RUNNING CLUBS ABOUND IN MORRIS COUNTY

Running may be a solitary sport – just you and the road, but joining a group of like-minded individuals adds the camaraderie that is missing from that solo run. If a runner living in Morris County wishes to join a running club, he or she will have several to choose from.

Many running clubs were born in the first running boom that began in the mid 70’s and the Amazing Feet Running Club, which was formed in 1976 is one of those early clubs. The Feet, as they are affectionately known, number less than one hundred members, but that belies the fact that the club is very active.

Marathoners and ultra-runners will feel like they have found their home with the Amazing Feet, which boasts of several nationally ranked ultra distance runners. Being able to arrange trips to out of state ultra competitions with other club members is a decided advantage in being a member of the Amazing Feet.

The club hosts a club run each Saturday morning from the South Street parking lot of Loantaka Park in Morris Township.

Most members live in the south east portion of the county. Sunday runs follow a non specific schedule that may find them on River Road in Pluckemin, or running through the Great Swamp area or on trails in Jockey Hollow.

Information can be found at the website, www.amazingfeetrc.com or calling 973-635-0845 or 908 580-0874.

Like the Feet, the Morris County Striders club was organized in the late 70’s. Located in western Morris County the club hosts numerous club activities as well as several runs each week.

The granddaddy is the sacrosanct Sunday run that takes place in Rockaway at 8:00 a.m. in the summer and 9:00 a.m. in the winter months. Even when most members are at races, there is always a handful of runners to keep the tradition alive.

The Striders also has a track workout on Tuesday evenings, a group run on Wednesday evening, which takes place at Picatinny Arsenal during golf season, and another group run on Thursday evenings in Mountain Lakes.

For several years the club has hosted a Tuesday evening 5K summer series that has been held in Boonton Township for the past two years.

While the club has very social aspects it is also a competitive club. It boasts of Open teams as well as all masters division teams, including the only Women’s 70 division team in the state. In 2005 the club took top honors in the USATF-NJ Overall Team grand prix.

Information can be found at www.morriscountystriders.com or by calling 973-394-0445 and for times for the group runs call 908-813-0935.

One of the smaller clubs in the state, and one of the most competitive, is the Running Company, which is sponsored by the specialty running shoe and apparel stores of that name. As the chain has a store in Morristown there is a small contingent of members of the club who are from this area. The group has a run each Wednesday that leaves from the store on South Street. More information can be found at www.njrunningcompany.com or by calling 973-401-1300.

One of the older clubs and the least competitive is the Rose City Running club. Not that the club lacks for fast runners, but those members have dual membership with other clubs that field competitive teams in races. Rose City hosts one of the oldest and largest 10K races in the area, the Giralda Farms run, in November in Madison.

The club is know for its social activities throughout the year and for their Saturday morning runs from the Duck Pond in Loantaka Park in Morris Township that is always followed by a tailgate brunch.

For more information go to www.concentric.net/~Rc02/index.shtml or call 973-377-6276.

The Sneaker Factory Running Club has evolved from a racing team of twelve elite racers, organized in 1977, to a combination social and competitive club. Although the club’s sponsor and namesake, a specialty running store located in Millburn, the club membership that numbers about 250 is centered in Morristown. Each Tuesday the club has a group run that varies with the seasons. In the fall and winter the members do speed work, while winter puts them on a challenging hill climb course in Morristown. In the summer they head over to Loantaka Park for their workout.

The club has highly competitive Open and Masters teams, and have always been in the top three in the Overall Club grand prix. An offshoot of the social side of the club is the fourteen married couples who owe their wedded bliss to meeting through club membership.

For more information go to www.sneakerfactory.com or call 973-376-6094.

Governing all of the clubs in the area and the state is the New Jersey association of USA Track & Field, which is the national governing body of the sport. In New Jersey the organization has developed a highly successful grand prix program for teams and individuals, which has resulted in close to two hundred high quality races from which the runners can choose throughout the year. Information can be found at www.usatfnj.org.

Published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County New Jersey on Sunday, May 7, 2006

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2006