Happenings Down The Hill: New Year's Day Run And Willimantic Athletic Club Revival

The news of the demise of the Willimantic Athletic Club, if heard by anyone, is incorrect.  Instead, this dormant (and sadly, NEARLY expired) sports club — mostly for runners — is now experiencing an energetic rebirth as new membership and leadership are stepping in.  Rachel Tambling was elected president in early December at WAC’s You Can Run, and since that time, she has engaged social media and old-fashioned networking to rebuild the club roster.

WAC will kick off the new year with a group run from Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, New Year’s Day.  Windham High School is the location of New Year's Day run's start.  Following the run of 8 miles through the quiet roads of Willimantic and Mansfield, runners and supporters will toast in the new year. 

For more information on this event or on the current revival of Willimantic Athletic Club, please see the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/groups/290418414394670/?fref=ts

WAC was founded in 1983 by a group of local runners, triathletes, and outdoor fitness enthusiasts to fill a vacuum of need.  Long-established running clubs existed in the Hartford and Norwich areas, but in the immediate mid-eastern Connecticut region nothing existed.  WAC was formed and filled that gap.  The club offered weekly group runs, pot luck dinners, and team gatherings at races.  Through the 80′s and 90′s, the club boasted a membership of over 200, participated in — and won — team competitions throughout New England (including the annual Mount Washington Road Race), and hosted as many as 30 events a year.  Drawing membership from local universities and Storrs, Mansfield, Windham, Coventry, and many other local communities, Willimantic remained its central location and hence the eponym.  Though primarily an association of runners, its roster included kayakers, bicycle riders, hikers, and swimmers.

As the “running boom” waned in the new millenium, so did interest and membership in Willimantic Athletic Club.  Immediate past president Dave Raczkowski had hosted two events a year which marshaled people to action, but his health and other factors contributed to the end of one of those.  After announcing for some years that he was retiring as president and finally meaning it in 2012, the new members stepped in and so WAC is revived.

This article is written by Peter Leeds, an agent with CG Real Estate in North Windham.  Peter was a runner for more than three decades and a founding member and first president of Willimantic Athletic Club.  Although he no longer runs, he walks, hikes, and rides his bike and supports the revival of WAC — and may even appear at the New Year’s Day event.  Peter also serves as athletic director and soccer coach at Parish Hill Middle / High School in Chaplin.  That said, he insists that he is Not Just The Sports Guy.  He can be reached at 860-377-4433 or peter@cgrealestate.net.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.cgrealestate.net#!/PeterLeedsRealtyNotJustTheSportsGuy