- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,226
- Reaction score
- 59
Heidi Westover and Matt Pelletier, both of whom have the most wins in Vermont City Marathon history, are part of a seven-person induction class into this year's RunVermont Hall of Fame, the non-profit organization announced on Friday, May 15.
A formal induction is scheduled for DoubleTree by Hilton on Williston Road in South Burlington on Friday, May 22. This year's Vermont City Marathon & Relay is slated for Sunday, May 24.
This 2026 class is one of the largest in the hall's history, according to a news release.
More: 'As good as it gets': Record nearly broken under ideal conditions at Vermont City Marathon
Westover and Pelletier are joined in the hall's Athletes of Distinction category by Anne Czaplinski Treadwell. Molly Peters and Russ Pickering (posthumous) enter via the Coaches of Distinction category, and Ray W. Allen (posthumous) and Joe Connelly, the VCM's chief of race operations, from the Advocates category.
"This is a remarkable group," RunVermont executive director Anthea Dexter-Cooper said in the news release. "They've shaped Vermont running from every angle, from setting event records on our streets to coaching the next generation, from founding the events we love to quietly making them run year after year. Inducting them together feels like a fitting tribute to just how interconnected our running community really is."
For more on this year's class, see below:
Allen, a South Hero native, served as captain of the 1958 University of Vermont cross-country running team, helping the Catamounts to an undefeated season and the New England and Yankee Conference championships. Inducted into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983, Allen completed 25 marathons over his lifetime, and was a supporter and organizer of the Clarence DeMar 5K in South Hero. Allen died at the age of 87 in 2024.
Connolly has been part of every Vermont City Marathon since the its debut in 1989. He competed as a runner and also has served at RunVermont in various roles: From course captain to technical director to executive director to his current job as chief of race operations. Connolly also spent two decades as head coach of the cross-country running and Nordic skiing teams at St. Michael's College, his alma mater.
Czaplinski Treadwell was the first Vermont woman to complete the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors (Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, Tokyo, and Sydney). She's also a 16-time Boston Marathon finisher, 59 overall in her career, and has been an invited runner at the VCM multiple times. She's also directed the GMAA Turkey Trot 5K for a decade and has coached in the Girls on the Run program.
Pelletier is the winningest man in VCM history, with six victories (2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016), plus podium finishes in 2013 (second) and 2014 (fourth). His best VCM time was 2 hours, 19 minutes. Pelletier, a school teacher, is set to return to Burlington this weekend to run as a relay participant.
2020 file: The biggest moments in Vermont City Marathon history
Head coach of the St. Michael's College women's cross-country running team for the last 20 years, Peters guided the Purple Knights to their first NCAA championship qualification and is currently leading the school's first outdoor track and field program. Notably, Peters has also been a strong advocate for equal race distances for men and women. In 2022, she launched the St. Michael's Equality Invitational, believed to be the first collegiate cross country meet in the United States to have both men and women race the 8K distance.
A former physical education teacher, Pickering spent more than five decades coaching Bellows Falls to a dozen cross-country running championships, including five in a row on the boys side. Pickering, who retired as a head coach in 2000, continued to assistant various teams throughout the state. Pickering, who died at the age of 84 in 2024, was inducted into the Vermont Principals' Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
No woman has claimed the women's open division at VCM more times than Westover, who captured titles in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013, plus a third-place showing in 2008. Her best performance came in 2009 when she set the women's course record in 2:35:02. Westover is scheduled to return to Burlington this weekend and race in the marathon as an invited runner in the masters division.
Contact Alex Abrami at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: RunVermont 2026 Hall of Fame class unveiled
Continue reading...
A formal induction is scheduled for DoubleTree by Hilton on Williston Road in South Burlington on Friday, May 22. This year's Vermont City Marathon & Relay is slated for Sunday, May 24.
This 2026 class is one of the largest in the hall's history, according to a news release.
More: 'As good as it gets': Record nearly broken under ideal conditions at Vermont City Marathon
Westover and Pelletier are joined in the hall's Athletes of Distinction category by Anne Czaplinski Treadwell. Molly Peters and Russ Pickering (posthumous) enter via the Coaches of Distinction category, and Ray W. Allen (posthumous) and Joe Connelly, the VCM's chief of race operations, from the Advocates category.
"This is a remarkable group," RunVermont executive director Anthea Dexter-Cooper said in the news release. "They've shaped Vermont running from every angle, from setting event records on our streets to coaching the next generation, from founding the events we love to quietly making them run year after year. Inducting them together feels like a fitting tribute to just how interconnected our running community really is."
For more on this year's class, see below:
RAY W. ALLEN
Allen, a South Hero native, served as captain of the 1958 University of Vermont cross-country running team, helping the Catamounts to an undefeated season and the New England and Yankee Conference championships. Inducted into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983, Allen completed 25 marathons over his lifetime, and was a supporter and organizer of the Clarence DeMar 5K in South Hero. Allen died at the age of 87 in 2024.
JOE CONNELLY
Connolly has been part of every Vermont City Marathon since the its debut in 1989. He competed as a runner and also has served at RunVermont in various roles: From course captain to technical director to executive director to his current job as chief of race operations. Connolly also spent two decades as head coach of the cross-country running and Nordic skiing teams at St. Michael's College, his alma mater.
ANNE CZAPLINSKI TREADWELL
Czaplinski Treadwell was the first Vermont woman to complete the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors (Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, Tokyo, and Sydney). She's also a 16-time Boston Marathon finisher, 59 overall in her career, and has been an invited runner at the VCM multiple times. She's also directed the GMAA Turkey Trot 5K for a decade and has coached in the Girls on the Run program.
MATT PELLETIER
Pelletier is the winningest man in VCM history, with six victories (2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016), plus podium finishes in 2013 (second) and 2014 (fourth). His best VCM time was 2 hours, 19 minutes. Pelletier, a school teacher, is set to return to Burlington this weekend to run as a relay participant.
2020 file: The biggest moments in Vermont City Marathon history
MOLLY PETERS
Head coach of the St. Michael's College women's cross-country running team for the last 20 years, Peters guided the Purple Knights to their first NCAA championship qualification and is currently leading the school's first outdoor track and field program. Notably, Peters has also been a strong advocate for equal race distances for men and women. In 2022, she launched the St. Michael's Equality Invitational, believed to be the first collegiate cross country meet in the United States to have both men and women race the 8K distance.
RUSS PICKERING
A former physical education teacher, Pickering spent more than five decades coaching Bellows Falls to a dozen cross-country running championships, including five in a row on the boys side. Pickering, who retired as a head coach in 2000, continued to assistant various teams throughout the state. Pickering, who died at the age of 84 in 2024, was inducted into the Vermont Principals' Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
HEIDI WESTOVER
No woman has claimed the women's open division at VCM more times than Westover, who captured titles in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013, plus a third-place showing in 2008. Her best performance came in 2009 when she set the women's course record in 2:35:02. Westover is scheduled to return to Burlington this weekend and race in the marathon as an invited runner in the masters division.
Contact Alex Abrami at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: RunVermont 2026 Hall of Fame class unveiled
Continue reading...
