The Melrose Messenger

Melrose Running Club Welcomes Runners of All Kinds

By Ellen Putnam

With good weather finally here to stay (we hope!) and the Boston Marathon coming up on Monday, Melrosians who have been stuck inside throughout the long, cold winter might feel inspired to get in shape by running outside. The Melrose Running Club (MRC) offers a supportive group for runners of all levels, and the club will be launching their annual walk-to-run program next week for anyone who wants a structured program to help them start their journey as a runner.

The Melrose Running Club is open to anyone in the area who is interested in running. The group’s most popular weekly event is their Tuesday evening run, and members can also participate in marathon training, track workouts, and other group runs. Membership is $30 annually, although prospective members can try out the club just by showing up on Tuesday night at 7pm at the Knights of Columbus.

“We’re a very open club,” said Membership Coordinator Marty Hergert. “We have people who might only walk, or might only run on Tuesday nights - people come to get exercise, get out of the house, see friends. And then we have very serious runners who do marathons. Sometimes people think you have to be a very serious, dedicated runner to join, but the Melrose Running Club is definitely not that. We have a whole spectrum of abilities.”

“It really seems like COVID got people thinking about running again,” Hergert added. “We were up to 260 members - COVID took a hit for a while, but now we’re back up, and we still have lots of new people walking in the door.”

Even as new members join, MRC still has many long-time members. “I joined in 2018,” reflected Hergert, “and I still feel like a junior member.” The club started in 1996 as part of the Runner’s Edge store, which is now Marathon Sports. The club moved to the YMCA after it outgrew that space, and finally to the Knights of Columbus. Marathon Sports also offers an informal running group on Thursday evenings, and there is some overlap between that group and MRC.

The Melrose Running Club organizes the annual Mother’s Day Run for Women, proceeds of which which support the Melrose Alliance Against Violence, and the Nutcracker Challenge cross-country race at Mt Hood, which supports Housing Families and the Melrose High School track teams.

While anyone is welcome to join the club’s Tuesday evening runs, the Walk-To-Run program is specifically designed for people who want to get into running shape but may not know where to begin, or may need motivation to encourage them to stay with a fitness program. Participants should be in good health and be able to walk for 30 minutes at the program’s start. At successful completion of the ten-week program, they will be able to run continuously for five kilometers (around three miles).

“Sometimes the walk-to-run classes can be 25 or 30 people,” said Hergert. “About half will graduate, and five or six from each class tend to stay with the club long-term. A lot of walk-to-runners do marathons - one member didn’t even finish the walk-to-run program on their first try, and now regularly runs marathons.”

“I keep thinking we’ve tapped out all the beginning runners in the area,” Hergert mused, “but somehow, the interest is still there every year.”

The walk-to-run program provides participants with a structured program, including workouts they will do on their own throughout the week. Each session ends with some kind of presentation on healthy running habits - everything from nutrition to stretching to buying the right shoes. At the end of the ten weeks, the program holds a graduation ceremony, and participants are ready to join the MRC’s regular Tuesday evening runs.

“It’s pretty incredible how people can go from beginning runner to marathoning,” Hergert went on. “They get the bug, and the club is responsible for that. That’s what happened to me: I was a very casual runner, just wanted to get in shape. I saw the running club, thought maybe I should give them a shot. Within 5 or 6 months of joining, someone talked me into doing a half marathon, and then I started working on marathons. The club pushes you forward: having that group of people to keep you honest and be there for you is very important. I tell all kinds of people they should come run with us - it’s life-changing.”

To learn more about the Melrose Running Club, visit their website or come by the Knights of Columbus at 7pm on a Tuesday evening to try out a run. To sign up for Walk-To-Run, come to the Knights of Columbus this Tuesday evening at 6:45pm (to leave time to complete the paperwork before the program begins at 7pm). The program costs $30, which includes a year’s membership in MRC.

Posted April 18th, 2025