We do not offer any specific programs. Mercury Masters is a very loosely organized group of motivated, energetic women with a common passion for fitness, friendship, and fun. Mercury Masters welcomes women of all levels of fitness, from walkers to runners. It provides the support to help women achieve their personal goals.

Our members usually meet during the weekend races organized by New York Road Runners. Some women race (as you can see from our web site, we have gained various first, second, third place rankings over the years), others run/jog, walk, or cheer.

We do not have regular group runs or workouts due to the many different running or walking pace levels of the team members. The New York area offers a multitude of training methods and classes. We want everyone to have the possibilities to choose what fits best for them. NYRR alone offers a large array of classes. Check out their resources to take your running to the next level.

Consult our “Links” section for additional sources.

Teammates like to arrange runs, walks, etc. with other members usually on weekends, preferably in Central Park. These they announce via group emails.

We meet up and do the races together. As you get to know members, you will make individual arrangements.

 

We do have one steady Group Run:

Thursdays, between 1:30 PM – about 5:00 PM

Meet inside Engineers’ Gate, near 5th Ave. & E. 90th St.

Join Diana DiMeo and Phyllis Giarro for various runs in Central Park, length to be determined by the group. Pace is usually 10:00 to 12:00 minutes per mile. Afterwards frequently dinner in the neighborhood.

Meet at Engineers’ Gate, near 5th Ave. & E. 90th St. or contact Diana on her cell: 917-975-4704

What being a MERM Has Meant To Me

Oct 9, 2005

10th Anniversary Run/Brunch               Oct. 9, 2005
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To Be A MERM


M is for Membership where 5 qualifications need to be met:
female, 50+, and wants to have friendship, fitness and fun
E is for Embracing women who have all levels of running or walking ability
R is for Running which is only part of what we are
M is for Mastering our own fate

As we are all well aware, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 banned sex discrimination in schools, whether it be in academics or athletics, that received federal aid. It literally leveled the playing field in regard to females being allowed to participate in team sports. Before that participation females did things like “Rah-rah-rah” and “Sis-boom-bah” as a team sport. All of us did not experience the locker room banter of team camaraderie or of butt-slapping or high-fiving. You and I had to wait until we became a MERM to immerse ourselves in that experience. I feel that the Mercury Masters has been MY Title IX. It has provided me with the team experience that you and I missed out on while attending high school and college. Running and competing for the team certainly has been a major part of my membership for the last ten years. However, the team has so many more components than just that. Where else could I have experienced female bonding in:

  • Peeing together in bushes, behind trees and under tunnels
  • Greasing our inner thighs before a long run or a marathon
  • Complaining about those inner thighs
  • Hot flashing together and feeling sorry for any male who got in our way
  • Looking at very, very cute butts that were our carrots in races or training runs
  • Adorning ourselves with “Rings and things and buttons and bows” dashing along 5th Avenue, through Soho and into Tribeca on a wonderful winter day during holiday season in December
  • Celebrating every MERM runner/walker as she crossed the finish line in a race, be it the first MERM or the last MERM and hearing and giving accolades to “just being out there” and giving your all
  • Regiving directions to tourists who asked Pat which way is uptown and then turning them around
  • Being kicked out, however politely, of the NYRR building as we all talked at once and the front desk personnel couldn’t concentrate
  • Looking at anything purple and thinking how that would work for something MERMISH
  • Learning that running without underpants when wearing shorts with a cotton liner is so-o-o-o comfortable

It doesn’t get any better than this. The MERMS is a group of women where the common thread is running, yes, but where each individual is valued for her own worth. You can run with any MERM teammate and the conversation is friendly, warm, comfortable and, yes, sometimes about running. Whenever and wherever I see my teammates I get a warm and fuzzy feeling that MY Title IX has given me.

To be a MERM is not only a very good thing;
it’s the best team experience there is.

Mercury Masters

Fitness • Friendship • Fun

Contact

 

/mercurymasters/

 

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