Inside Track
Quarterly Newsletter for Members of the Road Runners Club of America
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 SUPPORTERS INVEST IN RRCA PROGRAMS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • RRCA Supporter Spotlight • More Survey Results • Important Board Actions • Convention Registration • National Award Winners • And More RRCA Board of Directors Bee McLeod President Tom Downing Vice President Dennis Novak Treasurer Brent Ayer Eastern Director Beth Onines Central Director Ken Bendy Southern Director Lisa Paige Western Director David Epstein Bob Holmes John Farrow At Large Directors
In December 2006, long time RRCA supporters Sharlee and David Cotter provided a $5000 restricted contribution to the RRCA in memory of Nancy & Hank Taylor.
lenge for the RRCA members and sponsors who make gifts to the Fund. For each dollar donated to the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Fund, the Cotter’s will make a 1:1 matching contribution up to $5000.
The purpose of this permanently restricted gift is to establish the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Fund. The Fund will support the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation® program objectives that will be officially launched in 2007.
Through the generosity of visionary RRCA donors, we hope to establish the Fund at $15,000, and we will continue to grow the Fund for years to come.
The RRCA: Kids Run the Nation program objectives will include updating the highly popular RRCA Teacher’s and Parent’s Curriculum and Children’s Running Booklets developed by a group of RRCA running experts including former Olympian Don Kardong. Through these resources, the RRCA will continue to provide a sound running curriculum which will also highlight successful youth running programs developed by RRCA members. Over a thousand copies of these updated materials will be made available for free to RRCA members and select schools and offered for a nominal fee to the general public. To help provide needed funding for youth running programs sponsored by RRCA member clubs, events, and schools that implement the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Curriculum, Sharlee and David Cotter have developed a matching gift chal-
During 2007, the RRCA will develop a grant application process and will provide small grants to youth running programs around the county. Keep Pace with the RRCA to learn more about the program during 2007. In 2006, the RRCA State Reps program received an extremely generous gift from the first RRCA State Rep of the Year, Al Becken. This investment in the State Reps program has enabled the RRCA to develop the State Reps Convention Fund. The Fund underwrites the RRCA State Representatives’ participation in the RRCA Annual Convention for multiple years. This Fund ensures our ability to bring these ambassadors of the organization together for networking, training, and idea sharing. Contributions can be made to the State Reps Convention Fund to ensure the highest degree of participation at the Convention for these vital RRCA volunteers. For information on making a gift to the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Fund or the State Reps Convention Fund, contact Jean Knaack, executive director.
MORE RRCA MEMBERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS In the November issue of Inside Track we reported on the data collected from the RRCA Member Survey. As part of the survey, participants were able to write in additional comments for a few of the questions. The following are some results that our members might find interesting. We asked about the types of volunteer or community service activities our members are actively involved with, and over half of the survey respondents replied to this open ended question. The majority of the respondents are involved with trail or roadside clean-up activities. So not only are our members promoting better health, they are keeping our environment clean as well. Others are engaged in local food and clothing drives. While others volunteer with other local organizations such as Special Olympics or local schools. We asked about the types of activities our members hosted and provided an “other” option than those listed. Some of the other activities include yoga classes, individual coaching programs, and an innovative activity that includes nutrition and fitness programs for children in collaboration with the Nutrition Council and various school districts. We appreciate everyone’s positive feedback and ideas that were shared in the optional comments section.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE Happy New Year. I hope your year is off to a great start. At the close of 2006 for the RRCA, we had a final membership tally of 774 clubs and events (650 clubs & 124 events). Our individual membership grew by nearly 200%. We concluded the fiscal year with significant net profits due to our growth in membership, wise investment of our cash assets, and contributions from generous donors and sponsors. As of writing this note, we have almost 600 clubs and events that have renewed their membership. Don’t quote me, but this might be a record for the number of renewals by January 31st. If you have not renewed your membership, please be sure to do so as soon as possible to ensure that your activities are insured. As you read this issue of Inside Track, you will learn about new partnerships being launched in 2007 that will benefit not only your members, but the RRCA as well. As you read from the cover article, we have received significant financial contributions to several programs that will enable the RRCA to invest in our youth running program and the State Reps Program. Donors continue to
make generous contributions to the Roads Scholar program and we are at 30% of our $35,000 goal for 2007, and it is only February. We are sincerely thankful for the generous contributions from individual donors, members, and sponsors that believe in the mission of the RRCA. At the conclusion of 2006, we purchased and are actively circulating 55 RRCA State Championship banners, 4 Regional Championship banners, and National Championship banners for each distance. These banners will help promote the RRCA grassroots running championships. The banners were made possible through the generous support of the Championship Program by Gatorade and Active.com.
