You’re out running on the roads in Lower Makefield on a Tuesday night as dark as Montana.
Hey, what’s that big bunch of bobbing lights up ahead?
A pack of athletic coal miners?
A herd of fitness-minded brain surgeons?
A black-ops military training unit?
Actually, as they draw closer, you realize it’s the Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s “McTuesday’’ running group, out for its weekly 6 p.m. jaunt, replete with lots of laughs and heavy breathing.
This past Tuesday night marked the second anniversary of the group’s founding.
Some 35 runners showed up to hit the streets and then later repaired to a local pizza joint to celebrate the occasion.
It’s an enthusiastic crowd which loves the social aspects of this ritual as much as the exercise benefits.
BCRR’s Joe Boyce, who helped put the session together, said the club was looking for a weeknight group run and settled on the Lower Makefield shopping center as its jumping-off point for several reasons, not the least of which was a convenient bathroom in McCaffery’s Market. ( hence the name McTuesday).
Now that’s pragmatism.
“The new leadership (two years ago) was trying to get a run together that sort of appealed to any class of runner,’’ Boyce said. “Everybody was welcome, regardless of pace.
“I was reluctant at first because there had been tries at this in the past. So we figured we would give it a try. And it just took off. It became a great social event for people not just to run but to show up and have fun.’’
Indeed. I took part in this past Tuesday night’s run and found runners traveling at all different paces.
And those headlamps come in handy during the winter months.
Like the popular Winter Series, it’s a great way to get out and run with others when it’s cold and dark. The time just seems to go by quicker.
“We try to keep it light,’’ Boyce explained. “You can come out and just run with friends, chat, see what’s going on during the week. It’s a great group of runners.
“It’s a great motivator to get out here in the dark in the winter. It becomes almost an event, you don’t want to miss it.’’
Pat McCloskey, who directs the highly successful “RunBUCKS’’ series of races here in the county, says he runs more in the winter because his schedule is lighter. Getting out with the McTuesday folks fits right in.
“Like the Winter Series, it’s another motivation to get out and get running,’’ he said. “And get support from other people along the way. You get group support instead of being out there by yourself.’’
BCRR president Johnny King-Marino was beaming after the run, perhaps because of the turnout and because there was so much energy at the pizza-fest.
“There’s a motivating factor here. . .free pizza,’’ he said with a laugh. “You give free pizza to runners and they show up.
“Tuesday runs have been very successful. “Scott (Craig) started it and Tyler Murphy has been very involved with it. He handles the social media.
“Everyone sticks together, keep an eye on each other. Doesn’t matter if there’s rain, wind, snow. We all have our headlights on. After work, as tired as I am, if I didn’t make it here, I might go home and skip it (a workout). It’s kind of an accountability thing.’’
BCRR has grown to upwards of 800 members, making it one of the largest running clubs in Pennsylvania.
Murphy says that has a lot to do with social media, something which also has helped increased the popularity of the McTuesday session.
“One of the things that we try to do, we try to post either to our website or to our Facebook page,’’ Murphy said. “We’re really trying to develop community.
“We’re really like a family, a McTuesday family.’’
More information is available on the club website, www.bcrrclub.com.
Race calendar
Sunday, January 28, 2018
BCRR Winter Series Honest Abe 4.6-Miler, 9 a.m., Tyler State Park, Newtown. Contact www.bcrrclub.com
Hey Wayne.. great article, loved the whole concept