2013 Annual Report of the Road Runners Club of America by Road Runners Club of America

Annual Report

We Run the Nation! RRCA.ORG

2 • RRCA Annual Report

We Run the Nation! RRCA.ORG

RRCA Annual Report • 3

The mission of the RRCA is to promote the sport of running* through the development and growth of running clubs and running events throughout the country. The RRCA supports the common interests of runners of all abilities during all stages in life by providing education and leadership opportunities along with programs and services that benefit all runners. *The RRCA uses the term “running” as a catch all word that encompasses the broad spectrum of “running” in the United States including compet‐ itive running, jogging, fitness walk‐ ing, race walking, and wheelchair fitness on roads, trails, and tracks.

RRCA

• To be the leading authority on the organi‐ zation of running clubs and training programs, and to be the largest association of grassroots running organizations in the United States that serve the needs of individual runners and make their safety a top priority.

• To have sufficient financial support from members, sponsors and individuals and to have leaders actively engaged in the solicitation of financial support to ensure organizational sta‐ bility so the RRCA can be outward‐focused in the promotion and support of running in the United States. • To be the leading authority and resource for the establishment of new grassroots run‐ ning organizations and training and education programs for runners, running coaches, race di‐ rectors, and other special interests that emerge as priorities as the sport evolves. • To have a major public profile and major name recognition as the leading voice for run‐ ning clubs, events, and fitness runners in the United States, with increased use of emerging technologies as a means of communication to reach out to the public. • To be a leading force in ensuring that par‐ ticipation in running remains constant or grows over the next decade through community sup‐ port of event hosting, long term sustainability of local clubs, and maintenance and promotion of running as the most affordable form of reg‐ ular exercise.

4 • RRCA Annual Report

Point Strategic Direction: 2009–2019

• To engage in best practices in organiza‐ tional governance and management and to en‐ courage our members to operate according to our standards of ethical conduct to ensure in‐ tegrity in the sport running and with the ability to adapt positively to a changing world, which includes generational leadership changes. • To continually invest in and improve exist‐ ing programs and services, develop new pro‐ grams and services that are beneficial to the members, and to seek maximum participation in our programs and services by our members. • To be a major, collaborative partner with health organizations and other running related organizations, but only as long as the partner‐ ships enable the RRCA to achieve our strategic goals as an organization and for the sport of running. • To integrate elite and developing American runners into the RRCA's promotion of running in the United States in order to provide good role models for American youth runners and to contribute to the ongoing pipeline of potential elite athletes. • To work with members to actively engage the next generation of runners to participate in running clubs and events to ensure the long‐ term stability of the sport and to develop fu‐ ture leaders for the sport.

“We Run the Nation!”

Tabel of Contents

10 Point Stategic Direction

Road Scholars® Program

President’s Report

Runner Friendly Community

National Office Report

Run@Work Day

2013 Financial Report for RRCA

2013 Program Report RRCA Coaching Program

RRCA Race Director Certification 55th Annual RRCA Convention Recap

RRCA National Championship Event Results

RRCA National Running Award Winners

RRCA State Reps’ Report

Kids Run The Nation® Program

Contributors to the RRCA

A Tribute to Boston

On behalf of the RRCA Board of Directors, our staff, our volunteers, and our members, we express our sincerest sympathies to the runners and families affected by the tragic events at the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2013. We applaud the efforts of race organiz‐ ers, first responders, runners, and everyone that took action to assist the injured. The swift actions of first responders saved lives on that tragic day. Following the bombing, we encouraged our members and all runners to keep running and racing in the weeks and months to come. We encouraged people can find strength through adversity. Runners did just that. Not only did running around the country remain strong, it grew – significantly! In memory of those who lost their lives from the bombing Krystle Campbell, age 29 Martin Richard, age 8 Lingzi Lu, age 23

RRCA Annual Report • 5

RRCA President’s Report on Behalf of the Board of Directors

2013 RRCA Board of Directors David Cotter President Mitch Garner Vice President Dan Edwards Treasurer Mark Grandonico Eastern Region Director Lena Hollmann Southern Region Director Beth Onines Central Region Director Bailey Penzotti Western Region Director Secretary Kelly Richards At‐Large Director Jeff Darman At‐Large Director Jean Arthur At‐Large Director

6 • RRCA Annual Report

The RRCA has again had many successes in 2013, as you will read in the following pages of this annual report. During the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Membership, and in compliance with our By‐ laws, we held our annual election for the Board of Directors. Following the election, we welcomed our newest member of the Board: Jean Arthur, who will serve as an At‐ Large Director. Jean is the immediate past‐ president of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club and also served as president of that club from 2003‐2006. In addition, welcome back the following re‐elected Board members: Kelly "K2" Richards (At‐ Large Director), Bailey Penzotti (Western Region Director), and Lena Hollmann (Southern Region Director). We thank Jeff Darman for stepping forward during the year to fill a previously vacant At‐Large Di‐ rector position until we were able to fill the position by election of the membership at the 2013 annual meeting. As a past president of the RRCA, he brought valuable historical knowledge and insight of the current status of our sport to our board meetings. Also during the course of the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Membership, the members voted unanimously to update the RRCA By‐ laws to better clarify the Event Management Company membership category. We see this update as a positive step in managing our growing and evolving membership within the RRCA. During the Annual Meeting, the RRCA Board also presented the membership with the revised RRCA Strategic Plan follow‐ ing a review period of the first three years of the Plan being in place.

