Over twenty-five years ago a group of runners - Jim McLatchie, Bob Cozens, Al
Lawrence, Leonard Hilton, Simon McNamee and Danny Green decided to start a
running club. The name Houston Harriers was decided upon because Houston is
where everyone lived and Harriers, which are a breed of small hounds used in
hunting hares, seemed like a good fit with running. The club's emphasis is on
training, competition and development of runners. The Harriers have endured over
the years and established a cadre of great runners. Harriers have won
forty-seven (47) USA National Titles, two British Titles and three World Masters
titles. Three Harriers have competed in the Olympic Games & IAAF World Track and
Field Championships and two of the founding members competed in the 1956, 1960
and 1972 Olympic Games. Locally the Harriers are active in road races, track
meets and cross country races and the club encourages participation in the HARRA
Spring and Fall Series. While the membership includes many ex-high school and
college athletes, there's also many members who came to love running later in
life. One constant is development of the athlete, at whatever level that may be.
The Harriers have always been involved in the production of running events. In
the early days, the Harriers put on a number of track meets, road races and
cross-country meetings, including the AAU National Cross-Country Championship in
1977. The Harriers have continued that tradition and hosted the 2003 USATF Cross
Country Trials, which selected the team USA for the World Championships. The
Harriers have also hosted Masters Track Meets at Rice University and an Inter
Club Challenge track meets geared towards runners of local clubs. The current
officers are: President -
Hersh Levitt,
First Vice-President Cindy Sosa, Second Vice-President -
Mike Krakower, Secretary & Membership - Suzanne Day and Treasurer -
David Chester.
Annually the club has a number of social and athletic events for club members.
The main social events include an Awards Party in January, Annual Meeting in
June. Other events include a holiday cross country race for the Leonard Hilton
Cup, a 5000-meter track race for the McNamee Trophy and the McLatchie Challenge.
The Harriers have also been known to congregate after hill workouts on Buffalo
Bayou in the fall and some members will meet for runs in and around Memorial
Park on the weekends. The Harriers publishes a monthly newsletter to keep
members informed of what's going on and who's doing what. Annual membership is
$15 for individuals and $20 for families. For further information on the Houston
Harriers please e-mail David Chester at
dchester@houstonharriers.com