RRCA
101: WHAT IS THE
Michael Bowen, State Rep, (North)
So,
what is that logo on my club's web site?
What does it stand for, what do they do, and why should I care? I sometimes get questions from people within
the running community asking about RRCA, and what I do as a representative for
The
Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is a national organization of running
clubs, running events, and individual members dedicated to promoting the
development and growth of running, events, and the interests of recreational
runners throughout the country. The RRCA
provides programming member clubs can use to promote and support running,
runners, and supporters of the sport; and provides educational information and
programs to keep them safe, healthy, and informed. If you walk because you can’t run, no problem. RRCA
also values the active participation of walkers. (USA Track and Field governs race walking,
that’s why you see their judges at some events.)
Ask
most clubs the two biggest benefits of RRCA membership, and you most likely
hear about
So,
without further delay, here are the most notable programs and services RRCA has
to offer to the individual runner and the individual club:
1. Coaching – If you are a runner looking for a
RRCA-certified coach, there is a searchable listing available by state. If you have a passion for running and want to
help individuals achieve personal fitness and athletic goals, two-day
certification seminars are also scheduled throughout the country. Continuing coaching education courses are
provided each year at the National Convention.
2. Conventions – Each year, RRCA takes care of
business with its member clubs, state representatives and board of directors in
a different city (this year was Cincinnati, OH; next year is San Francisco,
CA). These meetings include educational
seminars to help grow and strengthen individual club operations, improve the
quality of events and can jump start the motivation of even the most ambivalent
club worker. Guest speakers include
greats and notables of running from the past and present.
3. Education/Advocacy – RRCA has developed
safety training programs, materials, and tip sheets on general running safety,
running during hot and cold weather, empowering runners, rules of the road,
trail or track, and race-day etiquette.
4. Kids Run The Nation – RRCA developed the Kids
Run the Nation Fund in 2007 to assist running clubs, events, and schools in
implementing or supporting a current youth running program. This program is
funded by restricted contributions from RRCA members, individuals, foundations,
and corporations. Six grants were awarded through an application and selection
process overseen by a volunteer selection committee. Just like the Roads Scholar program, Kids Run
The Nation can be supported by your tax-deductible donations through Active.com.
5. Recognition Awards – As part of the national
convention, regional and national-level service, journalistic and athletic
awards are given, including State Representative of the Year, Club President of
the Year, Road Race of the Year, Journalism Excellence Awards for Club Writer,
Large Club Newsletter, Small Club Newsletter, e-Newsletter and Web Site. Also, RRCA provides a National Volunteer
Service Award for those individuals who serve their clubs behind the scenes of
running for extended periods of time.
6. Personal Fitness – All runners need a little
motivation now and then. To reward individuals for their dedication to living a
healthy life and incorporating running as their regular exercise, RRCA has
developed a Personal Fitness incentive program, which includes the use of an
on-line mileage log and rewards you can purchase to celebrate achieving your
six-month mileage goal. RRCA has also
embarked on a long-term investment in promoting running as a significant
opportunity to address the growing youth obesity epidemic. RRCA is revising the current Teacher’s and
Coaches Curriculum Guide as part of Kids Run the Nation to ensure the most
up-to-date information is available. However,
copies of the current RRCA Teacher's and Coaches Curriculum Guide and kids
running booklets are still available in limited quantities; they can be
obtained for the cost of shipping.
7. Roads Scholar – This program provides
stipends to support promising national-class road runners after their college
career has ended. The Roads Scholar
program has supported one Olympic distance running medalist and several Olympic
Trials qualifiers since its inception in 1999.
Individuals and clubs can make a tax-deductible donation to the Road
Scholar program through Active.com.
8. Run@Work Day – How do you get runners to
leave their cars at home and run to and from work? If you live in a city with a well-developed
pedestrian network or mass transit, it is not difficult. However, for most of the working population
the idea is probably not feasible. On
While
these next programs are focused more toward club board of directors, officers,
and race directors, they should not be overlooked as a good thing for the
individual runner:
9. Championships - RRCA awards
National, Regional, and State championship events through a competitive bidding
process. The goal is to help recruit
top-performing runners, attract sponsors, and improve civic and media
support. Championship events can qualify
for support from Gatorade, discounts
from Active.com, discounted participant shirts, items from FuelBelt, and (for regional and national championships) awards for
open, master and grandmaster winners.
10.
Footnotes/Inside Track –
RRCA has two print magazines to communicate and promote grassroots running to
membership and clubs. RRCA’s quarterly
membership magazine, Footnotes, is
now on-line; a hard-copy can be purchased through the RRCA shop at
CafePress.com for a nominal fee. Inside Track, while more closely focused
on club leadership, provides great insight into what RRCA and the sport of road
running is all about. Both publications
can be found on-line on the RRCA web site if your club doesn’t have a link to
them.
11. News Syndication – Individual club websites
can have newsfeeds from RRCA on a free RSS link. These RRCA newsfeeds can keep individual
members and website visitors up-to-date on what is happening in the running
community.
12. Online Services – RRCA clubs can use the
online event registration functions of Active.com for event registration,
charity fundraising and membership renewal purposes. Individual members can be kept up to date on
RRCA programs and communication through the Constant Contact e-mail list; this
list is kept strictly for the use of RRCA and is not given out to any
marketers...so you won’t get any offers for coffee when all you want to know is
when the next issue of Footnotes will
come out. Individual clubs can use
Constant Contact for their own e-mail event marketing and survey purposes, too.
13. Women’s Distance Festival – Before 1984, the
longest distance event in the Olympics was 3,000 meters; the 10,000 meters did
not enter the Olympic program until 1988.
The RRCA developed the Women's Distance Festival in response to the lack
of distance running events in the Olympic Games for women. Today, WDF celebrates the history of women's
rights to participate in running events at any distance and at any age. Clubs and events can designate a WDF event if
the event is a women's race or has a special women's only start time or wave.
One
last thing...
14. State Representative program – These 45 volunteers serve as the link between the
individual RRCA club and the national office, and are the eyes, ears, nose,
throat (and sometimes spleen!) of the organization. They work to pass along the news from the
national office and individual clubs to each other, trade notes on occasion
outside of convention, and work to drum up interest in the RRCA programs listed
above. They receive a small
reimbursement for business expenses, and hold a silent auction each year at the
National Convention to defray the cost of travel and lodging (however,
tax-deductible donations to the State Rep fund, through the national office,
are graciously welcomed).
I
hope this mini-lecture has sparked your interest in serving the local running
community. Something Bart Yasso wrote in
my copy of his book comes to mind, ‘never limit where running can take
you.’ So far, it’s taken me on a pretty
cool ride. If you have any questions, or
need more information, all of this information is located on the RRCA web site,
http://www.rrca.org. Or,
contact me through the state representative link on the RRCA site, http://www.rrca.org/rrca/reps.