cross the finish line at Walter's Run. If I can do that, I think I can build up to Boston. So thanks for providing a goal. It's really kept my spirits up during an otherwise really crappy 5 weeks!
See you next weekend.