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We continue with Volume 19 where we talk running groups and getting off the couch with two of the best.
If you’ve read this series for a while, you’ve probably seen their names in print. For many runners throughout Franklin County, their first steps came under the guidance of Becky and Steve Shattuck.
The couple led a popular running group based at The Body Shoppe in Greenfield, and Steve estimates that they trained a couple hundred runners during their 20-plus year tenure. While they no longer lead sessions with new runners, the impact the duo has had on the running community is immeasurable.
“We did this beginning training on a voluntary basis for many years,” began Steve. “We modified a beginning running program that initially came out of the Runner’s World magazine, and started to help people begin running.”
Getting people running was a satisfying feeling for the pair. They said that since there was usually a pretty large variance in fitness levels throughout the group, runners would spread out over the course of a 30-minute run. Steve would lead the front and Becky would bring up the rear, and after 15 minutes, the group would reverse direction. The running plan consisted of different stages, and newcomers would build up to 30 minutes of non-stop walking before adding short running spurts. Eventually, the 30-minute span would consistent of almost continuous running.
“We really enjoyed bringing people into the running fold,” said Steve. “I can get emotional about it sometimes. We kind of wanted to leave a mark in the world in some way. One of the ways we tried to do that was through getting people out and running.”
Becky agreed, saying the benefits from the group went deeper than just the physical elements.
“It certainly helps emotionally as well as physically,” she said. “We’d hear from runners, just about how much better they’d feel when they’d start their day with a run.”
While the beginning programs were popular, the Shattucks also had their own running group based out of The Body Shoppe. Becky, who worked there for 35 years before retiring recently, said Steve would meet her there for a noon-time run in the early ’90s. Soon after, others would join, and that running group eventually started tackling new ventures like marathon training.
“The group has stuck together over the years because everyone in the group, even as it has changed over the years, has a desire to keep it going,” Steve said. “Knowing there are people that are expecting you to be there helps with motivation.”
Some of the most memorable training runs, termed ‘The Run for the Coffee,’ saw the group travel from The Body Shoppe to McCusker’s Market in Shelburne Falls. During one particular run, the crew saved the day for a woman trying to get to church. Her garage door was stuck and she was running late, and seeing a group of runners heading past her house, she flagged them down.
“We went over and got the door open,” recalled Steve with a laugh. “She was very grateful.”
The Shattucks stepped up their regimen and began including triathlons after enjoying their experience volunteering with the Greenfield Triathlon.
“That’s all it took to give us the triathlon bug,” said Steve of volunteering. “The following year we did a team in the Tri and for many years after that we started doing them on our own. Eventually our running friends came into the fold and we started traveling the northeast doing triathlons with our buddies.”
In 2010, Becky completed an Ironman event in Maryland.
“I’m very happy I did it,” she said. “I don’t regret any of the things I’ve done.”
The pair have slowed a bit, scaling back their race commitments to focus on non-competitive running, biking and swimming. Becky said she wears a knee brace now, and the pair are also involved in yoga. The social aspect of it all continues to be one of the best rewards.
“This has been a social life for us,” Steve began. “We’ve basically been running and touring with our friends. Instead of going to bars with friends, we’d run on the road with friends. Well, we do both, but this has really been our life and we’ve absolutely loved it.”
The fact that they both enjoy running, and everything that comes with it, has only aided their lives together.
“Being married, we’re lucky that we both do the same thing and enjoy the same thing,” said Steve. “And we roughly run the same pace. If one of us wakes up and doesn’t want to run, the other one usually gets us out there. We’ve pushed each other over the years.”
And thanks to their dedication and commitment to helping others, they’ve pushed many throughout the community as well.