The Latest News

 

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From Wayne 4/9/07:

Race season is upon us! We hope the winter has been good to you. If you're like me you're grudgingly pulling your running shoes out of the closet, dusting them off, and hoping it rains to put off running one more day. If you're anything like Jim, you've already worn out the running shoes you got for Christmas. Either way, happy racing this season!

Remember to send us photos of your races for updates on the website, www.playbookforlife.com. But you'll need to send them to our new e-mail address. Starting April 15th please mail us at racing@playbookforlife.com. Please update your address books.

See you on the race course!

 

From Wayne 10/25/06:

 

First here are some recent race results.

Laura Griffin: 1st place age group, Oyster Festival 10k (50:34)

Wilmington YMCA Kid's Tri:
Maryellie
Carpenter, 3rd place age group (6-8 year olds)
Isabella Carpenter, 5th place age group (6-8 year olds)

We will be set up at the Wilmington Battleship 1/2 Marathon on Nov. 12. If you will be running, please stop by and see us. As always we will have a pre-race prayer. I'll especially be looking for all the Wilmington area runners!

Check out the Blue Ridge Relay report on this website. That was the 208 mile relay race several of us did on September 8-9. Our team picture was featured in a national publication called 'Runner's Journal'. Ron has scanned the article onto the website as part of the pictures and stories section for the Blue Ridge Relay, so be sure to check it out!

Finally, Christmas is just around the corner. PBFL Racing shirts and cycling jerseys make great gifts for your favorite athlete. Drop us an e-mail and we can get jerseys out to you in a couple days. Act quickly though, as sizes are limited at the moment.

As always, run and be thankful for the many blessings God has given.

wayne

From Jim 10/23/06: PBFL Racers make national magazine

PBFL Racers were pictured (all wearing "Fueled by God" jerseys) in this months issue of Running Journal. The picture and article on the Blue Ridge Relay can be found on page 40 under the Ultra category. It's pretty cool to see God work this out. Nobody sent in a picture and we had no idea the picture was in the magazine until one of our team members got his issue in the mail. God decided to use us and our shirts to make some more people think about Him. Pretty cool!

The Blue Ridge Relay (blueridgerelay.com) was a 208 mile relay race through the Blue Ridge mountains that the team competed in on Sept. 8-9. Pictures of the race and team members running are now on the website.

Hope everyone is enjoying the cool training weather. For all of you that are training for the Thunder Road Marathon keep up the good work!


Serving Him,

Jim Rhodes

10/3/06:

As we wind down racing season here are a couple of results from your fellow Playbook for Life Team members.

Blue Ridge Relay- 208 mile endurance relay through the Blue Ridge Mts. Sept 8-9
28 hrs 28 mins- 11th overall
Runners: Jim Rhodes, Katie Rhodes, Colleen Hart, Chris Lamperski, Ross Baker, Kris Koziarz, Ron Horton, Wayne Carpenter

Hit the Brixx 10K
6th overall, 1st place 20-24 age group- Chris Lamperski- 35:43
3rd place 25-29- Kris Koziarz- 41:32

Wilmington YMCA Triathlon- 1500m swim, 15K bike, 5k run
Rod Fritz- 1:39:00
Thomas Asta-1:27:44
Jim Rhodes- 1:23:41

We will also have 3 or 4 runners in the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon, December 9th. If you are interested in training together for this send us an email. There has also been some interested in the PBFL runners pacing togther for the first 13 or 14 miles. So if you are interested in that and want to find someone of similar pace, send us an email.

Finish Strong!
Remember when we acknowlege Him, that is worship!
Psalm 34:3 "Let us worship Him together"

From Jim 5/9/06

 

Good News from White Lake! Close to sixty people participated in pre-race prayer over the weekend and we had some great fellowship competing and racing. The weather was great and all six PBFL members finished with no major injuries. Praise God!

Playbook for Life member Brandon Summey competed in the Charlotte Mtn. Bike series last Wednesday at Col. Francis Beaty Park and took 2nd place despite some mechanical problems. Good luck the rest of the season Brandon!

If you have any results of your own please email them to us so we can tell everyone about them. Happy training...