Happy Running,
SKIRTSPORTS RRCA WOMEN’S DISTANCE FESTIVAL Congratulations to the following events selected to receive the SkirtSport sponsorship package for their RRCA Women’s Distance Festival Events. •
Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders Couples Relay 5K - February 25, 2007 in Oakland, CA. For more information visit www.LMJS.org
•
Heels and Hills Half Marathon, 5k and 1 mile fun run - May 6, 2007 in Irving TX. For more information visit www.heelsandhills.com
•
Tidewater Striders Women’s Distance Festival 5K - June 8, 2007 in Norfolk, VA. For more information visit www.tidewaterstriders.com
•
Women’s Distance Festival 5K Run & Walk - July 28, 2007 in Flinestone, MD. For more information email mhall@allconet.org
•
Women’s Fitness 5K Run/Walk - October 2007 in Urbana, IL. www.secondwindrunningclub.org
For more information visit
Additional events may be added during 2007. For more information or to apply for the SkirtSport sponsorship package visit www.rrca.org/programs/wdf, complete the event registration form and email it to office@rrca.org. INSIDE TRACK
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The RRCA Board Approves Important Guideline, Values Statement, Policies, and 2007 Budget & Objectives On January 19 & 20, 2007, the RRCA Board of Directors met in person in Arlington, VA. At this meeting, several important items were approved that RRCA members should consider adopting as well. To learn more about RRCA Board meetings, minutes can be read on the RRCA website at www.RRCA.org/RRCA/Business. Guideline on Criminal Background Checks The Board of Directors of the Road Runners Club of America has approved a guideline that encourages the practice of criminal background checks by RRCA member clubs that have coaches, assistant coaches, volunteers, or employees engaged in working with youth (legal minors) or handling funds on behalf of a club or event. Criminal background checks should be performed on an ongoing basis throughout the year as individuals engage in these activities. The President of a running club or event or a duly authorized official should manage any criminal background check procedure on behalf of the club, event, or youth running program. The results of the criminal background checks should be kept strictly confidential and only authorized individuals should have access to the reports. If a background check discloses a criminal conviction for a violent crime against a person including a sex offense within a 20 year period, this person should be disqualified from working with youth. If a background check discloses a criminal conviction of a theft related or fraudulent crime within a 15 year period, this person should be disqualified from a position involving the handling of funds. To assist our members in implementing this guideline, the RRCA has partnered with TCLogiQ, Inc. TCLogiQ, Inc is a pre-employment background and volunteer Screening company. For information on their services visit www.TClogiq.com. New Value Statement In September 2005, the Board of Directors reviewed and issued the RRCA Mission, Vision and Values Statement. This statement can be found on the website at www.RRCA.org/RRCA. At the January 2007 meeting, the Board approved an additional values statement. The RRCA values running as a competitive sport and we support the Zero Tolerance Policy for the use of performance enhancing drugs in the sport. Important Policies Approved In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed. Now you are asking yourself, what does Sarbanes-Oxley have to do with running and the RRCA? Sarbanes-Oxley Act makes it a federal crime for any organization — nonprofit and for-profit — to retaliate against a “whistleblower” who reports illegal activity. A board approved whistleblower policy is required for nonprofits under Sarbanes-Oxley. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also forbids the purging of documents when any organization — nonprofit or for-profit — is under federal investigation. A document destruction policy provides guidelines for the proper disposal of records and to prevent destruction of relevant documentation if an organization is involved in litigation. To ensure compliance with these two provisions for nonprofits, the RRCA Board of Directors has adopted a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy and Document Retention & Destruction Policy. These policies are posted on the RRCA website at www.RRCA.org/Resources/Management. Members taking advantage of the RRCA nonprofit group exemption status should take extra care to ensure that they adopt similar policies to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. 2007 Budget & Objectives Approved Based on actual expenses from 2006 and planned objectives for 2007, Dennis Novak, treasurer, and Jean Knaack, executive director, presented detailed objectives for 2007 along with a corresponding budget. The 2007 budget continues the trend of investing in important activities such as the RRCA Annual Convention, the State Reps program, Kids Run the Nation, Championship Awards, and more. The budget also includes a joint fundraising opportunity for the RRCA and member clubs and events that will be unveiled at the 50th Annual RRCA National Convention in Chicago, IL. The budget and objectives were approved by the Board of Directors and will be included in the 2006 Annual Report circulated at the Convention. PAGE
