Terry Murray

Year Inducted: 2022

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To say that Terry Murray was a pillar of our local running community is an understatement. He served as a trustee and as treasurer of the Ohio River Road Runners Club (ORRRC) for 31 years, making him the longest serving officer in the club’s 53 year history. He came to be respected as a steady, guiding force for the club. Over the years, he stepped up to serve in multiple other ways. Terry took over as race director for the club marathon during a time when no else was willing to tackle that daunting job. He directed the club picnic for several years and was a vital member of both the Turkey Trot and Ghost and Goblin committees. Terry volunteered at nearly every one of the approximately 40 races hosted by the ORRRC each year. 

 

Terry was a very humble and private person. Therefore, those who didn’t meet Terry until his later years were not aware of his running accomplishments, many of which were achieved in the early 1990’s after beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when his lungs were severely compromised.  

 

Terry completed well over 100 marathons, including a sub - 3 hour finish at the Toledo marathon. He completed the Pikes Peak marathon twice. He has 17 finishes at the JFK 50 Miler, with a PR of 9:31:05. Terry held a 20 year streak at the Cincinnati Flying Pig marathon, running in the very first Flying Pig in 1999 and every Flying Pig thereafter, completing his final half-marathon there less than six weeks prior to his death. 

 

Terry’s greatest contribution was as a mentor to less experienced runners. He would seek out a new person at a club race and begin to encourage them in his own quiet way. The next thing you know, that person was setting PR’s, signing up for their first marathon, and sometimes even going on to run the JFK 50, or some other ultramarathon.    

 

It would not be uncommon at a ORRRC race to be able to find someone who would tell you that Terry was the person that got them into running. 

 

Terry organized running and walking challenges for his co-workers at Speedway and supported the running and fitness efforts made by his fellow staffers at H&R Block, where he worked part-time during tax season. He created training groups, including the “Terry Murray Running and Biking Group”, which continues to meet weekly. 

 

Terry crossed the final finish line on June 12, 2019. We will never know how many people he helped transform from sedentary people to accomplished runners, but we do know that our running                       community is much better for his having been a part  of it.