Serving Him,

Jim

From Wayne 3/29/06

Well isn't it about that time to start up again!!! Then again, some of our diehards like Ron Horton in Charlotte never stop. Anyway, the weather's turning nice and we've got some stuff planned. First of all, let me remind you that we only have a few cycling jerseys left in stock. If you haven't gotten yours contact us quickly. The reorders will take several weeks, if not months, so don't wait. You can click here to see photos of the jerseys.
Our next team triathlon is the White Lake Sprint. If you're racing that one be sure to join us before the race for prayer.
Our biggest news is the upcoming summer bike/mission trip. It'll be a five day trip starting from and returning to Charlotte. We leave Saturday morning, July 1st and return to Charlotte Wednesday July 5th by noon. We'll ride between 50 and 75 miles a day making plenty of stops to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each night we will stay at a host church and we'll end our ride Tuesday July 4th in historic downtown Wilmington where we will watch the fireworks from the riverwalk as they're shot from the USS North Carolina over the Cape Fear River. We will return to Charlotte Wednesday morning from Wilmington by van. We will have a support van and trailer for the ride. You do not have to bike the entire day's miles if you don't want. The cost of the trip will be very reasonable. Please e-mail us if you're interested in joining us for this trip. We only have about eleven spots left.
Remember to e-mail us with news of races and your results. There are also some new photos on the racing website to check out. Send us your photos as well. We'll get them on the site!
Today's good news comes from Luke Ch. 12 Jesus said "Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life....But seek His kingdom and these things will be given to you as well."
wayne

From Wayne 1/5/06 - A Great New Year:

  

I was listening to Dr. D James Kennedy speak on the radio this week and he said something I personally had never heard but is true and encouraging so I thought I would pass it along.

As we start a new year the world makes all sorts of resolutions. The problem with the world is that they have no power to change themselves. We as followers of Christ on the other hand possess within us the power to change ourselves and the world, and that power of course is the Holy Ghost Power, the One Christ sent to console us and change us. As we start a new year let's remember that we are world changers, that we are the salt, that we are the light, and that resolutions will be kept!

Congratulations go out to Jim Rhodes and sister Katie Rhodes. They both placed first in age group in the New Year's 15k Trail Run in Charlotte. Even bigger congrats to Jim who won the door prize...a year of free coffee!

Keep in mind that many NCTS triathlons close out early. Get your registration done quickly so that you're not disappointed. As of right now PBFL Racing has set four eastern NC tris as team tris for this year. They are White Lake Half and White Lake Sprint, Wilmington Azalea Festival, and Wrightsville Beach YMCA. Plan to join us for those if you can. Also look for central and western NC official PBFL Racing team tris to follow shortly.

Here's today's good news..."See, I am coming soon and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Rev. 22:12

Be blessed this year, and happy racing!
wayne

From Wayne 12/29/05: Merry Christmas

I went for a run tonight for the first time in two months. I'm in the middle of soccer season and well, priorities I guess. It was cold, dark and raining. But through it all I just kept thinking how great God is in his giving, and his grace, and his love. I mean, not just anywhere on Earth can someone go for a run without fearing for their life. Not just anywhere do people have enough to eat to even think of having energy to run. Not all who are willing are able bodied. Let's just give thanks to God for even the smallest oppotunities He gives. In all things, give thanks.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Here is a thought to keep in mind this season. My pastor came with this message recently. We hear of businesses and corporations and everyday people taking Christ out of Christmas more and more every year. But as humans we aren't powerful enough to take Christ out of anything. God is still in control and will put himself where and when He wants. So let's just praise Him for who He is, and what He came to do.
Merry Christmas
wayne

From Wayne 12/8/05:

I went for a run tonight for the first time in two months. I'm in the middle of soccer season and well, priorities I guess. It was cold, dark and raining. But through it all I just kept thinking how great God is in his giving, and his grace, and his love. I mean, not just anywhere on Earth can someone go for a run without fearing for their life. Not just anywhere do people have enough to eat to even think of having energy to run. Not all who are willing are able bodied. Let's just give thanks to God for even the smallest oppotunities He gives. In all things, give thanks.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Here is a thought to keep in mind this season. My pastor came with this message recently. We hear of businesses and corporations and everyday people taking Christ out of Christmas more and more every year. But as humans we aren't powerful enough to take Christ out of anything. God is still in control and will put himself where and when He wants. So let's just praise Him for who He is, and what He came to do.
Merry Christmas
wayne

From Wayne 10/23/05:

Hi everyone,
I hope this fall season finds you healthy and energized to race.
We've been offline with our PBFL Racing e-mail this past week. If you've tried to send us an e-mail it probably came back to you with an error. If it didn't we didn't receive it anyway, so send it again. The problem has been resolved and we hope to keep it that way for a long while.
The Battleship Half Marathon in Wilmington is quickly approaching. This is a Sunday morning race but we'll have the booth set up for a while before heading off to church. Stop by and pray with us before the race if you'll be there.
There are a few new photos on the racing homepage. Jim and his sister Katie raced a 12k that climbed 3000 ft. In Jim's own words about this race "That was the absolute hardest race I've ever done in my life!"
God Bless,
wayne

From Wayne 8/7/05:

Well, it's been a great summer for Playbook For Life Racing, but it's not over yet. We'll talk about that in a minute. First some congratulations are in order to the following racers:

Laura Griffin-1st place women, Beaufort 10k
Catherine Baldwin- 2nd place Athena, Trianlge Tri

For all of our Wilmington area racers: We'll be set up at the UNCW Welcome back 5k on Saturday August 20th. You can visit the Wilmington Road Runners calendar page for info on registration and time. We had a great showing at the Tri-Span 5k,10k with five runners placing. Let's do it again on the 20th. Remember to show up early for pre-race prayer.

