SWAMPSCOTT — When Bill Mullen arrived at Caffe Paolina on Tuesday evening, he was under the impression that he’d be attending an annual appreciation dinner for local cross country and track volunteers.
Instead, he was surprised with a prestigious award from USA Track and Field New England.
Mullen, a graduate of St. Mary’s, has spent 36 years coordinating the Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country Program. For his efforts in directing the program, which he has done since 1981, Mullen was named the USA Track and Field New England association Marja Bakker Volunteer of the Year for 2017.
“I’m very appreciative of this award,” Mullen, who resides in Peabody, said. “I didn’t know anything was happening tonight. We usually have an appreciation dinner for people who help us during the summer and fall. I knew nothing of this was happening so I’m very appreciative.”
Steve Vaitones, managing director of USA Track and Field of New England, was on hand to present the award to Mullen. Also joining Mullen, along with a handful of friends and family members, was Joe Abelon. Mullen and Abelon have worked together in orchestrating the Lynn Woods program for the past 10 years.
“I thought and hoped Bill would be surprised,” Abelon said. “At any degree, when someone gets an award like this they really appreciate it. Bill has a lot of people that appreciate him and what he does. I’m sure he’s delighted.”
The Lynn Woods program, which begins on the last Wednesday of May and runs until the last Wednesday of September, began in 1970. Now, 47 years later, the program is stronger than ever. Free of cost to its participants, Lynn Woods draws an average of 250-300 runners per night.
“Currently is has three races: a long race, a short race and the kids race,” Abelon said. “Bill keeps it going, and it has been going since it all started in 1970. He runs it and I assist with the computer parts of it. I’ve been working with him for about 10 years now.
“In 1981 Bill came on board and if he hadn’t come on board, I’m not sure it would exist,” Abelon added. “We get a lot of runners throughout the series and if wasn’t for Bill’s involvement, I don’t think it would happen.”
Although he doesn’t run as much as he used to, Mullen still gets plenty of enjoyment from the Lynn Woods program. He acknowledged the program’s ability to bring members of the Lynn community together as one of the aspects that makes it special to be a part of.
“I get some fatigue out of it,” Mullin, 69, said. “I can’t run as much as I’d like to but I’ll go in every week to mark the courses, so I get a chance to do a little walking or running. I get the opportunity to see a lot of my friends every week and I enjoy their enjoyment of being in the woods. Lynn Woods is a gorgeous place to be commuting with nature.”
Mullen hopes the Lynn Woods series will continue to flourish.
“We’ve had somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 different people over the last 10-12 years who’ve come and run in the races,” Mullen said. “My goal, at one time, was that I’d know all the runners who finished by name. I can’t do that anymore but a lot of those people have become good friends. It’s a nice thing to do.”