SRR History

"Fred Brown" Lake Winnipesaukee Relay....we hadn't become the Somerville Road Runners yet but were on way to becoming a formal running club shortly thereafter. Evelyn Neuber, Bob Nesson, Mary O, Paul Collyer, Larry Horlick. Photo courtesy of The Fun Road Race Company

Notable Dates and Club Achievements:

1992 - The first Khoury’s Foot Race is held. The race becomes the Khoury’s Summer Steamer in 1995

1995 - February, the Thursday Night Run, based out of Khoury's in East Somerville, starts (photo Paul Collyer)

1996 - Spring - The Somerville Road Runner officially become a club. Founding members include Paul Collyer, Paul Clark, and others

1997 - The first 24 Hour Around the Lake race in Wakefield, MA was run.

1997 - The first Gobble Gobble Gobble

1997 - SRR participates in the Mill Cities Relay for the first time

1998 - March - The first An Ras Mor 5k was run

1998 - The Winter Challenge Road Race begins

1998 - Team CIVRA at the second annual 24 hour race. SRR pictured include Dan Solomon, Kate and Tim Maul, Gretchen Wilson, and Jim Sweeney. Tim, Kate, and Gretchen went on to direct the race for a number of years in the mid 2000s (photo from Kate Maul)

1998 - SRR has 150 members, officially becomes a non-profit organization, and a member of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA)

1998 -Dermot Fitzpatrick appears on the cover of New England Runner, wearing the original SRR logo (designed by Emer O’Donoghue)

1999 - July - The Somerville Road Runners logo and colors, designed by Nancy Given, are adopted by the club and are still used through 2025

2000 - Karin Turer starts her run as the Thursday Night Run timer, a position she holds until 2011

2001 - The first edition of ‘Still Runnin’ on Empty’, SRR’s newsletter was released.

2001 - The Gobble Gobble Gobble has 800 participants for the first time

2002 - SRR finishes 3rd at the Mill Cities Relay, the first of 16 top 3 finishes between 2002 and 2024

2002 - SRR donates $8,000 from proceeds from the Gobble Gobble Gobble to various local charities, including the Somerville Trac Pac, Project Soup, and the Somerville Auxiliary Policy

2004 - Caroline Dobbyn wins the Women’s Open USATF Road Grand Prix title

2006- SRR Mixed Open Team wins the Lake Winnipesaukee Relay. The first and only mixed open team to ever win the event. Team consisted of Seaghan McKay, Jim Rhodes, Jen Rapaport, Shad Miller, Diona Fulton, Larisssa Bifano, Mariah Titlow, and Joe O’Leary

2006 - Joe O’Leary becomes SRR’s coach

2006 - Steve Burton posthumously awarded the Phil Quinn Award at the Mill Cities relay for extraordinary contributions to the sport

2008 - The Monday night Bur-Run starts, still being run in 2025

2009 - February - The original Thursday night course, based out of Khoury’s in East Somerville is retired and the runs moves down the street to Casey’s. The course stays the same until April 4th, 2010, when is changed to it’s current configuration

2009 - SRR women’s open team finishes in 2nd place at the Boston Marathon

2009 - SRR women’s open team finishes in 2nd place at the Chicago Marathon

2010 - Karin Turer draws the now famous Thursday Night Run map

2010 - Alex Taylor sets the club record for the marathon, running 2:25:15 at Berlin

2010 - SRR hosts the 26x1 for the first time with 15 teams, and wins the event by over a minute

2010 - “Taking Care of Business” released - The short film was filmed in one weekend in January 2010 and premiered at the annual SRR party on January 22, 2010

2010 - SRR crosses 360 members

2010 - Gordon Pilotte wins the Best ‘stache at the Mustachio Bashio

2010 - SRR donates $47,000 to charities from annual race proceeds

2010 - SRR comes in 3rd at Mill Cities Relay and wins the Participation Brick for the largest club

2011 - The last Summer Steamer is run

2011 - The first BOO-Run, the annual Halloween party run

2011 - Brian Tinger wins the 2nd Annual SRR Mustachio Bashio contest

2012 - Race to the Row 5k starts and is run annually through 2019

2012 - First Somerville Road Runners scholarships presented at Somerville High School to graduating seniors

2012 - Jim Moberg wins the 3rd Annual SRR Mustachio Bashio contest

2012 - Robert Cipriano wins the Men’s 50-54 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2013 - SRR Kids, a free running program for children in Somerville, is launched by Emma Kosciak and Ali McGinty

2013 - In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, the club participated in the city of Somerville’s candlelight vigil. Thankfully no members of SRR were hurt in the bombings, but several members were not able to finish the marathon that day. SRR joined a number of other local running clubs and organizations to participate in the “One Run” at the Boston Marathon finish line one month later.