Playbook For Life Racing made a good showing this past week in the Giordana Crossroads Classic Criteriums in the Charlotte area. A criterium is a cycling race that circles a loop usually less than a mile in length and typically in the downtown area of a city. Though we raced hard, and believe me when I say hard, we couldn't bring home the bacon. Those guys were fast!
In any case we had a great time.

The last thing on today's agenda is the most important. The Playbook For Life cycling team is looking for two more top sponsors. Our new team cycling jerseys are top of the line, made and printed in Italy. These are the most professional jerseys you will find. In order for a non-profit organizataion like ours to afford these types of uniforms we are asking for Christian business owners to help.

In return we offer you lots of premiums:
#1-your business logo printed on the jersey
#2 your business logo printed on a sponsor's banner hung at all races where Playbook For Life Racing is set up
#3 a jersey for you to hang in your establishment showing off your sponsorship.
#4 your website listed as a sponsor and linked to from our racing homepage
#5 a showing at a minimum of 4 triathlons, 5 cycling races, and 4 other benefit rides throughout the year
#6 sponsorship for a minimum of two years.

If you are a business owner and interested in helping sponsor Playbook For Life Cycling, or someone willing to make a tax-deductible donation, please respond to this e-mail and we'll send you all the details along with artwork pictures of the jersey and where your logo would appear.

Keep racing and keep cool. But most importantly remember this. Don't glorify Christ first in your racing.....Glorify Christ ONLY!
wayne

From Wayne 7/11/05:

Hola corredores (hello runners)

First of all we'd like to welcome some new members to our team:
Joseph Kilby of Farmville, VA
Frank Crisafulli of Burgaw, NC
Andrew Benbow (formerly of Wilmington, but just married and moved on.
Congrats to Andrew for tying the knot)
Billy Kish of Wilmington, NC

Thanks for being part of our team, but more importantly thanks for being part of God's team. We hope that Playbook For Life Racing will be a blessing to you, and that you in return might be a blessing to others on the race course.

Some updates on recent races. Katie Rhodes, Vicenta Ramirez and Billy Kish all finished 2nd in their age group in the Tri-Span 5k/10k this past Saturday. Look for a photo of these three on the website soon. Also, Stan Harts finished 3rd in his age group. Congratulations to these four.

Jim Rhodes, Andrew Benbow and myself competed in the Dragon's challenge road race (cycling) in Ft. Bragg this weekend. Jim took a spill in the sprint to the finish, cracking his helmet and adding some new road-rash to his collection, but is okay. His bike came out a little worse than he did, but we're thankful it wasn't a serious accident. Had the accident not occured, Playbook For Life Racing probably would have crossed the finish line $200 richer, but we still had a great time racing and to God be the Glory for it all.

Some upcoming races we'll be at include the five nights of criteriums around the Charlotte area the first week of August. Check out www.charlottesportscycling.com for more info. We may possibly be at the Mission Man Triathlon in Burlington the end of July. Our webmaster, Ron Horton, will be there so look for him if you're planning on racing that one.

Well, that's it. Happy training and stay cool. (90 degrees sure beats snow, though)
wayne

From Wayne 6/29/05:

For all our cycling enthusiasts,
We will be racing several criteriums in the Charlotte area the first week of August. Check out www.charlottesportscycling.com for more info. It's called the Giordana Crossroads Classic. If you're interested in racing please let me know, as we will be racing as a team. We can offer accomodations for two or three people so let me know early.
September 18th we will do the Lenoir Bridge to Bridge. The ride climbs from Lenoir, NC all the way to the top of Grandfather Mountain. Come join us for that one.

Congratulations to Justin Nash of Monroe for finishing 1st in age group in the Lamplighter 5k.

This is important. If you have pictures of yourself racing send them to us.
We're putting new pictures on the team website. It'd be great to have as many members shown as possible. If you have pics of yourself racing wearing one of the team jerseys that's even better!

Well, happy racing everyone.
Wayne


From Wayne 6/22/05:

Congrats to Catherine Baldwin, 2nd place Athena, Latta Plantation Tri

Super, Huge, Massive Congratulations to our webmaster Ron Horton. Saturday he and his group of racers did the Over The Mountain Tri. Ron beat his last year's time by 20 minutes....but that wasn't enough for him, oh no. He then went and ran a marathon that evening, finishing around 1am. If anyone wants to pass on a message to Ron, like "way to go" or "I wish I could do something like that" or maybe the inevitable "you're nuts!" just send us a mail and we'll pass it along to him.