The RRCA has been working closely with our insurance company to maintain the insurance program for our members by implementing several insurance program enhancements in‐ cluding an operations package that covers basic business type insurance overages for clubs and events, including employee/volun‐ teer dishonesty coverage. The RRCA Board of Directors was very pleased to see the launch of the refreshed brand image for the RRCA that was launched in late November to update the look for www.RRCA.org. We were very pleased to share our fresh new design and easier to navigate website. Our key color, yellow, is intended to remind runners to be visible at all times while out on the run. Run Smart, Run Safe! As I wrap‐up my first term as RRCA presi‐ dent, I look back with satisfaction. We are very pleased with the state of the Road Run‐ ners Club of America as the year comes to an end. Our membership numbers are at an all time high and interest in our programs and services continues to increase. We thank our members for your support during the year and we look forward to an even better year in 2014.

National Office Report The administrative overhead of the RRCA remains lean but is slowly growing with the increasing de‐ mands for the various programs and services we offer. David Morgan completed his first year as the membership coordinator and continues to be a valuable asset for the membership. Andy Smith joined the RRCA staff as the program coordinator in September and has quickly proven he has a solid understanding of the RRCA programs. Dorothy Commock, office manager, celebrated her 13th year of service as the office manager, and Jean Knaack, executive director, celebrated her 8th year of service to the RRCA. Randy Accetta completed his second year with the RRCA as the director of coaching education. Our three additional course in‐ structors, Cari Setzler, Bobby Gessler, and Brent Ayer, all completed their first year of instruction with the Coaching Certification Course. The RRCA also employs a part‐time bookkeeper, Lena Young, to keep our finances in order. As of December 31, 2013, the RRCA has over 1,024 running clubs in the membership, and 854 are part of the RRCA nonprofit group, a 15% increase in the nonprofit group since 2012. There are 288 event management companies in the membership fol‐

lowing the RRCA Bylaw update in 2013 to better classify these entities in our membership. There were 650 event members for a total of 1,962 organ‐ ization members, a 17% increase in total member‐ ship from 2012. We also have nearly 400 individual members for the national organization as well. • RRCA member running clubs and event members conducted over 9,920 events in 2013 from 5ks to ultra marathons. Of those events, running clubs are hosting over 8,000 of them. • Total member events attracted over 5.7 million runners, and club‐hosted events are attracting over 3.5 million of the total runners reported to the RRCA. • There are approximately 275,000 individual members involved in local running clubs, throughout the US. • RRCA members collectively hosted over 184,000 group training‐runs, which has doubled compared to 2012, and clubs hosted over 15,000 social events. • Our members are engaging hundreds of thousands of volunteers throughout the US at their events. • Our members truly prove,

“We Run the Nation!”

Membership Growth 1958–2013 2000

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Years RRCA Annual Report • 7

2013 Financial Report for the RRCA This report reflects the audited financial information for the RRCA as of December 31, 2013

YEAR 2011 2012 2013

ASSETS $1,660,801 $1,745,910 $2,255,010

LIABILITIES $764,620 $687,950 $1,006,618

NET WORTH $896,181 $1,057,960 $1,248,392*

YEAR 2011 2012 2013

REVENUE $1,948,920 $2,168,377 $2,594,027

EXPENSES $1,882,846 $2,006,598 $2,403,595

NET PROFIT $66,074 $161,779 $190,432

* $406,370 in net worth is restricted by a board designation, $97,693 is temporarily restricted for program use in future years, and $10,000 is permanently restricted.

