On New Year’s Eve 1989 a group of running friends were sitting around trying to stay awake until midnight to celebrate the new year.  The conversation eventually drifted to deciding where we would run the next morning.  Being bored with our existing running routine, it was suggested that we run up Mill Mountain to the Star!  And so it started.

On January 1, 1990 David Henry, Mark Scheerer, Hal Stern, and Gary Adkins met at the Franklin Road Ramada Inn at 8:00 a.m. and ran up to the Star.  In 1991 Finn Pincus joined us.  In 1992 L. J. Beaty joined the group.  In 1993 Sandy Andrew and Jack Whipkey decided to tag along, and the first picture was taken.  And each year the group grew to where now we typically have around 125 people and several dogs who run up Mill Mountain to the Star on New Year’s Day.  January 1, 2016 will be the 27th year of the tradition.  And now the group picture is taken at the Star (rather than in the Ramada Inn parking lot as it was done in the beginning years).  The pictures can be seen on the Star City Strider’s web site: www.starcitystriders.com and a 1/2/2014 Roanoke Times article be Mark Taylor can also be seen at the Strider’s web site.

Just thought this might be an interesting one to be included in the Star Stories that you are collecting.  Email worked better for me than giving an oral story.  I will be glad to provide additional information or add to the story if needed.

Thanks!