Nearly a Half Century of Jogger Joe Fun Runs: The Tradition Stays Alive
 |
| 1980 Ocean State Marathon |
Among the early competitors were Way Hedding, Bobby Clark, Bob Landry, Jeff Walter, Eric Isbister, Tom and Pat Swim, and the leader of the band, Joe Smith, whose license plate, “Jog Joe,” told you everything you needed to know about the man.
Thus began the Jogger Joe Fun Runs, which, until this year’s coronavirus pandemic forced the group to run virtual races and post results on a website, had been taking place for more than 45 years every Friday night in May and June.
Those early races were called “fun runs,” but the unofficial name was “hate runs,” because, far from being casual workouts, they evolved into deathcage battles. Winning times for men dipped below 15 minutes, for women, about 17 minutes.
I remember once crossing the finish line in 16:25 in 10th place – a race in which Bob Landry pulled off the course for a pit stop and still managed to sprint ahead during the final dash up Groton Long Point Road.
Finishers had to grab numbered Popsicle sticks, which were collected by Jogger Joe. He then entered names, times and places on a master scorecard, and calibrated overall standings using a complex system for an end-of-season awards ceremony that befitted the Olympic Games.
Over the years Jogger Joe Fun Runs have in fact attracted two Olympians – Jan Merrill of Waterford and Geoff Smith of Great Britain (now living in RI), who also won the Boston Marathon twice. Mystic’s own Amby Burfoot, a fellow Boston champ, remains a regular Jogger Joe runner. Patti Catalano Dillon, the first American woman to break 2:30 in the marathon who has held a number of world records, is another Jogger Joe alumnus, along with her husband, Dan Dillon, a two-time All-American in cross-country.
In its heyday as many as 50 runners regularly showed up at Esker Point Beach at 6 p.m., jogging a 1.5-mile warmup together before the 3-mile race. In recent years the field has diminished somewhat, but the tradition has carried on in the spirit of Jogger Joe’s origins: No formal organization, no entry fees and plenty of camaraderie.
After Joe Smith relocated to Maine, Eric Isbister took on the role as unofficial race director, and when he moved to Wisconsin about 20 years ago I was handed the reins.
The only change I’ve instituted has been having the last race of the season run as a handicapped event, in which slower runners start first and faster ones follow in stages, based on their predicted times. No one can wear a watch, and the man and woman who finish closest to their predicted times each wins a Snickers bar. The runner who underestimates his time by the greatest margin goes home with the dreaded sandbag award – an actual bag of sand from Esker Point Beach.
 |
| Jogger Joe Smith, 77th birthday, December, 2019, Prescott, AZ |
When news of COVID-19 was first reported in March I thought the crisis would pass in time to launch the 2020 edition of the Jogger Joe series, but soon it became clear every athletic event on the planet would come to a screeching halt – even the Boston Marathon.
I initially sent an email to Jogger Joe regulars that we would have to cancel the season – but then Amby came to the rescue with a brilliant solution: Runners could run the course individually whenever they pleased during the week, and email him their times.
He now posts the results on this website.
Thanks Amby, and I hope that we’ll all be running together again soon.
By the way, I know I’ve inadvertently left out some names and other recollections, so if you have memories or photos of the Jogger Joe Fun Runs, please email them to Amby so they can be shared on this website.
Stay well, everybody!