Prolific racers from the 50 Plus Club ran more than 3,600 races in 2007.

The Stained Glass Pub in Glenmont, MD again drew runners from as much as 150 miles away for the 11th Annual 50 Plus Club Awards party. The party also coincided with the 65th birthday celebration of Charles Raper, Jr. (in photo). Raper ran 175 races in 2001. After a couple years on injured reserve, he is gearing up to get out on the roads again.

The 50 Plus Club has an average age of slightly more than 49 years but the number 50 refers to the amount of races that members aspire to run each year.

In nearly 900 races run since starting the club, James Moreland has yet to have run in a race where there was not another member of the 50 Plus Club.

The joy of racing and the desire to compete brings runners out week after week, year after year, in increasingly greater numbers. The club has had some runners retire from the club but every year even more runners join. The club has had a total of ninety members. James Moreland (in photo) founded the club back in 1997. Ted Poulos of McLean, VA had just reset his Guinness World Record with 222 races run. We decided to start a club for runners to aspire to race fifty races a year. That was one race every weekend.

Runners were inspired to race multiple times per weekend, even as many as four races in a single day. One summer Ted Poulos had more than thirty days in a row in which he raced.

Poulos has a combined 2,238 raced in since the club began. During that span, club members have reached the 50 race plateau 281 times. They have reached the 100 race plateau 85 times. Seven different runners have exceeded 150 races in a year and two exceeded 200 races. Poulos capped off 2003 with 337 races.

The club has had four members over eighty in the club so far. The two that are still active between them hold numerous state and national age group records.

In photo, Lainey Bernstein, who ran her first marathon and her first 50K race after she turned fifty, poses between Walt Washburn - 85 (l) and Bill Osburn - 84.

The club has expanded this year to include four young runners 11 and younger. The club keeps five year age group records and has now added a 14 and under category as well as going up to 85 and over.

The 50 Plus Club is free and runners are members regardless of speed or of how many races they eventually race. Members come from twelve different states and from all ages from 7 to 85. Runners report daily to update their growing totals. Races are divided into nine categories: 1500M/1M, 3K/2M, 5K, 5M, 10K, 15K/10M, 20K/HM, Marathon or longer, and Other. Races shorter than 1500M and down to 400M only count for runners younger than 14.

At the awards, runner are awarded certificates enumerating their year's accomplishments, which might include succeeding in getting those fifty plus races, a POULOS Award for fifty victories in a year, or a BLANK Award (Named after Peter Blank, the first runner to have fifty races in just one category of races). Currently there have been 71 times a BLANK Award has been earned and 6 Double BLANK Awards, (100) races in a single distance. Multiple BLANK Awards are for more than one category with a BLANK in a year. There have been 10 BLANK Doubles and 4 BLANK Triples.

In photo, Bill Stahr helps to hand out the BLANK awards.

Also, each year runners earn a title for the champion with the most races in a category. When a new all-time number is reached, there is a traveling trophy that rests with the new champion. This year Bill Stahr earned the half marathon trophy with 14 and Dave McSherry increased his record in the 10K to sixty-nine.

All time yearly Best Race Leader by Category

Category	Times	Name
1500M/1M	82	Ted Poulos
3K/2M	        82	Ted Poulos
5K	        146	Jon Palks
8K/5M	        57	Jon Palks
6M/10K	        69	David McSherry
15K/10M	        28	Jon Palks
20K/HM	        14	Bill Stahr
MARATHON	50	Billy Lese
OTHER	        50	Jon Palks
Races           337     Ted Poulos

In photo, Bill Stahr (l) talks with this year's total race champion (163), Peter Blank.

All time Total Best Race Leader by Category 1998-2007

Category	Times	Name
1500M/1M	436	Peter Blank
3K/2M	        521	Ted Poulos
5K	        936	Mitch Radella
8K/5M	        157	Jon Palks
6M/10K	        383	David McSherry
15K/10M	        81	James Moreland
20K/HM	        53	Bill Stahr
MARATHON	118	Billy Lese
OTHER	        144	Jon Palks
Races           2,238   Ted Poulos* includes 1997

In all thirty-four of the members have been or are currently a Ranked Runner. Dozens have been on the boards of nearly all the region's running clubs, including at least half dozen presidents. Members have spent countless hours volunteering at races as well as performing race director duties at all level of races from track meets, road races, to ultra marathons. In all club members ran 3600 races in 2007, more than one per cent of all the races run in the entire region. In the first decade, the club ran more than 30,500 races. Twelve of the runners were overall winners in races last year.

For more information about our 50 Plus Club, contact Club founder James Moreland.

11th Annual 50 Plus Club Awards party
Photo Gallery
Page 2
5th Annual Walnut Hill Ribbon Run 5K.

This race is a fund raiser for the award's party.