Roger C. Welch (1942-2023), an elite ultrarunner from the 1970s, from Duxbury, Massachusetts, passed away on September 17, 2023, at the age of 81. He was a founding member of the Marshfield Road Runners in the early 1970s.
Roger ran mostly marathons throughout his running career, but in 1976-1978 he won the New England 50-mile championship each year in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1978, at the age of 35, he went to run at Lake Waramaug, in Connecticut. He was an unknown and competed against many of the top ultrarunners in America. He reached the 50-mile mark in 5:51 and went to run the full 100 km and surprised everyone by winning in 7:25, ten minutes ahead of Park Barner.
He had national-class ultra speed. Roger continued to compete running, mostly locally in marathons and shorter road races. In May 1983 Roger ran a 50K race and 50-mile race on consecutive days as strength training for a June 100-miler. He ran very well in the races both days, including a 6:12 50-miles at Lake Waramaug.
In 1984. Roger won the Sri Chinmoy 12-hour in Arlington, Massachusetts, running 73 miles. He made his mark when in 1991, at the age of 49, he ran in the Sri Chinmoy 24-hour race in Flushing Meadows, New York, where he reached 100 miles in 14:47 and went on to win the event with 138 miles. He clearly had elite speed for 100 miles but went mostly back to run shorter races.
Roger could crank out marathons, finishing several hundred over the years. Starting in 1997, at the age of 55, he could still run marathons in under 3:30, and he again started to compete in ultras. He branched out to run trails now and then. That year he ran the Bay Circuit Trail 50 in Rowley, Massachusetts and finished 11th, in 8:17. In 1999 he ran 100 miles again at Vermont 100 and finished with a solid time of 21:42 for 16th place, first in his age group.
Roger returned to run the Vermont 50 or 50K for the next several years and did well. In 2003, at the age of 60, he returned to Lake Waramaug and ran an impressive 4:32 in the 50K. In 2012, at the age of 70, he ran a 12-hour run and covered 51 miles, which was likely his last ultra.
His obituary stated, “Roger was an avid runner and it was a huge part of his life. He was an ultramarathoner and very active in the Marshfield Road Runners, where he made many close friendships that have spanned decades. Roger loved walks in Barrage Park, trapping fishing, running, and enjoyed spending time with friends.
Drew Southard honored Roger with these memories. “You took me under your wing, and we traveled together to many races, including Rhode Island, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine locations and, of course Lake Waramaug, in Connecticut, the location of your championship run. I remember your cramps on the ride home in your beetle because you were drinking beer instead of water. We literally ran thousands and thousands of miles together.”