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2007-08 ROADS SCHOLAR APPLICATION OPENS
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In January, the RRCA opened the application for the 2007-2008 Roads Scholar class. The deadline for submitting a Roads Scholar application is March 31st. Please share this program with recent college graduates that show great promise for becoming elite distance runners. The application can be found at www.rrca.org/programs/roadsscholar. Since the program’s inception, over $200,000 has been awarded to deserving athletes. A contribution of $5000 fully funds one annual grant for the program. Your contributions to the program and grants to the athletes help fund race entries, shoes, travel, massage, and much more for deserving young athletes. Our fundraising goal for 2007 is $35,000. The RRCA Roads Scholar® grants help turn the dream of becoming a top US road runner into a reality. 100% of the money collected for the Roads Scholar Program stays with the program and is not used for other purposes. Individuals as well as clubs and events are encouraged to contribute to the fund. Contribute online at http://www.active.com/donate/RoadsScholar, become a program fundraiser, or invite others to contribute to help us reach our fundraising goal of $35,000. Yes, I want to make a dream a reality. Enclosed with this form is my contribution to the Roads Scholar® program. Name:_________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________________________ Contribution Amount:_____________________________ Credit Card:____________________________________________
Exp Date:___________________________
Contributions to the program should be made payable to the Road Runners Club of America and mailed to: 8965 Guilford Rd, Ste 150 Columbia, MD 21046
RRCA ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MEMBERSHIP The Annual Meeting of the Membership will take place on March 24, 2007 from 2:30 - 4:30 PM Central time at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Downtown Chicago - Lakefront, 511 N. Columbus Dr. Chicago, IL 60611. During the course of the meeting the following Board of Director seats will be elected: Southern Region Director, Western Region Director, At-Large I Director, and At-Large II Director. The official announcement for the Annual Meeting of the Membership along with the Report of the Nominating Committee can be found on the RRCA website in the RRCA News section. If you would like a copy of this notice along with the Report of the Nominating Committee mailed to you, please contact the National Office at 410-290-3890 or office@rrca.org. The bylaws of the RRCA allow for the assignment of a proxy vote for member clubs and events. If an RRCA member club or event is not sending their official voting representative (president, director, or owner) to the Annual Meeting of the Membership, then the voting rights of that club or event may be assigned to another authorized representative attending the meeting in person. That person must be qualified by being a member of either the same club or event or from another qualified club or event in good standing in the same state. A proxy cannot be held for clubs or events from different states. To assign voting rights to a qualified proxy on behalf of a club or event member, the authorized representative must complete the Official 2007 Voting Rights Assignment to Recognized Proxy Holder Form. Each Appointed Proxy Holder must complete and submit the Membership and Residence Certification for Proxy Holders Form in accordance with the instructions on the forms. The forms and instructions can be found on the RRCA website at www.RRCA.org/RRCA/Business
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The Convention: Since the beginning, the RRCA Convention has promoted fun, idea sharing, best practice discussions, the development of quality road races that anyone can run, and much more. We invite everyone in the running community to join us March 21 through 25, 2007 to celebrate 50 years of convening to promote grassroots distance running around the country. The Alpine Runners of Lake Zurich and Illinois Runs will host the 50th Annual RRCA National Convention in Chicago, IL. The Convention will be held in conjunction with the 28th Annual LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8K, the largest 8K run in the country, which is schedule for March 25, 2007. Not only does the RRCA Convention offer a fun tradition, it is a great learning and networking opportunity that fits your budget.
Who Should Attend :
March 21 - 25, 2007
Club and event officers & members, race directors & officials, club & event volunteers, running & fitness media, sponsors, coaches, everyone involved in the running community or industry, and - of course runners.
