If it’s in the wee hours following Hump Day, you’ll find them there. Rain or shine. Sweltering heat, bone-chilling cold or anything in between.
Each week at 5:50 a.m., a group of OMRFers gather in Heritage Hills, right outside of Harvey Bakery. They’re not there for first dibs on a latte or cinnamon roll. No, this is OMRF’s Thursday Morning Run Club.
First organized by Fitness Center Director Kelie Watson in 2023, the sweat-addicted cadre of foundation employees meets year-round each week for a pre-work workout. Their numbers vary from 3 or 4 to a dozen or so, and they typically run 4 miles, though people often choose to go different distances, depending on their individual fitness levels and goals.
“It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are or whether you are planning for a specific race or just want to get out for some exercise,” says Kelie. “It’s all about getting together.”
The group usually takes off when it’s still dark out. They run in pairs at a minimum for safety – and a sense of camaraderie. “We’ve become a family,” says Kelie.
Information Technology’s Stephen Apel ran by himself for many years. But at Kelie’s encouragement, he joined the group last year. His verdict? “I’ve become a Thursday morning fanatic,” he says.
Stephen and others use the runs – and post-workout debriefing sessions over coffee at the bakery – as marathon preparation, especially for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which takes place each April.
The Marathon honors the 168 people who were killed in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. OMRFers have run the marathon each year since its inception in 2001; we even boast a member of the Ran Them All club in Philanthropy’s Penny Voss.
With President Andy Weyrich’s encouragement, OMRF’s participation in a different portion of the event has also thrived. Since his arrival in 2022, Team OMRF relay groups have more than quadrupled.
Historically, those relay teams have consisted of five people running a relay on the same course as the full marathon, with individual legs varying from about 3 to 7 miles. But for this year’s 25th Memorial Marathon, the format has changed. Teams of four will now start together, with each participant running a quarter of the 26.2-mile race distance, or about 6.5 miles.
Aging and Metabolism’s Zuzanna Siek plans to be one of those OMRF really runners. She says she gell in love with running “just for fun and to balance my mind. When I get overwhelmed, it really helps me.”
She’ll take this same relaxed approach come April. “When I try to set a strict goal or run a certain time, it never happens,” she says.
Andy expects to be at the starting line alongside Zuzanna and 62 other OMRFers who’ve registered for our relay teams. It will mark the fourth straight year he’s taken part, and it’s become a spring “must” for him.
“I hope this community continues to grow. It’s special to run alongside my OMRF coworkers,” he says.
Plus, Andy says, putting one foot in front of the other fits perfectly with OMRF’s mission. “Being active is a big part of the work we do to live longer, healthier lives.”
