2025 MHRRC Polly Sparling Winter Run

Flat and fast five mile loop starting and ending at LaGrange Town Hall (Ed Erichson 5 mile course in reverse).   Race start time is 10:00 am.  Bib pickup begins at 8:30 am. This event is FREE for active MHRRC club members.  Discount will show up at checkout.

There are no awards or giveaways for this event.

This year, the Winter Run is being held in honor and in memory of Polly Sparling, a long-time member of MHRRC who passed away last July after a brief but devastating illness.
A six-time marathoner, Polly had a passion for running and for bringing people together through running.   Nearly 20 years ago, Polly began organizing a group of runners through a posting on the MHRRC website.  They started meeting at Spratt Park in Poughkeepsie and eventually moved their runs to Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve in Poughkeepsie but were also spotted on the “Millbrook Dirt Roads”, the Dutchess Rail Trail and even on the trails in New Paltz. 
After group members found the posting on the MHRRC website or friends' recommendations, they eventually started receiving Polly's weekly emails to the loyal participants in the group.  In her “day job”, Polly was an outstanding writer and editor, previously working for Reader’s Digest and Hudson Valley Magazine before teaching and mentoring students at Marist College.  When she turned her writing talents to the weekly emails to organize the group runs, her flair for writing always made the emails something to look forward to.  She was also quite the storyteller on the weekly runs.  According to a long-time member of the group, “There were so many easy conversations, laughs, tears, muddy and sweaty miles with Polly.” 
Polly worked tirelessly to promote and advance running, especially for women in the local area.  One of Polly's greatest contributions to the running community was serving as the race director of the MHRRC Women's Run. This 5K and 10K event was first run in May 2012 and continued until it was curtailed by the pandemic in 2020.  It was a favorite race for many local runners.  Besides coordinating the event, Polly also spearheaded a Learn to Run group leading up to the race which extended the impact of the Women’s Run.  This group met weekly at a local track where Polly would lead the group through a training program.  She coached participants through pre-run stretches, and laps of walking or running on the track.  It was an effective way to introduce people, especially (but not only) women, to running. At the end of the training program, participants were invited to run the Women’s Run 5K for free. Many of the women and men who started running then have continued to run today as a result of the program Polly organized.
Through big events like the Women’s Run or smaller weekly running groups she coordinated, Polly was a leader and a nurturer when it came to the sport of running.  She encouraged and supported people of all ages, those who were new to or returning to the sport of running and those who had miles more experience than she did.  In both settings, Polly worked selflessly to keep participants involved, not only to get to their respective finish lines but also to set distance and time goals, follow training plans, and to have fun along the way.  She was an ambassador of the sport – promoting running as a lifelong activity and not just a race with a distance or time goal.
After the dissolution of the Women’s Run, and throughout the pandemic, Polly continued to organize the weekly running group on Saturday mornings.  Through Polly’s dedication to the running groups she organized, she cultivated an energetic and diverse group.  Said one participant, “Polly was also special in that she welcomed everyone …it didn't matter how fast you were or if you had never run before. Her philosophy was that no one ever got left behind; everyone matters, and everyone's running journey is worth cheering for. I've lived in several cities and have tried many run clubs over the past decade, and none of them have been as consistent or as welcoming as Polly's running group.”  Polly’s steady devotion to running and the running community has brought together group members from various stages of their personal, professional and athletic lives to form a very connected group.  According to another member, “It’s hard to imagine my life without our running group. I will forever be grateful to Polly for putting us all together.”  In short, Polly will always be remembered for her impact on the local running community for her contributions, large and small.
Polly’s “Posse” still meets every Saturday and while the group is always growing and changing, they still follow Polly’s mantra that no one gets left behind in the group runs.