Whew! Another year in the books. We were treated to nearly perfect weather, great turnout from the runners, and rave reviews. We had a total of just over 1,900 runners between all four races. One of the day's highlights was a new course record in the 5K (15:24) from Dave Hinga. Smokin'!

Thanks again to everyone who participated either as a volunteer or a runner. As a small club it's important that everyone participates to make it a great experience for everyone who comes to Groton, either as a runner or a spectator. We've built a great reputation of producing a high-quality event that runners and their families return to--year after year.

If you haven't had a chance to view the photos from this year's races, a link is below. Mark your calendars for next year: April 24, 2005.

The race recap meeting was held on May 18th where we reviewed this year's successes and areas needing improvement. We also looked ahead to 2005 where the most significant change will be the tie-in to the 350th anniversary of the town of Groton.

This will impact the race in several ways, but most significantly we can expect an increase in runners. We should also be prepared that sponsors could be more difficult to procure as the 350th committee will be pursuing some of the same resources.

Lastly, we elected new club officers. They are as follows:

• President: Chris Russell
• Vice President: John Cole
• 2005 GRR Race Co-Directors: Sue Podolske and Sue Hoxie
• Membership Director: Sue Hoxie
• Treasurer: Linda Beneke
• Secretary: Sharon Blood
• Publicity Director: Steve Legge
• Board of Directors: Kathy Kurdzo, Maria Noya, Gordon Row, Carl Skipper, Kerri Strauss

Many thanks to our outgoing president, Mark Graf, for his stewardship during the last few years. Read his outgoing message in the next article.

In addition, there are several members of the club who have agreed to take more active roles in the race planning. Ted MacMahon will support Sue Podolske's sponsorship efforts; John Cole will shadow Jim Podolske through the registration process; and Dave Wilder will shadow Chris Shattuck during the course set-up.

We need other club members, new and old, to step forward and take an active role in race planning. It's not a huge commitment--a monthly meeting between October and April, and a few tasks depending on what assignment you're willing to take on.

Please support the race and its planning to ensure its livelihood beyond 2005. For more information, please give Sue Podolske a call at 978/433-5736 or Sue Hoxie at 978/461-0153.

From Mark Graf:

I would like to congratulate Chris Russell on his election as president of the SqRR, and commend him for stepping up to this responsibility. Congratulations are extended as well to the new (and continuing) officers and Board members elected this past week.

Our Club has evolved in the past several years: New faces, new interests, new ideas. It all revolves around a common interest in the sport of running and has given rise to a fun and diverse group of people.

The nicest thing about our club is that everyone can have a say. Know of a good race coming up? Have a good idea? (It doesn't have to be running-related). Send out an e-mail to the group! Chances are someone will want to partake, and will thank you for bringing it to their attention.

It's a good feeling to be part of the SqRR. Those who have been around a while know what it's like to run into townspeople in the weeks after the Groton Road Race, having praised heaped upon them for the wonderful organization of our signature event and for the goodwill it generates in the community. We can also bask in the glow of satisfaction knowing that the Club's efforts have directed upwards of $30,000 to worthy causes over the past years.

So show your support for Chris, for the Officers and the Board, and for the Club. Be active. Participate. Come up with new ideas to make our Club better, stronger, more inclusive, and more vibrant. And most of all, have fun. That's what it's all about.

SQRR has a few new fishies in the school! New members are:

• Dale Sibley, female master, Townsend
• Chuck Johnson, male master, Groton
• Elise Estes, female open, Groton
• Amy Schilp, female open, Groton

I asked each of the new members to provide some information about themselves.

Dale tells me: I love to run, bike, swim and basically PLAY ; ) I sold my condo in Tewksbury and bought a home with my fiancée in Townsend. We're looking for new running buddies. Most of our running buds are on the North shore. We miss them and only get to see them about once a month now.

Here's what Elise had to say: Greetings! I am very excited to be a part of the Squannacook River Runners. Having moved to Groton, MA in August, I have been looking for a group with whom I could to run. I currently work at Lawrence Academy in the admissions office, serve as a dorm parent in an upper class boys' dorm and coach the girls' lacrosse team. I love the outdoors and I have spent a lot of time hiking, biking and running. I completed the Boston Marathon in 2001 (probably my first and last marathon!) and I have been running in local 10K's when I can find the time. I mainly run for pleasure and I am looking forward to participating in some of the group runs and other activities this summer and next fall. I thoroughly enjoyed my first Groton Road Race in early May!

Here are a few words from Amy: I live in Groton with my husband Bill and our two kids, Jillian (almost 5) and William (2). I am a certified Speech and Language Pathologist and I work for the Shirley School District part time. My husband, Bill, is a software design engineer for Cadence Design Systems. I started running after William was born about a year ago, but I did not run much over the winter, so I am just starting to get back into it. Before I discovered running I was often at the gym doing aerobics and step, but after I had my second child I found it was so much easier to get it some excersize by going out for a run instead of trying to find the time to drive to the gym. I usually run between 3 and 5 miles, 3x a week. I am slowly working toward longer runs.

Hopefully we'll have a few words about Chuck Johnson in the next issue.

Several of our club members braved the heat at this year's Boston Marathon. Below is a recap of their results. Congratulations to all!

• Sean Crockett: 5:20:02
• Kathy Kurdzo: 5:22:53
• Ted MacMahon: 3:13:23
• Brian Reeves: 3:16:12
• Frank Row: 3:15:47
• Chris Russell: 3:45:29

Here are a few races and other activities that are coming up in the next few months. We typically send a team to the Winnipesaukee Relays and I'll be soliciting for members in the next month or so. It would be great if we could send a contingent of Fishies to the other races.

If you have something you'd like to add to the calendar, please let me know. We'll post it on the sqrr.org web site.

• Tuesday nights in Lowell: Good Times Running Series
• Thursday nights in Westford: Westford Academy Summer Road Race Series (starts June 10)
• May 31st, Maynard, Mass: Memorial Day bike ride from Sue Hoxie's house. Email Sue for more details.
• July 4th, Dunstable, Mass: Dunstable Firecracker 5K
• August 3rd, Newburyport, Mass: Yankee Homecoming (5K and 10M distances)
• September 25th, Weirs Beach, NH: 60+ mile relay race around the lake--8 members to a team

We've moved to a warm weather schedule so Sunday runs now start at 8 a.m. from the Groton School. No more sleeping in! If you haven't run with us on Sundays before, give it a try. It's a different route every week, sometimes roads, sometimes trails, distances vary between 4 and 7 miles, and different paces. We do our carbo loading afterwards with a bagel from the Main Street Cafe. See you then.