Groton moms who run for fun 

It has been one full year since the Groton Project (GP) running club was “off and running,” as Scott Weeks, Simon Moll and Josh Plumeau began coaching GP’s participants — who can be anyone who is a Groton resident of any age or ability level. GP offers coaching, a focus on wellness and the camaraderie that comes with being involved. The program is generously funded for the most part by Groton Central School’s 21st Century Learning Center grant.   

The full story on the origin of GP may be found in the Dec. 14, 2022 issue of this column, but this week’s story focuses on five moms and one daughter who have been involved with GP from its beginning and recently trained together to run a 10K race at the Dryden Loop the Lake event, which was held Sept. 30. Interviews for this story were conducted before the event.

Nicole Belcher, Nicole Justice, Monica Moll, Shana Snyder and Michelle VanEtten all share a love of running. This group of five moms comprises all working moms with a husband and two children each.  

Belcher, a medical laboratory scientist for the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University, said she ran in two other 10K races this past year, but she enjoyed being able to train for this race with her daughter Alison, who also ran it, and the rest of the group. 

“Groton Project has been a wonderful opportunity for our entire family to learn more about running,” Nicole said. “I enjoy being a part of a group that includes all ages and abilities.” 

Nicole’s husband, Brian, and other daughter, Lauren, who is in fourth grade at Groton Elementary School (GES), make up the rest of the family. Alison is a sixth grader at Groton Jr/Sr High School (GHS). 

Alison is involved in band, chorus and student council at GHS and participates in competitive gymnastics with the YMCA Cortland Comets. She said she thinks that running is fun and likes the challenge of training to run for a longer distance. 

“I have enjoyed training for this longer distance with my mom, and I am looking forward to running the race with her,” Alison said. 

“I’m excited to be running this race with Alison,” Nicole said. “During the summer of 2021, I wanted to try running again and started by running at the school track in the evenings. Alison decided she wanted to join me, and we set our goal to run the Groton Labor Day 5K at the end of that summer. We had so much fun during that first race that we have been running many of the local 5K races ever since, with my daughter Lauren joining the fun that same fall. Both girls participated in the youth cross-country program this past fall. It’s been a lot of fun seeing our progress and supporting each other as we explore this common interest.” 

Justice has two sons at GES: Anthony in fifth grade, and Nicholas in second. They and her husband, Kyle, are all active members of the Groton community, and Nicole is a massage therapist with her own business on Main Street in Groton.  

“Being a part of Groton Project brought me back to running,” Nicole Justice said. “I hadn’t run for six years. My son, Nicholas, was four months old when I ran my last 10K. It’s been great to train with these ladies, and I’m excited to run with them in our matching jerseys.” 

Similarly, Moll said she was also looking forward to them all “showing up at a race with matching jerseys because it’s a sense of community,” which she jokingly referred to as “a bunch of hot moms running.” 

Simon Moll, who is one of the GP coaches, is Monica’s husband. They have two children: Liesl, who is in sixth grade at GHS, and Oliver, who is a fourth grader at GES.  

“Being a part of Groton Project and doing this together is such a sense of accomplishment because we all have kids, jobs and commitments, yet we’re still able to make time to do something for ourselves,” Monica said. 

Monica is self-employed as a property manager for Moll Properties and as an interior designer at Monica Moll Design. She started running at age 35 because she wanted to lose weight after having children. She said this will be her third 10K since.  

Snyder, her husband, Stephen, and children are also active in the Groton community. Noble is a freshman at GHS, and Truth is in sixth grade. The family is perhaps best known for their involvement in Boy Scouts, but Shana is also a middle school math teacher at Randolph Middle School in Cortland.  

Shana’s feeling about GP is that “you feel like you belong. It just gives you a sense of belonging and pride in our community.” 

The women all enthusiastically explained that GP is more than just running big races, and that there are several things people can try, including high jump, shot put, discus throwing, long jump, trail running and more.  

“It’s great to train with all the families and get to know them,” Shana said. “It brings the generations together and gives a chance to try different things. I hadn’t done a high jump since junior high!” 

VanEtten has been a math teacher for 19 years, the last 15 of which have been at Moravia High School. She and her husband, Matt, are the parents of Mariah, who is in seventh grade at GHS, and Mason, who is in fourth grade at GES. 

“This will be my first 10K, but not my first race,” Michelle said. “I have run numerous 5Ks, a trail race and a half-marathon. I am hopeful that this race is a stepping stone for me training for another half-marathon. In training for the 10K, the coaches pushed us to train at a level that I would not do on my own. You must be a bit more dedicated to go and run up dog hill repeatedly on your own. As a mother, I think it is even more powerful that my children are witnessing adults learning new things, working hard, supporting one another and participating in a healthy lifestyle. I have an active nine-year-old son. It was a chance for us to do something together that he would enjoy. I’m so glad that we joined. It truly has felt like a community within our community.” 

A typical GP session involves a jog around the high school track, followed by stretches, club announcements and information about upcoming events, and then people split off into group or individual interest areas that vary with the seasons.  

The club meets every Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the GHS track, 400 Peru Rd., during the mild weather months, and then it switches to indoors at SUNY Cortland in the colder weather. For more information, contact grotonrunningclub@gmail.com or find Groton Project Running Club on Facebook. 

“People come when they can,” Monica said. “All ages, all abilities, and we even have some people running with their kids in strollers. Everyone is welcome, and all or part of race entry fees are covered by the 21st Century grant.”    

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.  

In brief: 

Free winter wear and more 

The Groton Community Church, 204 E. Cortland St., will hold a winter wear and children’s book giveaway from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17. All are welcome, and donations are needed. Please bring donated jackets, coats, sweatshirts, sweaters or children’s books to the church entrances. The last day to donate is Friday, Oct. 13.  

Library events 

Groton Public Library and Groton Recreation will co-host a Nerf war in Groton Memorial Park on Sykes Street from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. Bring your own blaster or borrow one on site. There will be hot dogs and s’mores near the end of the two-hour event. 

The Kids Farmers Market is back at 2 p.m. every first Monday of the month beginning October 2 and ending May 6. Food is provided by the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. Produce may be taken by kids or parents of families with kids. Available until gone. For more information contact director@grotonpubliclibrary.org or call 607-898-5055. 

Groton Community Cupboard announcement 

Plan ahead, as the Groton Community Cupboard will be closed Sunday, Oct. 8, Monday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 12 in honor of Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day.