In 2009, a coworker suggested that I run the Tipp Hill Shamrock Run. I had run the Corporate Challenge the past couple years and liked the race day energy/atmosphere, so I did. After the race, another coworker asked if I wanted to train for and run the Mountain Goat, they also told me about the Lake Effect Run Club as a way to get additional training. Back then, the club ran on Tuesday nights. I showed up, was welcomed immediately and instantly felt comfortable! It was the easiest experience starting something new and meeting new people I’ve ever had!

I also didn’t realize at the time that I was running the first races of the inaugural Syra-thon series. To this day LERC supports the series in not only participation but we preview those race courses throughout the year.

I met my amazing wife, Karen, through Lake Effect so this is not just an exercise routine or hobby, it has become a way of life. Our closest friends are those formed through the club. We continue to forge new friendships as well. When I think about the fun we have, it’s the social activities that have almost become traditions; a pint of Guinness (breakfast of champions) or coffee at Kitty Hoynes after the MG training runs, the LERC Boilermaker Bus, watching SU games at Duskees, etc. I think it’s a unique and special culture we have, especially given the cross section of runners and personalities…and that is a contributing factor. We are Lake Effect!

~Todd Keller 2020

Karen's Bio  

In the spring of 2010, the year I was going to turn 40, I made the decision that I needed to  become more physically active, so I started walking a few miles 4-5 times a week; walking soon turned into jogging.  My goal that year was to run the B'ville Turkey Trot. However, a good friend of mine who ran with Lake Effect Run Club convinced me to run Paige's Butterfly Run, so we would get together once or twice a week to train for Paige's.  This was the first race I had run since cross country in high school; I had so much FUN despite how nervous I was.  The running community was/is so encouraging and supportive of each other regardless of pace and ability!!  It was at Paige's Butterfly Run that I met several other Lake Effecters. I was immediately drawn to the group, as everyone that I met was so friendly and welcoming!!  Next thing I knew, I started participating in more races and joining the biweekly group run which quickly became part of my weekly routine and still is 10 years later.  I have met some of the most amazing people through the run club and many friendships have been formed!!  Best of all, I met my husband, Todd, through Lake Effect Run Club!!  I love the social aspect of the club more than the actual running, although running is a healthy benefit of getting to spend time with friends.  We not only run together, but enjoy social activities together as well: ice skating, baseball games, SU games, concerts, etc.  We hope you'll come out to join us and have some FUN along the way!! 

"Let us RUN the RACE that is before us and NEVER give up."  ~Hebrews 12:1

~Karen Keller 2020

Remember the Winter of 2007, when the snow seemed to never end, and Oswego got dumped on with 14 feet in 14 days?  Well I did absolutely nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing physical over that winter, and like a lot of folks I caught spring fever in 2008, and figured I had to get my butt up off the couch.  So, I started with the Mountain Goat Training Runs in the spring.  These were a blast! Where else can you find 500 people each week at a training run!  I also noticed running a mile wasn't as hard when you ran it with others, and then 2,3,4,10 miles! I was hooked.  At the 2008 Harborfest Race in Oswego I met a handful of folks who shared the same simple primary goal, to have FUN running, and oh by the way, it happens to have the side effect of getting you in shape!  As the race season went on, I would send out emails for us to meet up in various places to train for the next run and through word of mouth my email list got too big to handle…and the Lake Effect Run Club was born.  Don't get me wrong I wasn't a physical slouch my whole life.  I did run track through high school, in field events and hurdles.  I was a college athlete in gymnastics, but I never enjoyed distance running.  My how things have changed.  Now certainly my new found fondness of running has not turned pathologic, I still have to find balance with my crazy work schedule as a family doctor, and my family, but I try to get in at least one long run with the group on the weekends, and a shorter run or two with a smaller group of Lake Effecters during the week.  I also try to jam in as many races as I can (about a dozen a year) to keep me motivated.  

I had always thought of running as a solo event, but I'm here to tell you it's NOT!  And our Club members will tell you the same.  Personal goals and improving your times are all fine, but that's not where the focus is.  We're about the group, good conversation, enjoying the scenery, and having some fun.  And if you keep the focus there, you're going to stick with it for life, and not drop out like you see so many people do with the gym or the treadmill, etc.  You can get all the cardiovascular, and weight loss, and mental sanity benefits of running without having to push yourself to the brink of collapse, and without having to do it alone.  You'll always find someone in your pace in our group, so you'll be comfortable where you're at.

I've found the runners I've met along this journey to be some of the most motivated positive people I've ever met.  It comes from a spirit of trying to better oneself and openness to have some fun along the way.  So come on out and enjoy a run with us, and you'll get hooked too!!!

~written by Ray Holt 2008-2009

It all started with Ray Holt, not because he was the founder of the run club,  but because he was my Doctor. He kept encouraging me to get out and move more and get off the couch to make me get into a healthy lifestyle, but he never once mentioned the Lake Effect Run Club. After an internet search of Running Clubs in the Syracuse area, I decided to see what this Club was all about. Much to my surprise there was Ray.  Did I mention the best part ? There are no Dues!  Yep no Dues! 

At the time, I could barely run a couple hundred yards without stopping.  Feeling defeated wasn’t an option, as the people that were in the group were never judgmental - EVER.  Instead they were nothing but encouraging. It was the number one reason why I stayed and why I agreed to organize the group runs after Ray moved out of state.  

My goal was the same for others as it was for me.  A judgment free club that didn’t care how fast you were or how many miles you ran.  It only cared about creating an environment that brought like people with a like mindset together every Saturday—rain, snow, sleet, or hail—to get off the couch and move more. 

Over the next 4 years we watched the club grow to where 50 people would show up to do our course preview runs on the weekend. Our club shirts were showing up at events all over NY and in surrounding states.  

I couldn’t have done what I did without the help, love and support of the other passionate club members who helped organize the runs, the T-shirts, the maps, and every other aspect and logistics of the club.  

My 4 years were some of the most rewarding of my life watching people come and go and discover this wonderful group of friends. A new job that caused me to travel extensively caused me to walk away from the club for a number of years. When I was able to return, I was welcomed back to the group like I was never gone.  Once again, really tremendous people.  

If you can remember when I started with the club, I said I couldn’t run more than a few hundred yards.  By the time I moved out of the state in 2019 the club helped me run my first Marathon. Talk about judgment free and encouraging.   Welcome to the Club and enjoy.