Jefferson County

The Remarkable Rise and Rise of Freedom’s Run, West Virginia’s Largest Marathon.

08.18.16

All photos courtesy Freedom’s Run.

During the holiday season of 2008, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, a Professor of Family Medicine, and Lois Turco, an advocate for a heritage area in Jefferson County, met by chance in Shepherdstown. Their conversation that day sparked an idea that would eventually catch alight and one day become West Virginia’s largest marathon, the Freedom’s Run.

Their goal was to promote healthy lifestyles, walking and biking paths, and more involvement in the nearby national parks.

Since the inaugural race new businesses have popped up to cater to tourists interested in running and cycling.

Eight years since the first Freedom’s Run and the event is now widely recognized as being one of the best marathons and half-marathons in the country.

Runners pass through a beautiful, and deeply historic, landscape: the battlefields, the towns, the river and the canal towpath. Running through this historical landscape the runners are prompted to think of the people who lived and died during Civil War. As one runner said after passing alongside Antietam Battlefield, “You can’t worry about your own suffering when you know what happened out there.”

The most unique feature of this race is that it takes runners through three National Parks that marked pivotal moments in the American Revolution and Civil War. Freedom’s Run, “the race for health and heritage,” is a living museum for runners who come from all over America, and military veterans who are ready to show their reverence for the battles fought on this hallowed ground.

The race has grown immensely in it’s short existence.

“There’s a lot of appeal to this area,” Turco said, explaining the rapid growth of Freedom’s Run. “You get to enjoy two states at once. There are five National Parks in this area.”

Eight years since the first Freedom’s Run and the event is now widely recognized as being one of the best marathons and half-marathons in the country.

She also noted Mark Cucuzzella’s connections in the running world.

“Word of mouth is a huge part of this,” she said. “We’ve gotten in running magazines across the country. We have an expo the night before which starts to create a sense of community among runners who have come from all over. It’s also a big draw for veterans.”

Also pivotal to the race’s success is coordinating with town officials and tourism, sponsors, like WVU Allied Health Education Center and Shepherd University, and the three national parks the race runs through: Harper’s Ferry NHP, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP, and Antietam Battlefield NHP.

Since the inaugural race new businesses have popped up to cater to tourists interested in running and cycling, sustained by a definite spike in recreation and leisure tourism. Turco says that cyclists now come off of the C&O Canal to stay in Shepherdstown, which didn’t happen before.

Partly inspired by this new asset and the subsequent spike in tourism, in 2011 the Canal Towns Partnership formed. The Canal Towns Partnership brings together nine towns in Maryland and West Virginia that border the C&O Canal National Historical Park to work together on generating mutually beneficial economic activity in their region. The goal is to create amenities and business to cater to visitors that are hiking or bicycling through on the towpath.

freedomsrun3 Since the first race in 2009, proceeds from the race go into the Freedom’s Run Community Grant Funds.

Some of the projects that have been funded through Freedom’s Run Community Grant Funds include:

Eastern Panhandle Indigo Children’s Blue Ribbon Recreation Program
For love of Children’s Leaders in Action Program
Antietam Battlefield’s Civil War Day Camp
James Hite Park Fitness Trail
North Martinsburg Middle School Trail
SNAP Double Value Coupon Farm Market Program (in progress)
T.A. Lowery Elementary School Green House Project
South Jefferson Elementary School Outdoor Classroom & Trail
Page Jackson Elementary School Trail
C&O Canal Classrooms Education Program
C.W. Shipley Elementary School Fitness Trail
Shepherdstown Cullison Fitness Park

“The most priceless component to all of this is the sense of pride in place that has happened in Jefferson County, West Virginia, and Washington County, Maryland,” Turco says. “In pulling together all of these components – the National Parks, the Freedom’s Run, and the Community Fund – the area has promoted its historic and cultural assets to support projects that bring an increased sense of pride and community health.”

Once you cultivate that sense of pride and passion, you turn the tide for the better and community health starts to look a lot brighter and more tangible.

freedomsrun2 There are a lot of moving pieces to the Freedom’s Run, but I think it’s important to note that in pulling all of these pieces together the outcomes are more impactful and multilayered.

Everything is working in synergy; health and wellness, economic development, creating a sense of pride in place.