The Schedule: March 21, 2007 - RRCA Board of Directors Meeting March 22, 2007 - RRCA Board of Directors Meeting Continued RRCA State Representative’s Meeting
At the 50th Annual RRCA National Convention, the RRCA will introduce the RRCA: Club College®. RRCA: Club College® is a core group of educational sessions offered at the Convention designed to increase participants’ knowledge in key areas of running club management. The sessions include managing your nonprofit, effective financial management & resource development, insurance & managing risk, and implementing RRCA programs & services to benefit your club. At the conclusion, attendees will “graduate” with a diploma from the RRCA: Club College® and return home with the tools needed to develop or maintain the most effective running clubs around the country.
March 23, 2007 - Convention Opening General Session Expo, “Convention Museum” & Silent Auction RRCA Regional Meetings Luncheon in Honor of the RRCA State Reps RRCA Coaching - Continuing Education Class I RRCA Club College® & Seminars RRCA Barbeque March 24, 2007 - RRCA: Club College® & Seminars RRCA Coaching - Continuing Education Class II Luncheon with Marathon & Beyond Annual Meeting of the Membership RRCA Reception & Live Auction RRCA Annual Banquet March 25, 2007 - 28th Annual LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8K And post race party Detailed schedule posted at www.RRCAConvention2007.org
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50th Annual RRCA National Convention Registration Form First Name:___________________________________
Last Name: _________________________________
Mailing Address: ____________________________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________________ State: ______________
Zip: ________________
Home Phone: ___________________________________ Email: ______________________________________ Club Representation:___________________________________ Number of RRCA Conventions Attended: _____ Shirt Size (please circle): S
M
L XL XXL
Convention Fee $250.00:
Meal Selection:
Chicken Fish Vegetarian
Includes all seminars, receptions, Annual Banquet, and fun runs.
Convention fees increase to $325 after February 20, 2007 Friday Luncheon $30
RRCA State Rep’s Luncheon
Friday Night Barbeque $30
Featuring the best running products on the market
Saturday Luncheon $30
Marathon & Beyond Luncheon
Additional Annual Awards Banquet $50
Meal Package $80
Convention Central Make your reservations today! Embassy Suites Hotel, Downtown Chicago - Lakefront 511 N. Columbus Dr. Chicago, IL 60611 312-836-5900
(Convention Fee includes 1 ticket)
A special room rate of $179/night in standard two room suite is extended to all convention attendees until Feb 20th.
Includes luncheons and barbeque (save $10)
RRCA Coaching - Continuing Education Classes I & II $50
*All prices for meals increase after February 20, 2007. See convention website for details.
Check enclosed made payable to: Alpine Runners of Lake Zurich
Mail Registrations to:
RRCA 2007 National Convention c/o Alpine Runners PO # 841 Lake Zurich, IL 60047
www.RRCAConvention2007.org
INCLUDES DAILY BREAKFAST
Amount: ____________________
Fly our Official Airline United Airlines Book your discounted ticket by calling 800.521.4041 Be sure to use the RRCA Convention Code: 565YB
Automated Search of Race Results for Your Club Members By Mike Walsh, President, North Carolina Roadrunners Club Members love to see their names in print in the club newsletter, and for years the listing of member performances in local races was a key feature. I have asked a number of people how their club compiled race performance listings, and universally the answer came back similar to “Oh, Ben went through local race results by hand and looked for member names that he recognized”. In recent years, fewer and fewer clubs have been able to maintain this feature for a number of reasons. Clubs have gotten larger, races have gotten larger, and close knit groups of competitive runners has been replaced by a greater percentage of social runners that may only run a race a couple of times per year. While some clubs have continued to do manual race results searching (taking up to 8 hours per race results file), most clubs have had to stop manual searching. In terms of alternative methods, universally the clubs I spoke with reported that asking runners to self-report their results via email or web was ineffectual and spotty. As a person employed in the technology field with a basic grasp of modern computer applications, it occurred to me that since most race results are published in electronic format and most clubs maintain their membership list electronically, surely there would be a way to look for matches. So, I set off to find a simple method to do this. I received suggestions of some database applications, but they were expensive, and in the end I decided the technique must be able to use something commonly available on most computers like a spreadsheet application (example: MS Excel). I also decided that the technique needed to be simple to implement with no need to write complicated spreadsheet macros. The resulting