All photography is courtesy of Gary Geernaert and Victor Pellicier.
The Steeplechasers celebrated our 50th anniversary on Saturday, November 8 in an evening filled with friends, laughter, heartfelt speeches, fond memories, and a bevy of black and gold decorations. It was an amazing opportunity to honor the organization that has meant so much to all of us, and to see people out of our running gear (who knew that some people had shoes other than running ones?)!
Vice President Barb Cosgrove, the head of the planning committee who oversaw and organized the event, kicked the night off with a lovely speech. She touched on the two events honoring the 50th anniversary – the Pub Run at Prospect Brewery and Saturday’s gala – and thanked the committee members for all their hard work, mentioning Peggy Waxter and Leslie Nuce specifically, as well as Joe Myers, Marti Grib Kachman, and Michele Newton. She also welcomed a few special guests that were in attendance, including Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, three of the current executive board members (President Michelle Newton, VP Barb Cosgrove, and Secretary Nick Dulac), seven of the past 27 Steeplechasers presidents (Byron Stay, Larry Cunningham, Joe Myers, Peggy Waxter, Mark Larwrence, Lou King, and Josh Roane), Leslie Nuce who joined the Steeps close to its inception in 1978, and 18-year Steeps veteran John Kippen who was the owner of Frederick’s first running store, If the Shoe Fits. She also called out the youngest Steeps member (Spires runner 11-year-old Aoibhin Callery) and the eldest member (85-year-old Bob Imming).
Barb recalled how, while digging through the history of the Steeps, she was able to trace how far the club had come, from a handful of members using paper forms to when the club reached 200 members, to now with nearly 1,200 Steeps members!
“The club was formed by runners just coming together for the love of running,” Barb continued, “to now providing training programs, club races, and giving back to the community by volunteering and giving proceeds from our signature races to local charities. I have seen a lot of growth over the 12 years I have been a member and can’t wait to see what the future holds and where the next generation will take us.”
Before handing over the mic, Barb reminded everyone that the club is putting together a Time Capsule, collecting memories and items from now until the banquet in January. If you have anything you’d like to contribute, please reach out to Barb directly.
President Michele Newton took the stage next, echoing Barb’s thanks to the planning committee for an amazing event. She reminded us that the mission of the Frederick Steeplechasers is “To promote running for fitness, friendship, and athletic development, in support of our members and the Frederick community.” The steeps have done just that over the past 50 years by nurturing and supporting accomplished runners, helping people through their first race or their 100th, and raising more than $90K in 2024 for the Frederick community through our charitable races. Michele reminded us that, “everything we do is made possible by volunteers. We do this because of the friendships we’ve formed, our love of running, and because we love this community.”
“You know,” Michele mused, “I’ve always thought of Frederick as one of us, a member of our Club. In 50 years, we’ve explored every road and trail in this beautiful place. We are part of the fabric of the Frederick community, and I believe that the Steeplechasers are one of the reasons why Frederick is not just a place to live or work, but it’s a place where you want to make a life and a place to call home.”
Michele ended her speech by thanking the members and attendees for their friendship and for being a part of Steeplechasers’ history before introducing Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, thanking him for the City’s support of our club and the running community.
Mayor Michael O’Connor took the stage and commended the Steeps on reaching such a fantastic milestone of 50 years of supporting running in the Frederick community. He touched on the signature races, mentioning that in the past 15 years we had raised about $700,000 for the community. He thanked the club for everything it had done for not just the running community, but also the Frederick community at large, and encouraged us to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
After that, it was time to pop the champagne, pose at the photo booth, cut the cake, and celebrate! Thanks to everyone who made 50 years of Steeplechasers possible, and here’s to another 50!