Creating healthier communities can’t just be about the clinical setting. You have to pull everyone into an all hands on deck approach. Involve the department of transportation, the city, involve schools and small businesses. The challenges we face in creating a culture of health are multi-faceted, so our solutions need to be too.

Now go register for the 2016 Freedom’s Run and see what all the buzz is about! Race date is October 1, 2016. There is something for the whole family and all fitness levels. Races include a 1 mile Kids Fun Run, a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon, and a full marathon.

To learn more about the systematic/sectoral approach to increasing physical activity in West Virginia refer to the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan. If you have some fire under you to get things like this done in your community and would like assistance or someone to bounce ideas off of reach out to me.

And to learn more about the connection between fitness activity and economic development, check out the Try This, WV website.

Happy running, cycling, exploring!

Hike It Baby: New Morgantown Mom Launches Outdoor Events for Kids

05.26.16

The West Virginia Physical Activity Network joined the Morgantown Chapter of Hike It Baby for a hike in Cooper’s Rock State Forest on Tuesday morning.

Hike It Baby is a parents group dedicated to getting families together and out into nature with newborns and young children.

The organization began in the summer of 2013 when founder, Shanti Hodges, had her son, Mason, in Portland, Oregon. There are now 200 branches across 47 of the United States and into Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, and Australia.

There are five Hike It Baby chapters in West Virginia (Charleston, Harpers Ferry, Huntington, Morgantown, and Pineville), with summer hikes lined up in Brenton, Oceana, Mullens, Bruceton Mills, and Morgantown.

Join the Facebook groups to join the hikes already happening in West Virginia:

Charleston: www.facebook.com/groups/hikeitbabycharlestonwv/
Harpers Ferry: www.facebook.com/groups/hikeitbabyharpersferry/
Huntington: www.facebook.com/groups/hikeitbabyhuntingtonwv/
Morgantown: www.facebook.com/groups/hikeitbabymorgantownWV/
Pineville: www.facebook.com/groups/hikeitbabypinevillewv/

If you don’t have a branch near you, you can start one in your community or participate in challenges. You can get help to do this at hikeitbaby.com and info@hikeitbaby.com

The Hike It Baby Morgantown Chapter is led by Molly Fetchter-Leggett. Here’s the info about a great hike for young kids they’re doing on May 30.

We love the Hike It Baby ethos: “As part of an active, judgment free community, parents and caregivers can find the safe, supportive environment they need to help raise a generation to love the outdoors.”

Bros & Bras: Olympians? No. The Friends You Wish You Had? Yes.

03.29.16

Photo courtesy Bros & Bras

Bros & Bras represents the “middle and the back of the pack” athlete.
This group is for everyone who wants positive encouragement to live a healthier and fit life
through personal and social accountability.
Our motto is No judgment. No Expectations.

Bros & Bras is a group of friends who decided to get a little organized to help each other achieve their fitness goals.

Bros & Bras started with a group of about nine friends. Very quickly that number doubled to about 25 people who were drawn to the club’s non-competitive atmosphere.

Co-founder Kevin Brackens was running in a race event in Shepherdstown, with his wife and some friends. But there were multiple race options happening on the same day, all going in different directions at different times, and it it was hard for everybody to find each other to meet up before and after the events.

Kevin thought, ‘what if we got a flag? Then everybody could find each other. And what if we got T shirts? Then we would be able to find our friends in these races.’

And so, the idea for Bros & Bras was born. First of all, it’s not what you think – “Bro” actually stands for Brackens Racing Organization, and “Bra” stands for Brackens Racing Association. But yes, the catchy name does help this organization stand out.

Bros & Bras started with regular Saturday workouts with a group of about nine friends. Very quickly that number doubled to about 25 people who were drawn to the club’s non-competitive atmosphere, social aspect and commitment to celebrating all successes, no matter how small.

Photo courtesy Bros & Bras

That, says Kevin, is the foundation of Bros & Bras: “No matter what you did that day, we celebrate your success.”

The club’s leadership style is similarly loose. Workouts and runs are led by anybody who puts a hand up to lead them. Although Kevin puts in hours behind the scenes managing social media, updating the website and planning, he sees success with Bros & Bras thinking of themselves as a club, and not as his organization.

