When did the first running boom start? Was it after the 1972 Munich Olympics, when Frank Shorter won the marathon and Steve Prefontaine raced, or after Bill Rogers won the 1975 Boston and New York City Marathons? Watching Bill Rogers and Frank Shorter run the Virginia 10-mile in his hometown of Lynchburg spurred Jim Davis to run.
Soon after 1972, marathons started popping up nationwide, including the Marine Corps Marathon in 1976.
In Fredericksburg, stories of weekly fun runs at James Monroe High School started to appear in the Free Lance-Star in May 1977. Distances went from ¼ to 6 miles
Dale Saylor remembered, “Somewhere around 1976, I began hosting Runner’s World Fun Runs every Saturday morning at James Monroe High School track for almost two years. For the record, there were three races each week; the first was either a quarter or half mile, the second was always the mile, and both were on the track. And the third cycled among 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 miles within Fredericksburg streets. They were well attended. Sometimes just a few, other times a good number. Preschoolers to seniors. It is no coincidence that this was about the time I was a JM track coach. There were many local track runners from the town and the surrounding counties. I got to know them pretty well.”
By 1979, many races had been created, including the Ashland Railroad Run 10km, Fodderstack 10km, Flying Circus (Bealeton) 10 Mile, and Fauquier 10km. I’ve been told of the 15-mile race in King George. The Colonial Beach 10km and AP Hill 10km began somewhere in time.
The Historic Fredericksburg 10km debuted that year with 325 finishers. The September race used a two-loop course downtown starting at Rosner Motors on William, right on Princess Anne, left on Wolfe, left on Caroline, left on Pitt, left Princess Anne, right on Amelia, right on Charles, left on Fauquier, left on Prince Edward, right on Amelia, right on Washington, left on Mary Ball and left on Washington to finish the loop at Rosner. This course shut down all the major streets downtown and would be difficult to use today.
This race existed for two more years, and the Park and Shop 10km operated once in September 1980.
Mary Washington Hospital managed an April 27, 1980, “Jogging Contest” on the James Monroe track.
The Lion’s Club started managing a Fourth of July race in 1980. The results article in the Free Lance-Star indicated the race was held the previous year. The Free Lance-Star described the course in the 1980 article.
The course headed northwest from the Visitor Center on Caroline Street, crossed the Falmouth Bridge, returned southeast on River Road, crossed the Chatham Bridge, turning right on Caroline to a finish in Old Mill Park.
In 1980, there were 200 finishers, the oldest of whom was 54.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Starting in May 1980, the Mental Health Association managed a 5-mile race from the Visitor Center using the same course. There were no reports on this race until the third edition in 1982. The entry fee was $3.50.
In 1983, there may have been some issues using River Road or the bridges. The Mental Health race distance was changed to 10km using the Rosner Motor course. And, the Lion’s Heritage Festival race course changed to head northwest on Caroline, left on Progress, right on Fall Hill, left on Jeff Davis (now Emancipation), left on College, left on William, left on Littlepage, right on Monument, right on Kenmore, left on Prince Edward, right on William, right on Princess Anne and left on Charlotte to the finish. They used this course well into the 90s.
Currently, some want the July 4 race to start at 7 am. The 1983 race began at 9 am in high heat and humid conditions. Future FARC co-founder John Robbins’ picture accompanied the results article, which included 160 finishers, the oldest 54 years old.
In 1983, a competing Fourth of July triathlon was held in the city. Starting at the City Dock, there was a 10km run, 25-mile bike, and 6-mile canoe from Motts Run Landing back to the City Dock. I’m unsure how the canoes got past the dam on the river.
The triathlon was held on July 2, 1983, and July 4, 1984. The 1984 race started at 7:30 am, thirty minutes before the 5-mile race. After the hot conditions of 1983, organizers moved the 5-mile start to 8 am. The triathlon was a two-year experiment.
As part of race director education, we learn to use police to direct traffic and course marshals to direct runners. One example used is either a myth or a legend. The myth: in the 1984 Heritage Festival 5 Mile, the lead police car received a call to attend to an incident and turned right on Jeff Davis to handle the issue. The two leaders followed the police car off course. The newspaper reported the runners following the police car, except the race organizers only contracted the police to get the runners through the intersections on Caroline Street and could not turn into traffic at Jeff Davis.
In 1986, the Mental Health race was moved to the Pratt Clinic at 1701 Fall Hill Avenue.
Debuting in 1986, the YMCA and Free Lance-Star managed the area’s first 5km road race. The race started at Sophia Street Station and Copper Shop at the corner of Sophia and Charlotte and headed northwest on Sophia and Caroline to the VFW’s turnaround.
1984 was not the only issue with Heritage Festival 5 Mile leaders going off course. In 1987, at the exact same location, the lead runner failed to turn left on Jeff Davis and headed across four lanes of traffic continuing on Fall Hill. He ran about 30 seconds before getting turned around. He caught up and won that year.
With 242 runners, the Free Lance-Star reported the 1988 River Run 5km as the largest-ever race in Fredericksburg. From other articles, that report was exaggerated,
April is Organ Donor Awareness Month. John Robbins and the YMCA started the Organ Donor Awareness 5km in 1990 on their cross-country course three years after his liver transplant. The race was held as a cross country 5km for the following three years, with the most finishers being 68 in 1992.
For the first Organ Donor 5km in 1990, entry fees for participants showing a driver’s license with an organ donor endorsement were waived.
The largest pre-FARC Heritage Festival 5 Mile race field was 308 in 1991. This year was the first where the oldest age group was 55 and over, and John Robbins finished his second major race since his liver transplant in 1987,
The YMCA held annual cross country 5km fun runs from 1980 until 1989. They offered monthly cross-country fun runs in the middle of the decade.
The Mental Health race field never exceeded 125 runners, and in 1990, the race distance was reduced to 8km.
In 1992, the oldest Heritage Festival 5 Mile age group increased to 60 and over. Other area races adopted this older age group.
For the first six years of the River Run, returning runners had to cross William Street at the Chatham Bridge. This course was causing traffic issues, so the start venue was changed to the Library at Caroline and Lewis in 1992. This course is the city’s oldest continuously used road course, now used for the SPCA 5km.
In 1992, the city promoted the Pear Blossom Festival, including the River Run 5km. Now, the Bradford Pear trees, as are the Pear Drop and Pear Festival, are gone.
Still lagging in participation, the 1993 Mental Health race distance was reduced to 5km and called a Run and Walk.
The YMCA managed the first Turkey Trot 5km on November 25, 1993. There were 200 finishers on the same course as the spring River Run 5km from the Library. The Free Lance-Star did not publish the results.
With the existing River Run 5km, Organ Donor race, Mental Health 5km, Heritage Festival 5 Mile, and Turkey Trot 5km, the 1994 Big 5 series was created. Not wanting a cross-country event in the series, the Organ Donor race moved to the 8km course that Mental Health used until 1992. By 1994, 10km as the popular race distance had been reduced to 5km.
After I finished the 1996 Heritage Festival 5 Mile, I was called in to help process the results. The first loop (manual timing jargon) contained nine pull tags (more jargon) without indicating who was first. Jim Davis was on the first faceup tag. Being a past winner of the race, I assumed he was in first. We learned better at the awards ceremony and created another finish-line recording procedure.
In the early 90s, Stafford Parks and Rec managed a fall 5-mile race from Curtis Park on Hartwood Road. Lagging participation, Bill Brooks took over the event, turning it into the Hartwood 10 Mile from 1996 until 2016.