(Source:
Sun Chronicle Running Column, Rob Rose, December 2,
2004)
It wasn't so many years ago that local running
clubs were sliding
into decline or on the brink of extinction. Beginning
in the mid-nineties, the bloom had come off the running
boom and membership participation in many area clubs
had dwindled. In 1995, the Wampanoag Road Runners were
scuffling along with a thin membership of only 50-60
members. In the late nineties, powerful clubs such as
First Lap and the Woonsocket Harriers, that were
leaders when running was in its ascendancy, had all
but ceased to exist.
The new millennium, however, has seen the
pendulum swing back. The
Wampanoag Road Runners have been reborn as their
membership has soared. The Runaways were formed and
have made an impact in the local running community.
The Milford based Tri-Valley Frontrunners have also
seen steady enrollment advances in the last year and
the Rhode Island Road Runners are over 200 runners and
counting. Now there are more signs of revitalization.
Earlier this year, Franklin residents Kim and
Scott Knous were seeking
a running club but found that there were none in the
immediate vicinity. The Franklin Bolts had faded years
ago, so the Knous' only recourse was to venture to
North Attleboro or Milford to join a club. Instead, in
March they formed their own, the Norfolk County
Pacers. In less than six months through a combination
of newspaper ads, local cable TV and word of mouth,
they have enlisted fifty members, the majority of whom
live in Franklin and Norfolk.
The NC Pacers are a 21st century entity that
has eschewed the structure
of your garden variety 20th century running club.
"From the start, people did not want something
too heavy with a Board of Directors and frequent
meetings," said Scott Knous. "They wanted to
run not join a company." However when structure
is sacrificed, coordination can suffer. In order to
compensate, the club is heavily dependent on e-mail to
get their message to the ranks. "E-mail has been
instrumental in two way communications and helping to
build a 'virtual' community," Knous said.
"When I see a member who I have not seen in a
while
due
to their busy personal schedules, they tell me how
they appreciate being kept in the loop via e-mail. To
keep people engaged I sent out a e-mail update weekly
to communicate everything and to solicit feedback. I
also use e-mail frequently to change times and days
for our workouts, sometimes with short notice of a day
or two."
The club holds two weekly training events, a
Tuesday night track
workout and a Sunday morning distance run, both from
the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin. (Check the
club website Norfolk
County Pacers for complete information
on activities)
A primary objective of the club is to 'provide
a group environment
to support runners of all abilities to attain their
goals.' The Pacers do not aspire to be a competitive
juggernaut
that
lusts for USATF-NE notoriety but rather places an
emphasis on camaraderie and community building. The
refreshments that are offered after the Sunday runs
are there to facilitate that purpose. "Coffee and
bagels are not the attraction," Knous said.
"It
is a great reason for everyone to stay afterwards to
socialize. People tend to stay for upwards of 30
minutes after they run to talk. This is the glue that
holds us together."
The success of the NC Pacers is not an anomaly.
Up the road in Hopkinton
is an equally successful story. In April 2003, several
of those town runners banded together after running
the Boston Marathon that year and formed the Hopkinton
Running Club. Their
membership
now hovers around one hundred.
Ray Angelone and his wife Stephanie were drawn
into the Pacers after
seeing one of those ubiquitous newspaper ads. "It
was good timing that I spotted it," the Norfolk
resident said. "I've been meaning to get serious
about running for the last two or three years and I
needed the motivation." Angelone has been awed
with the Knous's fervor and drive in assembling the
club and equally impressed with the results. "I
think it's a connection into the
local
community and tapping into years and years of running experience," he
said. "It's a great resource. I buy into Scott's
thinking that it's about community and fitness.
There's a good and diverse quality of people and they
have a fun attitude towards running."
^There's no doubt that the Knous' have had no
regrets about their
new venture. "I can't decide what has been the
most rewarding for me and my wife to experience",
Knous said. "People achieving their goals or the
most caring kind-hearted people we have had the good
fortune to acquire as friends." Looks like the
bloom is back on the boom.