The third annual Selden Hills New Years Eve running of the hills brought out the largest turnout this course has ever seen!! Over 130 runners braved the cold temperatures to tie a ribbon around the most robust year for our training group!! The cold did not dampen our mood as witnessed by all the broad smiles as everyone finished their run and celebrated with some sweet treats and champagne!!!
From it’s humble beginnings a mere 3 and a half years ago to a group that now has reached 400 members, we celebrated the gift of running and fitness with each other on our beloved 10K course.
As any group or organization grows there will be changes that can take some getting used to. We no longer have one group run but several. While we used to know everyone when we were a cozy group of a few dozen, it may take some time to get to know the many new members of the group. With growth come new talents and ideas to help us come together as we grow in numbers. This year we had our first Selden Hills BBQ, hosted by Lance and Michelle Homan.We had our first “Hilladay Party” in December at Public House in Patchogue which was very well attended and over 70 of us had a terrific time where we got to know each other better outside of running. We started running monthly events like the birthday run,the prediction run and running the course in reverse for variety. We even had our first road trip out to Manorville to run the trails. A morning none of us will soon forget!!! And last but not least we have created a web page to document our history moving forward. I’d say this was a very productive year!!
2013 was a great year for us!! I know we will continue to thrive and enjoy the company of fellow warriors as we train and race and party in 2014. I am proud to be associated with a group of such dedicated athletes and look forward to seeing us continue to accomplish amazing things on the roads and trails of Long Island and elsewhere.
In the words of one of our finest Warriors, Kevin McGrady, “Run because you can!”
