Ross Ramey, President

I’ve run all my life, at least for as long as I can remember. Around the back yard, fields, hustling to help Dad, eventually sports at school and high school. I ran ¼ mile and ½ mile in high school track. Ran mid-54, 55 sec for quarter and once ran 1:58 in the half. Also ran Cross Country, but in that time, it was mostly 2.2-2.5 mile races. I continued to run for enjoyment after school and into the Air Force. Each year we would have to run 1.5 miles on the track as part of our physical fitness requirements. In 1984 I ran 9:06 for the 1.5 mile, which was the fastest in the Hospital Squadron that year.

Nowadays, I am happy to run 9 min miles in races, and run mid 9’s and 10’s in my non-competitive runs. But it’s good to get out there and get the dust blown off!

I’m 65, retired from work 3 years ago. I trained as a Family Physician, worked as such in the USAF, and came to the Monadnock area in 1986 with my (also Family Physician) wife and 2 children, to open a practice in Jaffrey. The following year we had our third child. Recently we sold our house in Jaffrey to downsize, and have moved to Peterborough to live.

Running is fun and can be challenging in this area, due to hills, roads, and weather. The local races are great. Great running community and fun-- stories sharing recent runs, hikes, trails, rides, family doings, and meeting old comrades and competitors. It’s also lots of fun to participate in a bigger and non-local race, as well. I was fortunate to be able to run Boston in 2013 and 2014 to raise money for the Melanoma Foundation.

Running gives one many opportunities to either pay back or to pay forward the joy that it gives to us runners. Lisa (my wife) and I volunteer at the Boston finish line for the BAA, being President of the MRM and supporting local running, timing at local runs, running sweeps to make sure no one gets lost on the course, donating to the charities supported by the runs, like the area Food Bank, are all ways in which we are privileged to help pay it forward. To help.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the Chillers, or at other races throughout the year!