The club is based in Charles Town and is committed to growing foot traffic at home in downtown Charles Town. When you join the club (which is free), you get a T shirt (also free to members) with the Bros & Bras logo on the front and local business logos on the back to advertise around town. Club social events are often held at area businesses, and Bros & Bras plans races and events in conjunction with other downtown events.

Creating community bonds is important to Kevin, who owns his own small business and knows many other Charles Town small business owners.

Creating community bonds is important to Kevin, who owns his own small business and knows many other Charles Town small business owners. Bros & Bras celebrates birthdays, they end hill workouts with beer at a local brewery (the “Hills & Brewskis” workout), they meet at the Charles Town farmers market to run, and they drop into a local yoga studio for “Broga” and “Bragiri” classes. Bros & Bras gets members moving and moving in their community.

Now in their third year, Bros & Bras has expanded from a fitness and social group to also take on race planning and organization. Their first 5k is coming up on April 23 in Harpers Ferry, WV, with another planned in coordination with Charles Town’s WV Day Arts and Heritage Festival on June 18. An additional five races are in the works, bringing the total number to 7 races for 2016.

Want to learn more? Visit the Bros & Bras website, sign up for one of their races, or look for them on Saturday mornings at Black Dog Coffee or the Charles Town farmers market.

Remember: No expectation. No judgment.

Herald-Mail Media: Harpers Ferry Considering Home Rule

11.04.15

Photo by m01229/FlickrCC

By Richard Belisle/Herald-Mail Media

Harpers Ferry’s mayor and town council on Monday did a first reading of an ordinance allowing the smallest Jefferson County municipality to apply for home rule.

Home rule would allow Harpers Ferry to levy a 1 percent tax on all sales coupled with the elimination of business and occupation taxes for small businesses with less than $10,000 in annual gross sales and reductions in business and occupation taxes on amusements.

Under home rule, Harpers Ferry would keep 95 percent of all sales taxes collected.

Under home rule, Harpers Ferry would keep 95 percent of all sales taxes collected, about $55,000 based on sales today, a welcome addition to the town’s annual $800,000 operating budget.

While Harpers Ferry is the gateway into the region for thousands of visitors, the town is struggling financially.

A July 23 fire eradicated about 30 percent of the town’s income, revenue from gaming at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town (W.Va.) Races is in steady decline, and neighboring Bolivar recently pulled out of an agreement of shared police services with Harpers Ferry.

West Virginia University assigned Chad Proudfoot, the university’s extension service’s community development division director to Harpers Ferry for three days a week since the July fire in the lower town destroyed three historic buildings, displaced 11 businesses and cost 45 people their jobs.

Proudfoot shepherded the council and Town Treasurer Kathryn Payne through the 24-page application, Hutton said.

“Chad was a godsend to this town,” he said. “WVU paid his salary, so he stayed here and helped us with the recovery.”

Read the full story at www.heraldmailmedia.com

Shepherdstown Chronicle: Local Running Store Grabbing National Headlines

09.20.15

Photo by Two Rivers Treads

Shepherdstown Chronicle

In this tiny town on the banks of the Potomac River, opportunities to explore healthy lifestyles used to be rare, and expert opinions on the best way to improve one’s well-being even rarer. That was until Dr. Mark Cucuzzella came to town with a passion for running.

The community impact since has been extraordinary.

While treating local patients with obesity, Cucuzzella realized that there were very few practical fitness options he could recommend to overweight patients in rural West Virginia. But Cucuzzella, a running aficionado, saw an opportunity to provide an essential service to his patients, friends and neighbors: a shoe store that specialized in running shoes. Two Rivers Treads was born, and the community impact since has been extraordinary.

The Small Business Revolution celebrates the vibrancy, variety and community impact of small businesses across the country.

Now, Two Rivers Treadsis getting national attention from Deluxe Corporation’s Small Business Revolution documentary project. The Small Business Revolution, which also features “Shark Tank” star Robert Herjavec, is a yearlong campaign that celebrates the vibrancy, variety and community impact of small businesses across the country. Its latest story is a photo essay profiling Two Rivers Treads, one of 100 profiles of inspiring small businesses that will debut throughout 2015 at SmallBusinessRevolution.org.

Read the full story at www.shepherdstownchronicle.com

Solar Holler: West Virginia Genius at Work Saving Small Communities Big Money

09.17.15

Here at The Hub, we love a story of true West Virginian genius. Heard the one about how high-tech West Virginia ingenuity is changing how much some of our communities pay for power?