technique below is reasonably accurate, simple to implement, and does not require any fancy or expensive applications. First, let’s look at some files. Step 1 is getting a copy of your membership file in Excel format. You’ll notice with ours that good match fields for us would be “last name”, and probably “city” – we’ll hide or delete all other fields. Due to the way we put all the names of a family membership in the “first name” field, variations in how people fill out race forms (ex: Michael vs. Mike), and optional inclusion of middle initial, “first name” field is probably not a good choice for us. Here is a sample set of data for one member: Anderson, Joey ZEBULON Step 2 is to get an electronic copy of the race results. Usually these are published in HTML format and you can copy and paste them into Excel. Every one I’ve done to date has imported the data as one cell for each line of the results file, so in effect you get one long cell. Here is a sample cell of data for one participant: 23816 JOEY ANDERSON M 49 Zebulon NC 1:53:39 1:54:02 8:42 238 Now, how do we do the matching? Put the membership data as one sheet in your Excel, and the race result data as another sheet in your Excel. In this case, I have two race results sheets included, one for a local 5K Run for the Oaks, and our club’s IOS Half Marathon. Now, for the matching. To the right of each member I have added a column for each race. Here is where the matching comes in. After trying a number of formulas available in Excel, I settled on COUNTIF with the following syntax: CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
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RRCA PARTNERS WITH MERASTAR TO BRING AUTO & HOME INSURANCE TO RUNNING CLUB MEMBERS
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The Road Runners Club of America is pleased to announce a new benefit for running club members through our partner Merastar. The RRCA will receive a contribution from Merastar in support of the organization’s grassroots running programs and services for every member that participates in this opportunity. We have pledged to invest the support received from Merastar into the RRCA’s 50 State Champ Challenge (see back page). “We are happy to offer this insurance program to individuals and encourage our members to take advantage of the opportunity with Merastar”, explains Jean Knaack, executive director. For more information or to get a free, no obligation, quote visit www.merastar.com/signin/RRCA. Founded in 1974, Merastar Insurance Company specializes exclusively in providing auto and home insurance to nationally recognized organizations across the U.S. The same superior service and competitive rates offered by Merastar for over 30 years are now available to all members of the RRCA.
CLOSING UP YOUR HOUSE: A CHECKLIST FOR RUNNERS HEADING OUT OF TOWN Before you head out for that big out of town marathon, review these tips to keep your home safe while you’re gone. • Adjust the thermostat. Set the air conditioner no higher than 85 degrees. • Shut off the gas to the water heater or turn the temperature control to the vacation setting. • Unplug appliances such as the toaster, coffee maker, microwave oven, computer and television. Make sure the dryer isn't running. • If you choose to leave the water turned on make sure appliances like the dishwasher and washing machine are not running, faucets are all turned off and toilets have stopped filling. • If the house has a sump pump, make sure it is working. • Don’t advertise your absence: suspend newspaper and mail delivery. • Park a spare car in plain sight. • Be vague on your answering machine. Don’t say, “I’m out of town and will be back next Tuesday.” • If you live in an apartment or condo where the sound of an unanswered phone might indicate that you’re gone, turn down the ringer. (Don’t forget to turn it up when you get home) • If your neighborhood association has a security service, let the company know how long you plan to be away. • Don’t simply leave the hall light on, invest in a lighting system that will mimic your activities. There are inexpensive timing devices that can turn specific lights on and off, as well as outside front and backyard floodlights that sense motion. Reprinted with permission from Merastar
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Automated Search of Race Results (Concluded) =IF((COUNTIF(ios!