2013 - The first Scottoberfest is held

2013 - Liz Cooney wins the Women’s 55-59 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2013 - Karen Encarnacion wins the Women’s 45-49 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2013 - Larissa Park sets the women’s 5k club record, running 16:39 at the Pittsburgh Great Race

2014 - In remembrance of Sean Collier, a Somerville resident and MIT Police officer, killed by the Boston Marathon bombers, the club holds a memorial run and fundraiser in his honor. The memorial run and fundraiser is held annually through the 10th anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

2014 - Greg Picklesimer wins the Men’s 45-49 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2014 - Robert Cipriano wins the Men’s 50-54 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2015 - Liz Cooney wins the Women’s 60-64 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2015 - The last Around the Lake Ultra is run

2015 - SRR’s online monthly newsletter, The Conqueror, is published online and is updated through 2020

2015 - Deb (Downs) Smrcina wins the Asheville Marathon in North Carolina

2015 - The Winter Challenge becomes the Wintah Challenge and the now infamous ‘feats of strength’ where introduced

2016 - SRR crosses 400 members

2016 - The clubs bylaws are amended and ratified at the annual meeting

2016 - Robert Cipriano wins the Men’s 55-59 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2016 - Liz Cooney wins the Women’s 60-64 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2016 - Somerville was named one of six Runner Friendly Communities by the Road Runners Club of America. For the club’s application in gaining this designation, SRR received a special citation by the City of Somerville Board of Alderman and Mayor

2017 - Liz Cooney wins the Women’s 60-64 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2018 - The last An Ras Mor 5k is run

2019 - Liz Cooney runs 44:32 at the Lone Gull 10k for an age grade of 93.35%

2019 - Gretchen Wilson awarded the Phil Quinn Award at the Mill Cities relay for extraordinary contributions to the sport

2019 - March - Due to construction of the Green Line Extension resulting in the closure of Broadway in Ball Square, the Thursday Night Run course is shortened to a 3.6 mile route

2019 - Squirrel Scramble Wednesday Night run starts

2020 - SRR Inclusion and Diversity committee, later renamed IDEA, established

2020 - SRR membership drops to ~150 during the pandemic.

2020 - June - The Broadway Bridge reopens and the Thursday Night Run route is returned to it’s 4.06 mile course

2020 - December - Brian Burke runs 13 laps of the Thursday Night Run course, setting a new endurance record of 56 miles, breaking Aaron Beer’s 10 laps and 40 miles from 2014

2021 - Robert Cipriano wins the Men’s 60+ USATF Road Grand Prix title

2021 - November - Wednesday Morning Run Crew weekly run starts

2022 - Annual Slideshow

2022 - SRR Men’s Masters team wins the USATF Road Grand Prix Masters championship - the first team victory in SRR’s history

2022 - SRR wins the Mill Cities Relay for the first time, and wins the Dave LaBrode Award for largest club

2022 - Chris Antunes wins the Men’s 40-44 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2023 - February - The last officially timed Thursday night run. The weekly run still continues

2023 - Kassian Eaton wins the non-binary division at the Philadelphia Marathon in 2:35:38

2023 - No Expectations weekly run starts

2023 - SRR Men’s Masters team wins the USATF Road Grand Prix Masters title for the second consecutive year

2023 - SRR wins the Mill Cities Relay for the second time, and wins the Dave LaBrode Award for largest club

2024 - Kassian Eaton wins the non-binary division at the Berlin Marathon in 2:30:29

2024 - SRR launches the 5k program, in conjunction with the relaunch of the M.O.M.’s Run 5k now being produced by SRR

2024 - SRR wins the Mill Cities Relay for the third time, and wins the Dave LaBrode Award for largest club

2024 - John Gorvin awarded the Phil Quinn Award at the Mill Cities relay for extraordinary contributions to the sport

2024 - Sadik Tokgoz wins the Men’s 55-59 USATF Road Grand Prix title

2024 - The Gobble Gobble Gobble has over 3200 registered participants for the first time (photo Sam Graham)

2024 - SRR donates over $73,000 to local charities including the Somerville Homeless Coalition, the Dilboy VFW, Back on my Feet, and Dana Farber

2024 - slideshow and annual awards

2025 - 30th anniversary of the Thursday Night Run

2025 - SRR has 550 members

Club Records - These are the club individual road records to the best of our knowledge. If you know of a club member who has run faster, please let us know at webmaster.