Our History
The Needham Track Club started in 1980 with a unique format of 12 teams each with children of multiple ages (7-14) and different color t-shirts. The club met two nights a week for 6 weeks over the summer with focus on running and a few field events.
John Hrones came on board as director in 1985 to begin a 40 year span of leading the club, greatly expanding participation, increasing to a 4-season program and initiating leading edge track meets and road races sponsored by the club.
After a few years, we introduced a program for age 5-6 targeted for children of NYTC parents who were coaching the older program.
In 1989, we started the Needham Youth Classic, a late July youth track meet - which progressed to a 2-day event for 800 children from all over New England and the eastern coast as well as Bermuda, Canada, as well as Europe and Japan. This meet was renown as the must go track meet for children in the Northeastern USA. It went on for over 30 years - and put Needham on the map as the "Children's Track Town".
In 1991, John introduced the Great Bear Run, a road race run on the 3rd Sunday of May. While the race had a 5K for adults, it introduced the concept of a road race with focus on children instead of adults. Over the years, races included 10K, 5K, 3K, 1M, 400, 200, 100, 26.2 meters (for age 0-3). The race has been one of the 20 top rated road races in New England for many years. The race is still in existence and was the chosen 5K for the 2024 USATF-NE series.
In 2001, we introduced the Northeast Indoor Classic starting out with 200 youth runners on the gym floor at Boston College High School and later expanded to 600+ runners at MIT and finally at the Reggie Lewis track in Boston. It too became the go to meet for the indoor season and lasted for over 20 years.
In 2011, we started a Cross Country program with 40 runners at Cutler Park in Needham. We moved on to Elm Bank in Natick and Olin College in Wellesley. When Needham created a new track at DeFazio field, we moved there and expanded to include sprinters as well as distance runners in the Fall Program. In 2024, we had 600+ runners from age 3.5-14.
In 2014, NYTC's assistant director, Michelle Geddes, started a Spring Program, patterned after the Fall Program. In 2024, we had 600+ runners from age 5-14.
A few years later, we introduced a Winter Program at Babson College in Wellesley and (for a few years at a middle school in Waltham). That program exists today.
In the club's early days, coaches were parents - 2-3 on each of the 12 teams. Over the years, fewer and fewer parents have been available so that in recent years most coaches are HS students supported by several college and professional coaches.
During COVID, we were still active producing videos to help kids keep active during the epidemic.