We'll be set up at the Kure Beach Tri this Sunday morning. If you're racing it stop by the booth and say "hi".

Happy racing,
wayne

From Wayne 6/20/05:

It's quite early for announcing a mission trip for the summer of 2006, but we'd like to go ahead and get some response. If you are even remotely interested in participating, please reply. The number of riders will probably be limited to about fifteen or so. The sooner you let us know that you're interested the better. Here are the details:
We will take a six to seven day mission trip around the state of North Carolina. We will leave Charlotte on a Monday morning, bike about 60-75 miles a day, looping around the state, and either return by bike to Charlotte the last day, or return from the last host church by the support van. Each afternoon we will have a planned stopping point. At that point there will be a host church that will accomodate us for the evening, and possibly offer dinner. The missions part of the trip will be conducted in the host churches' cities. The host church will have a neighborhood planned for us to visit, where we will do a neighborhood Vacation Bible School for the kids, while sharing the Word of God with the adults as well. The cost of the trip will be very affordable. Each rider will raise his/her own funds that will cover the cost of gas for the support van and little do-dads to give away to neighborhood kids. Anyone is welcome to participate, whether you're a paid member of PBFL Racing or not.
Please be in prayer about your participation in this mission trip/road trip.
If you've never done a road trip like this, you'll not want to miss it! If you have then you know that you don't want to miss it!
wayne


From Wayne 6/20/05:

This past Saturday was a great race day for PBFL Racing. We'll get to that in a moment. First we'd like to welcome our newest members to the team:
Geoff Blankenship of West Virginia
Matt Kocher of Monroe
John and Josh McMenemy of Lenoir
Keith Parris of Shelby
We're glad to have you all part of our team. We pray you find ways to share your faith through PBFL Racing.
Now, let's get back to this past weekend. The Lake Hickory Tri was a great time. As always Set-up Inc directed a great race. Playbook For Life Racing was quite sucessful. We had three members place in their age groups.

Congratulations go out to:
Katie Rhodes-1st place age group (even though she was penalized a minute for wearing her number backwards through the finish line)
Jim Rhodes-2nd place age group
John McMenemy-3rd place age group

Remember to send us an e-mail with your results in a race and we'll get the word out for all to see. Don't feel like you're bragging, just praising God!
Check out a seperate e-mail about a mission trip for the summer of 2006.
Happy racing,
wayne

From Wayne 6/5/05:

Hello Everyone around the state,
Here are a few words about Saturday's Latta Plantation Tri:
It was a great day for racing. The Sun was behind the clouds, it was cool, and the water was nice.
I personally am very pleased with my performance. I placed first in my division, and was super fast in the three disciplines. Oh no, I don't mean swimming, biking, and running, no, no. I'm talking about blueberry muffins, chocalate chip cookies, and zucchini bread! That's right. Stratos, owner of Ilios(Noche Restaurant provided a small buffet of delicious bakeries that he baked fresh that very morning. They were awesome. A special thanks to Stratos and Ilios(Noche. Stratos was in a bit of a race himself, by the way.
He had to park at the entrance and walk two and a half miles in carrying the bakeries. The race was to see if he could make it all the way to the booth before people along the way ate everything up.
Ron Horton, our webmaster, was out taking some pictures. Look for some new things on the website shortly. Ron is quite amazing. When I arrived back at the house, a mere hour and a half after the awards were given out, I had an e-mail with all the morning's pictures attached. What a pro!
Finally, we had a nice pre-race prayer. We had about seven members standing at the booth about to pray when a group of about six more walked up and joined us. Be sure to look for us at more races this summer. Join us beforehand for prayer. Here's where we'll be coming up:
June 18th, Hickory Tri (morning)
June 18th, Run For Your Life 5k, Downtown Charlotte (evening) Happy Racing, wayne

From Wayne 5/30/05:

Hello Everyone,
It's time again for another Playbook For Life Racing Team Triathlon. This Saturday we'll be at the Latta Plantation Tri in Charlotte. If you're racing, stop by the booth for pre-race prayer and to check out some new items. If you're not racing but are close to the area stop by and watch and help out at the booth if possible. Stratos, owner of Ilios Noche fine restaurant (www.iliosnoche.com), may be providing some morning muffins at the booth; yet another great reason to stop by. Race start time is 7:00 am.

We would like to congratulate the following members for their recent performances:
Rebeca Carpenter 2nd place age-group Son Run 5k
Laura Griffin 3rd place Overall Female Son Run 5k
Josh Garcia 2nd place age-group Thalian Hall 5k
Wayne Carpenter 2nd place age-group Thalian Hall 5k
Stratos Lambos 2nd place Semi-Elite Charlotte Mountain Bike Series (5-25-05)

Send us an e-mail telling us about your recent performance in a race and we'll put the word out for all to see. If you place or P.R. that's something worth sharing.

Happy Racing!
Wayne

 

 

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