by Bill Shaw

This feature is a continuation of the Lunar Rendezvous Run preview in the July 2003 issue of Runner Triathlete News. To get all the details on the 25th anniversary of the race, pick up a copy of the July issue of Runner Triathlete News. Subscribe to RTN today!

"Most integral to the success of the Lunar Rendezvous Run is the tireless dedication of Bay Area Running Club (BARC) members," said Brenda Sanzone, assistant race director for the Space Run from 1991-1996. "They organize the packet stuffing, refreshments, course security, and race management. Their expertise is the core of the race's success."

Jay P. Lee, 37, BARC president and a NASA subcontractor employed by Dynacs Engineering, continues a quarter-century tradition and directs this year's Lunar Rendezvous Run. He has been involved with the contest for five years though he has never had the time to run the race himself. However, he has been an active runner of BARC for over a decade.

"I started running in the early 90s," said Lee. I am a mid-pack runner. I have done a good deal of 5K and 10K, one marathon and two 50K ultra runs. I have also done triathlons in the past and hope to get back into it soon. My passion in the running community is to put on good quality races."

In a new venture promoting quality running in his community, Lee and his wife Glyssel, along with Kevin and Jana Landry, just opened On the Run, a tech running shoe store in Clear Lake.

Active-runner Lee as Lunar Rendezvous Run director also continues a 28-year BARC tradition. BARC was founded in 1975 by a small group of men employed by the Johnson Space Center, according to a thumb-nail history provided by Lee. These Clear Lake community men shared a common interest in running and developed a curiosity about team awards distributed after the fun runs they attended. These interested runners recruited other area runners, and BARC was born.

The core of BARC charter members organized fun runs and club runs on Sunday afternoons during the summer and opened some of the evening runs to the community on the grounds of the Johnson Space Center.

Space Center officials approached BARC about helping with a summer race to help celebrate the first lunar landing, and so began the Lunar Rendezvous Run in 1979. Coye Jones agreed to organize the initial event.

"I didn't do race numbers or T-shirts the first year, but everyone got a Shuttle patch for entering," said Jones in one of a series of articles by Dennis Halpin detailing the history of The Space Run in the BARC newsletter on the club Web site at www.amtexpo.com/barc/newsletter. "Also the Lunar Rendezvous publicity posters came out advertising the race as a 'Jogging Contest,' and I was appalled! But we had 252 entries, had a nice little race, and made a profit for Lunar Rendezvous of $400, so we were 'in' as an event."

"Our club has changed in many ways over the years, yet it has also remained the same," said Lee. "As of April 2002, BARC included over 200 members. Meetings are now held on a scheduled basis, the second Monday of the month, and club officers are elected by the club's members at the April meeting. As in the early days of BARC, we are still a social organization that emphasizes camaraderie through running. The Lunar Rendezvous has expanded and includes a walk along with the 5K run. The race continues to be among the most popular. The club also enters many team events and attempts to establish BARC as a competitive force among the running clubs in the Houston area."

For additional information about BARC and the history of the Lunar Rendezvous Run, see the club web site at www.amtexpo.com/barc.