It's not exactly ancient history. In fact, it was less than 30 years ago. It just seems like ancient history because things were so different back in the summer of 1972, when the forerunner of our current running club was being formed.

The Southwest Truckers...in searching for a name they wanted "something unique"...was formed by a group of six cross country runners at Sahuaro High School who didn't get enough racing at school and wanted to arrange some on the weekends. The group, led by then city cross country champ, Gary Cary, described as "the key: a salesperson and organizer," immediately plunged into race planning and executing. Other members of the group included Mark Meece, Roger MacKechnie, Paul Delligatti, Mark Riney, and Mark Douglas. The boys recruited runners for their races mainly by asking their runner friends at other high schools and "getting the word around to high school coaches," MacKechnie says.

From the beginning the boys were helped by Gary's dad, Joe Cary. He advised, supported, and gave them money for things like stopwatches and other items.

Eventually the boys graduated from high school and went separate ways, but Joe Cary kept the club going. Joe enlisted a lot of older men, and the club became more organized. Cary described the club´s philosophy in 1973 as "...trying to serve the entire community from joggers to athletes with higher aspirations."

By April, 1973, under the elder Cary's leadership, the Truckers were sponsoring a race every week, ranging from 2 to 15 miles and from relays to individual competition. They had races at "A" Mountain, San Xavier Mission, Saguaro National Park, and Sabino Canyon.

According to Jack DeWeese, who joined the club in early 1973 and later served as its first treasurer, the club between 1973 and 1976 was a "family kind of thing." He says there were a lot of little races of 12 to 20 runners where "everybody knew everybody else. It was nonprofessional and low budget," he says. He still has the first cash box, "a soap dish with a rubber band around it."

In the beginning, they didn't have timers, so the stopwatch was given to the fastest runner, who would then time the other finishers. The first official timer was Virginia Yeatts, who early members say timed all the club races for some time. Her husband, Paul, was one of the key people in the early club and later became the first vice president.

One of the first women active in the club was Jan Boyd. Boyd became the first woman to direct a race for the club when she directed a race at Sahuaro High School.

The first Turkey Trot was a 6 mile race at San Xavier Mission in 1974. After that, it was moved to Randolph Park and was cut to 4 miles, then increased to 5 miles.

Ken Young came to Tucson in September, 1974, and brought with him ideas for broadening and professionalizing the club. "I got them to join the RRCA," he says. He agitated to change the club name. "When I first heard the name, I thought they were vegetable and produce haulers," he says. Ten members of the Truckers met after the TWA Turkey Trot in Randolph Park on November 20, 1976, and voted to change the name of the club from Southwest Truckers to Southern Arizona Roadrunners. The first officers were elected. They were Joe Cary, president; Paul Yeatts, vice president; Jack DeWeese, treasurer; Steve Oliver, secretary; Ken Young, historian; Kai Haber, publicity chairman; Chuck Kerr, newsletter; and Mark Kelleher, RRCA state coordinator.

Membership lists show 72 members at the time of the November, 1976, meeting, and 421 members by November, 1978.

Chuck Kerr was putting out an informal typewritten newsletter on a regular basis that included a schedule of races, race results, and, as he said, "articles and cartoon, mainly lifted from other publications." (Some things never change).

"The running boom was hitting Tucson," Young says. "The range and variety of running events was at a peak." Ken was starting to handle results for club races through his computerized system.

Kai Haber, who said he was "never much into athletics," started running, encouraged by companions Mike Joyner and Joan Anderson, and in March, 1976, ran a race in Phoenix that inspired him to start the Sun Run. On March 1, 1977, Haber directed the first annual Sun Run, a 15K run which Runner´s World once ranked in the top 15 races in the country. Haber says he aimed to make the race a "first-class, world-class type run" even though it was a "shoe-string operation." He found sponsors, got the money to run an ad in Runner´s World, and through Ken Young, was able to get Frank Shorter to come for expenses only. He says it was the first time a T-shirt was offered at a race. Haber directed the race in 1978 also, by which time he says there were over 2000 runners, including the 2 mile fun runners.

Epilogue: There is much more detailed information about the club available, thanks to people like Jack DeWeese.