John F. Scimone founded the Lakeland Runners Club in 1974. He was an avid walker, like his dad, Chico, from Taormina, Sicily. Born in Medford, Mass. in 1935, John moved his family from Mobile, Ala. to Lakeland in 1967. He was a mail carrier and got plenty of walking in on the job.
In November 1974, he measured the course and helped the Lakeland Recreation Department put on the first Civic Center Runs, a 2.5 and 5 miler. They were the first organized road races in Lakeland in recent history and one of the first races in all of Central Florida. From the beginning, John included a competitive walk event with the races and he participated in them with great vigor.
The start of the LRC is charted from that first Civic Center Race. Scimone was also responsible for the Lake Parker 20K, the Saddle Creek Park 4 mile, the Joker Marchant Stadium 4 mile (later named the Flag Day 4 mile), the Denison Stadium 1-hour run, the Lakeland High 10K, and, along with Harold Walker from the old Athletic Attic store and the former Lakeland Mall on Memorial Blvd., the Lake to Lake 10K. John was also a board member of the Polk County Youth Soccer League and he coached the Celtics Youth Soccer Team.
Scimone’s leadership of LRC ended in 1978. He passed away a year later at the young age of 44 due to cancer.
The club continued and joined the YMCA as a nonprofit custody account in the early 1980s. In 1990, the club separated from the YMCA and joined the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). In 1997, the club incorporated as a non-for-profit corporation in Florida as the Lakeland Runners Club, Inc.
The LRC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit subordinate organization of the RRCA.
LRC Past Presidents:
Lakeland Runners Club
1974—1977: John Scimone
1978: Norm Strand and Rob Mason
1979—1982: Rob Mason
Lakeland Family YMCA Runners Club
1983—1987: Rob Mason
1988: Bob English
1989: Don Roberts
1990: Rich Mistretta
Lakeland Runners Club, subordinate 501(c)(3) under the RRCA
1991: Rich Mistretta
1992: Bob Trimble
1993: Dan Windley, Bob English
1994: Dianna Campbell
1995: Judy Cline
1996: Bob English
Lakeland Runners Club, Inc., subordinate 501(c)(3) under the RRCA
1997: Bill Little
1998: Fred Wiechmann
1999: Richard Fansler
2000: Jim Pearson
2001: Matt Werd
2002: Nick Sudzina
2003—2004: Bucham Walsh
2005: Sue Abrahsom (a few months – transferred out of state)
2005—2007: Louis Irwin
2008: Steven (Hank) Hankins
2009: Rob Mason
2010—2014: Bryan Graydon
2015: Chuck McDanal
2016—2018: Gail Hardy
2019—2021: Sarah Kozul