The Pace Setter - Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club

HUDSON MOHAWKROAD RUNNERS CLUBPresidentMARK WARNER464-5698•Executive Vice PresidentJON ROCCO862-9279•Vice President for FinanceCHARLES TERRY482-5572•TreasurerJOHN KINNICUTT265-2876•SecretaryBARBARA LIGHT326-0313•Race Committee TreasurerPAMZENTKO372-8275HMRRC COMMITIEECHAIRPERSONSMembership CommitteeDIANE FISHERhmrrcdiane@gmail.com•Race CommitteeNANCY BRISKIE, 355-3276•Public RelationsROBERT MOORE377-1836 • rmoore4626@aol.com•HMRRC Web PageED NElLES482-9032•Digital Clock & TimerBILL MEEHAN456-4564•Volunteer CoordinatorMARCIA ADAMS356-2551www.hmrrc.com4 - The Pace Setterby Mark WarnerThe past president's columns have focusedon HMRRC and what it provides to the communitythrough running events and communityservice. This column will take a look atthe larger running community in the CapitalRegion. This area offers many opportunitiesto local runners of all ages. HMRRC membersbelong to many other clubs and direct or volunteerat many local races not affiliated withHMRRC.Youth running groups such as the DelmarTrack & Field Club and the Donald P. SutherlandRunning Club in Averill Park serve as thefoundation for our middle school and highschool programs. This region boasts severalof the top ranked high school cross countryteams and nationally ranked runners in trackand cross country. The HMRRC is committedto supporting these feeder programs throughtheir youth grant programs and scholarships.With many competitive college programs inthe region such as SU Y Albany, SI. Rose, RPIand Siena, there are plenty of opportunities forour high school runners to continue their runningcareers at the college level.The region supports additional opportunitiesto continue running competitively pasthigh school and college for those who want torun competitively, run for exercise or run as asocial activity. Two local clubs are Team Utopiaand Albany Running Exchange (ARE) which offerweekly or daily training runs, social eventsand unique races such as ARE's Hairy GorillaHalf Marathon. In addition, the Willow StreetAthletic Club supports competitive men'sand women's teams and the Adirondack AthleticClub has men's masters' teams. HMRRCpartners with USA Track and Field to supportrunning and racing for youth, open and master'srunners. Many other communities in theregion are home to running clubs such as theSaratoga Stryders, the Fulmont Road RunnersClub and the Adirondack Runners.The HMRRC website posts numerous localraces held throughout the year. There are severalwell known and competitive non-HMRRCraces at the elite level such as the Freihofer'sRun for Women 5K and the Utica Boilermaker15K. These races bring in world class runnersbut are also popular with runners of allabilities. On the other end of the spectrum arehundreds of local races sponsored by towns,schools and charities. These races include theTroy Turkey Trot, Adirondack Distance Run inLake George, Silk and Satins 5K in Saratogaand the Shamrock Shuffle in Glens Falls. Forthose looking for more unique or challengingraces, many trail and mountain races existsuch as the Prospect Mountain Road Race orthe Escarpment Trail 30K held annually. Forthose who prefer the track, opportunities existto race at distances from 100 meters to 10K.Almost every race has age divisions to accommodateour open and masters runners. Racesoffer an opportunity to challenge your limits toset a PR and to meet and socialize with otherrunners from throughout the Capital Region.The choice of diverse clubs and races opento runners at all levels of ability and interestsenhance the running experience and providemotivation to remain committed to the sport.The HMRRC has and will continue to playacentral role in the local running communityalong with our fellow clubs to ensure the continuedgrowth of running in the Capital Region.D