APRIL 2014 | BOROMAG.COM | 33 better in a group setting and with some help from those in the know? Many people, myself included, tend to perform a little better with some “teammates” to encourage and push us along. In this neck of the woods, the ultimate running resource—the “teammates” that you are looking for—are the members of Hellgate Road Runners. Chances are if you visit Astoria Park on any given day, there are bound to be at least a couple of members getting their daily work in. Hellgate Road Runners (HRR) was founded in Astoria, Queens by a group of running friends in February of 1996. Named after the beloved, beautiful, historic bridge spanning over the East River and Astoria Park, the club was formed to promote fun and safety in competitive running. In April of the same year, Hellgate Road Runners became a member of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) as a not-for-profit organization. An active chapter of the New York Road Runners, the members of the HRR participate in many racing events throughout the city and are very involved in local community events. This is no ordinary, “let’s get together and run a bit” group. Led by their President and Coach, Jared Mestre, the Hellgate Road Runners are devoted to helping all levels and abilities of runners. They have a varied schedule of types of runs throughout the week to ensure the development of a well-rounded runner. An example of their scheduled weekly runs can be found below: Monday Evenings at 7:30pm -- Hill Workouts The club members meet at Shore Boulevard at the bottom of the field between the Astoria Park Swimming Pool and the Hellgate Bridge. The workout hill is 200 meters high and levels off for approximately 75 meters before the decent. Wednesday Evenings at 7:30pm -- Speed Work. Runners meet at The Astoria Park Track. Speed not your thing? No need for apprehension, runners will be split up into groups based on ability. All workouts utilize both a mile warm up and mile cool down. Track workouts consist of repetitions of 400m, 880m, 1200m, 1600m, and an occasional 5000m thrown in the mix. Thursday Evenings at 7:30pm-- Weekly Group Run. Meeting at the Astoria Park Field House, this roughly 10K run will start and finish within Astoria Park. Saturday Morning -- Long Distance Runs take place at 9am October through May and 8am June through September. Group members meet at the Astoria Park Field House. Course and distance for long distance groups runs will be determined ahead of time Interested in joining? Or picking up more information? Have any specific questions? Hellgate Road Runners 14-41 31st Drive Astoria, NY 11106 (718) 721-7844 hrronline.org
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