$A$1:$A$1318,"*"&A13&"*"&F13&"*")>0),"maybe", "no") Translation: Look at every line of the race results in the sheet for IOS Half, and try to match anything+LASTNAME+anything+CITY+anything. If you don’t find a match, put ‘no’ in the result cell, and if you do find a match, put ‘maybe’ in the result cell (because we may have a different Anderson from Raleigh that entered the race). I create the COUNTIF statement for the first member data entry, and just drag-copy it down through all the members. The result is every member will have a ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ next to their data for the race in question. To get a participants list, all you need to do is to highlight the race column (ex. column O for IOS participation), select Data-Filter-Autofilter, select ‘maybe’, and then cut-and-paste the filtered member list into a text file. After a bit of hand-checking to remove the false positives (ex: a Klay Barrow ran IOS, but Victoria Barrow did not), and you have a participant list. If you want to include race time, you can look that up for each true match in the race results, and include it in your text file. Is the technique perfect? No, but it significantly reduces the task complexity by a major factor. In the case of IOS Half there were almost 1000 entries and we have approximately 800 members in our database – in theory a task of 800,000 comparisons. With under a minute required to set up the COUNTIF statements and drag-copy them down the member list, we reduced the work to simply verifying the 84 ‘maybe’s. In practical terms, after performing this task for a couple of months the person will probably begin recognizing the consistent false positives and true positives, so the verification is potentially quite quick. We hope to begin using this technique or a refinement during 2007 to bring member race performance reporting back into our newsletter. I am far from an MS Excel expert, and I would be very interested to hear from other clubs that might have their own approach, or may have suggestions on how to improve the technique I have outlined above. Please write me at president@ncroadrunners.org and I will be happy to share any information in a follow-up article. North Carolina Road Runners Club came to life in 1979 out of a local sporting goods shop in Raleigh, NC and has grown to over 700 members strong. Most live in the Triangle area and Eastern North Carolina. We come from all walks of life in all shapes and sizes. We train together, swap stories, travel to races, volunteer at races and all of those things “runners do” but more importantly, NCRC is about belonging to a community. Whether it’s training for a first 5K or completing a 100 mile Ultra for the 20th time, the common bond of running and walking creates a special family. Visit them at www.NCRoadrunners.org
Support our Partners to Benefit our Programs
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MAKING THE PERFECT MARATHON by Dane E. Rauschenberg
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Many people have run more marathons than I have run. Heck, many people have directed more marathons than I have run. But few have had the unique experience to cram so many marathons into such a condensed space as I did in 2006. You see, in 2006 I ran a certified course under race conditions on the day the race was run every single weekend. 52 weekends. 52 marathons. We all know that time makes us forget a majority of the negatives and gloss over anything we think should be improved. The same holds true with marathons. As a majority of the marathon running community only runs a handful of these 42kers a year, the space between the races can dull their memory of what they hope never happens again and what they sincerely hope happens every single time. Therefore, with these races and their success and failures fresh in my mind, I have put together a list of how to make a marathon a spectacular and enjoyable experience. 1. Have water and a sports drink EVERY mile in the last 10k. Sure, it is nice to have a well-watered course, with every necessary drink available from start to finish, but many race directors neglect to make sure that liquids are readily available for the runners when they needed them most: at the end. 2. Don’t call the course “scenic”. This is code for “Tough course that is going to kick your butt, so look at the pretty trees.” The majority of marathons, at one point or another, run past a rather beautiful part of their corner of the world. But when I am sucking wind as I hit the wall, that majestic moose on the horizon is not helping dig deep. 3. Stingy time limits are ok. Slower time limits admit more runners (and ergo bring in more money), but by limiting the field you, problems with traffic and road closures are lessened. In addition, it gives runners something to strive for. Nothing wrong with striving, is there? People do it to get to Boston every year. 4. Provide an accurate race map and course elevation profile. Don’t play with the chart on the right hand side so that a mountain looks like a molehill because the space between each 500 foot increment is one millimeter thick. It is always easier to deal with the known than the unknown. If I know the hill at 18 is a killer I can mentally prepare for it. 5. Paper cups. You can’t do that neat pinch trick to form a spout with Styrofoam or plastic. They break and you get covered in your drink. 6. If runners do not want a t-shirt, allow them to knock a few bucks off of the registration fee. We all have oodles of t-shirts we are never going to wear. And that whole quilting thing is rather pricey. Luckily some RDs have come up with cool ideas like wicking shirts, or race bag or hats, which we love. But the cotton T has gone the way of the dodo. If I can move a $50 fee to $40 and not add another t-shirt to my collection, chances are I will. The finisher’s medal and memories in my head will long outlast that shirt. 