Okay. So, the real-life example we’re going to use in this story is a little church in Sheperdstown. But to really get across the point of the story, you need to imagine that it’s any community building in your town – a school, perhaps, or a library. Because it could be. That’s the point here.

On the face of it, this is a story about solar panels. But it’s really a story about banding together as a community to save a lot of money.

Now, on the face of it, this is a story about solar panels. But it’s really a story about a great West Virginia community banding together to be smart, as a community, and save a lot of money.

The leaders of the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church had long considered the cost savings that installing solar panels would mean for their congregation. As it is with any household, the cost of electricity is a major chunk of any small community organization’s operating budget.

Unfortunately, nonprofit organizations – like a church, school or library – don’t qualify for the tax credits and rebates that homeowners and businesses get. And so, because of the substantial upfront costs of installing solar, the very organizations that could most benefit from reducing their energy costs are sort of blocked out.

Until now. This is where the “West Virginia ingenuity” part comes in.

A group of very brilliant young West Virginians calling themselves Solar Holler has invented a way for nonprofit organizations to install solar panels on their buildings free of charge. It relies on a little community support, sort of like crowdfunding. But the one, massive difference here is that, unlike crowdfunding, the supporters actually don’t need to provide any money.

Bear with me. This thing is genius. Let’s walk through it.

1. So, the church in Sheperdstown wants to have solar installed. First thing that needs to happen is for 75 local families to sign up to pledge their support. What do they have to do?

2. They don’t have to contribute any money. The 75 families sign up – free of charge – to have a remote control device installed on their electric water tanks. This is the techy part of this story, and the crux of the model.

3. A Maryland company called Mosaic Power remotely controls all the water heaters in its network, switching them off very briefly during times when they are not needed, saving the grid a lot of power and reducing the chance of surges and blackouts.

4. For this, the electricity provider pays Mosaic a fee. In turn, Mosaic gives $100 a year to each of its households that have a remote device on their water tank.

5. But, in the case of the Shepherdstown Church project, the local families agree to waive their $100 a year, and this money then goes to repay the investor that installed the solar panels.

Ta-da! Beautiful.

And, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Once Sheperdstown’s solar system is paid off, those continued annual $100 payments from Mosaic will help other nonprofits around West Virginia go solar!

In addition to the Shepherdstown Church project, Solar Holler has also installed solar panels using this crowd-supported system at the Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library, and has just launched a campaign to do the same for the Coalfield Development Corporation in Wayne County.

Does this sound like something that could happen in your community?

Get the conversation started. See what you can learn.

Charleston Gazette-Mail: $20 Million To Spark WV Schools Science, Tech Research

08.05.15

Megan Kennedy/Charleston Gazette-Mail

Five West Virginia universities will see a share of $20 million to boost their science initiatives.

The National Science Foundation awarded the grant money to West Virginia’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to invest in the schools’ research initiatives. The funds will last for a period of five years.

West Virginia University, Marshall University, West Virginia State University, Shepherd University and West Virginia Wesleyan College will split the money.

The National Science Foundation awarded $20 million to West Virginia’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to invest in the schools’ research initiatives.

The proposal submitted by the state to the National Science Foundation, which was ultimately awarded, is called “Gravitational Wave Astronomy and the Appalachian Freshwater Initiative,” which will focus on water resources and gravitational wave astrophysics.

Regulations on bodies of water in West Virginia are not as strict as some other states, giving researchers some freedom to work with streams, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, said Paul Hill, chancellor with the Higher Education Policy Commission.

The money will be used to bolster the universities’ programs, hire faculty and to purchase new, current technology and equipment to make the students’ resources as up to date as possible in the science industry, Hill said. Universities will also work with their current leading scientists to investigate bringing other distinguished researchers to West Virginia.

The grant application was spearheaded by Jan Taylor, director of the division of science and research with the Higher Education Policy Commission.

“We have a real chance to make a change in West Virginia,” Taylor said.

The idea for the proposal came after Taylor collaborated with the universities to find each school’s strengths in their science industry. Once the strengths were identified, they worked to create a viable proposal that would benefit the state, she said.

Read the full story at wvgazettemail.com

Follow the author on Twitter: @wvschools