Hall of Fame

JERRY MUSCO (Class of 2011)

The founder of the club and a long-time president, Jerry was also a very talented runner who was able to finish a marathon in under three hours, the Blessing of the Fleet 10-mile race in under an hour, and a 400-meter interval in under 75 seconds. But Jerry was also best known for exemplifying leadership in supporting the goals and principles of the club. “His life wasn’t about success in running, it was all about the other runners,” said RIRR member Milt Schumacher, who along with Jerry’s wife, Barbara (right), presented Jerry into the inaugural class. “Running was never about himself.”

Jerry passed away in June, 2000 after losing a battle with cancer, and two races have been dedicated to his memory, the Jerry Musco Memorial Road Race in Coventry and Lincoln (2001-2008) and the Memorial 5K in Johnston (2009-present).

JOE PASCALE (Class of 2011)

Whoever coined the phrase “better late, than never” could have had Joe in mind. A World War II veteran, Joe didn’t start running until 1985 at the age of 62. But Joe certainly made up for lost time by running in over 600 races since the mid-1990s and consistently placing in the 70-plus age division.

Joe, who passed away in Feb. 2012, was also a 15-year member of the New England 65+ Running Club and had also been named the R.I. 80+ Male Runner of the Year by New England Runner on multiple occasions. “He is an inspiration to the club,” said RIRR member Chuck Hyson, who presented Joe at the inaugural induction ceremony.

LEO TOMASETTI (Class of 2012)

RIRR’s “Marathon Man” is probably the way he would most like to be remembered. At 57 years old and close to 30 years into his running career, he had run 15 of 16 Boston Marathons since his first (missing one year with a broken ankle), and during that same stretch, all 16 of the Ocean State Marathons (DNF on the one where the broken ankle took place) including his marathon PR of 2:44:56 in 1991 at age 53.

During his 50s, Leo dominated his age group in R.I., posting a 16:28 (5K), 27:35 (5M), 35:35 (10K) and 1:04:00 (10M) and continued to score in his 60s (a 3:16 at Disney Marathon in 3:16). If not for his sudden death at the age of 63, he would no doubt be the one to beat in the 70+ division today.

As a RIRR, Leo did much to solidify the club. He hosted Wednesday night runs during the “dark” season (Nov.-April) from his home in Johnston, and beginning with the “Rich Classic” club, he joined other leaders in the transition to the current RIRR of this day.

MONROE ALLEN (Class of 2012)

Monroe is one of the best examples of a universal mentor that the RIRR could possibly be blessed with. He generously shares his experience as a “lifetime athlete” with anyone coming into his presence, especially the Wednesday night runners who have gathered at his and Anne’s house on East Gate Road for some 25 years, preceding the transition of the Rich Classic to the now RIRR running club.

A standout on Brown University’s track and field and swim teams in the early 1950s, Monroe resumed running at the age of 47, qualified for the 1983 Boston Marathon at 53 with a personal-best Newport Marathon finish of 3:09, and finished in 3:15. As a RIRR, he continued to compete in area races and usually was an age group winner.

His running career has transitioned to triathlon competition over the last 20 years and included over 100 triathlons since 1980, including National Championships in St. Louis and Internationals in Canada (eighth-place finish), Puerto Rico, and Seoul, So. Korea.

FRED ZULEGER III (Class of 2012)

His running career began in his late 30s and started with a simple 5-mile race in West Warwick in 1977, and since then, Fred hasn’t slowed down! He has run in over 2,000 races in his brilliant, storied career  — reaching the 2,000-race mark in Oct. 2009 at the Brendan Doyle 5K in Pawtucket and averaging 66 per year. Fred has also run in several international races, such as the Berlin Marathon in 1990, and he has run in 31 marathons and qualified for Boston 11 times. Running Times wrote a story about Fred in its Sept. 2010 edition.

Fred’s contributions to the RIRR are numerous. He was a member of the “Rich Classic” club that soon tranistioned into today’s current RIRR, and he has held every position in office, including being a former president.