7. If the weather will be inclement for any reason, and you know it will be, and starting a little earlier or later will make it better, do so! Even if it means starting at some ungodly hour, runners would much rather lose some sleep (we know no one sleeps well the night before a race anyway) then hit the tail end of a tropical storm or a heat wave as they pass the 22nd mile mark. 8. Merging courses When running multiple races together, do not have the bulk of each race finishing at the same time at the same place. Everyone deserves to run relatively unhindered by masses of runners. 9. Enough with the bands. It has gotten out of hand. Even if they are playing songs we know and are not local garage bands doing their rendition of some Grateful Dead song, we can only hear it for a few feet anyway. And usually, it is too darn loud when we actually do hear it. (Am I really only 30? Why do I sound like an old fogey?) 10. Grin and bear it. No matter what you do, someone is going to be unhappy. Just do your best to do your best and chances are it will work out fine in the end. And if not, like I said, we have short memories. INSIDE TRACK
2006 RRCA NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS Since 1971, the Road Runners Club of America has been honoring dedicated individuals for their service to the running community. The RRCA is pleased to announce the 2006 RRCA National Award Winners. RRCA HALL OF FAME Judi St. Hilaire and Jenny Spangler RRCA SCOTT HAMILTON OUTSTANDING CLUB PRESIDENT Len Goldman - Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders - Oakland, CA BROWNING ROSS SPIRIT OF THE RRCA AWARD Harold Tinsley - Huntsville Track Club - Huntsville, AL RRCA OUTSTANDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE Ron Macksoud - Alabama State Rep RRCA ROAD RUNNER OF THE YEAR Open Male- Jon Williams - Gold Coast Runners - Davie, FL Open Female - Mindi Rice - Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers - Grapevine, TX Master’s Male - Sean Wade - The Kenyan Way - Houston, TX Master’s Female - Sarah Keller - Yellowstone Rimrunners - Billings, MT RRCA JERRY LITTLE EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM Small/Medium Club Newsletter Award “Houston Stridelines” - Editors Miriam Terc & Steve Shepard - Houston Striders - Houston, TX Large Club Newsletter Award “On the Fly” - Editor Liz Call - New York Flyers - New York, NY Inaugural Electronic Newsletter Award “News Run” - Editor Sandy Walton - Maine Track Club - Portland, ME Club Writer Award Michael Shafai - Pikes Peak Running Club - Colorado Springs, CO JOURNALISTIC EXCELLENCE Jonathon Beverly - Running Time Magazine WEBSITE AWARDS Large Club Capital Striders - www.capitalstriders.org - Des Moines, IA Small/Medium Club Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders - www.LMJS.org - Oakland, CA ROD STEELE OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER Janet Nissenson - San Francisco DSE - San Francisco, CA KURT STEINER CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENTAL AWARD Mary Klaff - Reston Runners - Reston, VA NINA KUSCSIK WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT RUNNING AWARD Georgia Hagen - North Carolina Roadrunners Club - Raleigh, NC INAUGURAL RRCA ROAD RACE OF THE YEAR Vulcan Run 10K - Birmingham Track Club - Birmingham, AL
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ROAD RUNNERS CLUB OF AMERICA 8965 Guilford Rd, Suite 150 Columbia, MD 21046 410-290-3890 www.RRCA.org
RRCA LAUNCHES 50 STATE CHAMP CHALLENGE Since 1958, the RRCA has awarded championship status to member clubs and events that produce top quality road races. To encourage RRCA Championships in all 50 states in 2007, we are excited to announce the 50 State Champ Challenge. The goal of the Challenge is to have an RRCA State Championship event in every state in 2007. To support this effort, each RRCA State Representative and their Regional Director will work with events in each state. The State Reps will select at least one race to be part of the 50 State Champ Challenge. The RRCA will provide plaques for the female and male open, master, and grand master winners for each 50 State Champ Challenge event. To help promote the event, the RRCA State Rep can supply an RRCA State Championship banner to help promote participation in the RRCA Championship program. All RRCA Championship events, including 50 State Champ Challenge events over 10k in distance with 400 or more participants are eligible to receive Gatorade Endurance. For more information about the 50 State Champ Challenge or the RRCA Championship events, contact your State Rep or Regional Director. For information on sponsoring Inside Track contact Jean Knaack at 410-290-3890
In the Next Issue: 책 책 책 September 21, 2007
2007 Convention Wrap-up Roads Scholars And More
Subscription Information: If you would like additional copies of Inside Track mailed to your club officers and key volunteers, please send a check in the amount of $5.00 per subscription to the National Office. Be sure to include the mailing addresses of the subscribers with your payment.