Statement of Financial Position INCOME Insurance Program Income Membership Income Coaching Program Income Sponsorships Contributions & Other Income Investment Income Asset Disposal* TOTAL INCOME

2012 ACTUAL $1,134,845 $508,143 $267,131 $26,600 $194,980 $58,753 ($22,075) $2,168,377

2013 ACTUAL $1,335,075 $555,157 $347,630 $39,229 $215,796 $101,140

2014 BUDGET $1,434,854 $545,000 $350,000 $25,000 $255,500 $50,000

$2,594,027

$2,660,354

EXPENSES – PROGRAMS Championships & State Programs Coaching Certification Program General RRCA Programs Kids Run the Nation RunPro ‐ Roads Scholar Program Insurance Program SUBTOTAL

$116,876 $243,191 $206,450 $41,812 $42,793 $1,147,507 $1,798,629

$160,825 $280,164 $236,807 $70,410 $94,290 $1,350,574 $2,193,070

$135,000 $340,500 $419,354 $48,500 $73,750 $1,351,750 $2,368,854

EXPENSES ‐ ADMINISTRATIVE ** National Office Management Board Services Fundraising SUBTOTAL TOTAL EXPENSES Net Profit/(Loss)

$85,188 $50,076 $72,705 $207,969 $2,006,598 $161,779

$102,177 $41,531 $66,877 $210,525 $2,403,595 $190,432

$145,000 $41,500 $75,000 $261,500 $2,630,354 $30,000

*In 2012, the RRCA fully depreciated the website and membership database early in accordance with updated accounting practices resulting in the $22,075 asset disposal line item. **Functional expenses ‐ The cost of providing various program and supporting services have been summarized on a functional basis in the statement of functional expenses on the RRCA’ Audited Financial Statements. Accordingly, certain costs have been allocated among the programs and supporting services benefited.

8 • RRCA Annual Report

A copy of the RRCA’s audited financial statements and IRS‐990 tax return can be found online at www.RRCA.org/about/governance/

2013 Program Report

The RRCA strives to provide quality programming that can be replicated throughout the country by member clubs from small towns to large cities. Our programs promote and sup‐ port running and runners at all stages in life. The RRCA is ded‐ icated to providing the running community with educational information and programs that will keep them safe, healthy, and informed.

The RRCA is very fortunate to be able to communicate to our members about our programs through Club Running maga‐ zine. This publication is made possible through our partnership with Fortius Media LLC. We are very thankful for the support we are receiving from our advertisers and members in the form of quality content submissions. We could not produce Club Running magazine without the support of Larry Eder, Christine Johnson, and Alex Larsen.

RRCA Coaching Program

The RRCA coaching certification courses are scheduled almost every other weekend throughout the year at locations all over the country from Maine to California from Washington to Florida. During the course of 2013, thirty‐two courses were held, which is up compared to the twenty‐six courses held in 2012. The RRCA hired three additional course instructors in 2013. We are pleased to welcome Cari Setzler, Bobby Gessler, and Brent Ayer to the coaching instruction team. Members and supporters host the RRCA coaching certifications courses with assistance from the RRCA national office. Each course consists of approximately 16‐hours of class lecture and practical group exercises over two days. The pro‐ gram focuses on issues specific to road running and racing, including coaching fundamentals, scientific background, and the establishment goals and training schedules to help athletes reach their running poten‐ tial. By the end of 2013, the RRCA has

trained over 4,000 certified running coaches, with nearly 1,000 being certified in 2013 alone. Our final course for 2013 was hosted by the Ann Arbor Track Club in Ann Arbor, MI and boasted a legendary attendee, Olympic Gold Medalist Frank Shorter, who is now an RRCA Certified Coach.

RRCA Annual Report • 9

RRCA National Championship Event Results Presented by Gatorade and Sports Authority

The RRCA Championship Event Series is one of the oldest distance running traditions in the US, dating back to 1958 when the RRCA awarded their first championship designa‐ tion. The goal of the RRCA Championship Event Series is to shine a spotlight on well‐run events, and to promote the sport of running by recognizing the top performing runners in the Open, Masters (40+), Grand Masters (50+), and Senior Grand Masters (60+) cate‐ gories for both men and women as RRCA Champions. In 2013, the RRCA Championship Event Series included 189 races at the State, Regional and National level that attracted over 330,000 runners nationwide, making it the largest grassroots‐organized, running event series in the US. RRCA National and Regional Cham‐ pionship Events receive sponsorship support from Gatorade as the Official Beverage of the series; Ashworth Awards as the Official Award Provider for the series; Sports Author‐ ity as the Presenting Sponsor of the Series, and Coolmax as a supporting sponsor. RRCA National 1 Mile Championship DC Road Runners 1 Mile – Arlington, VA Part of the Bring Back the Mile Tour – 2013 Female Overall: Susanna Sullivan, age 23, of Falls Church, VA, with a time of 5:00.0 Male Overall: David Chorney, age 25, of Somerville, MA, with a time of 4:13.67 Female Master: Alisa Harvey, age 47, of Reston, VA, with a time of 5:21.68 Male Master: Randy McDermott, age 41, of Potomac MD, with a time of 5:00.05 Female Grand Master: Susan Aaronson, age 59, of Arlington, VA, with a time of 7:35.33 Male Grand Master: Mark Neff, age 51, of Derwood, MD, with a time of 5:08.86 Female Senior Grand Master: Loida Veilla, age 65, of Falls Church, VA, with a time of 7:40.28 Male Senior Grand Master: Paul Ryan, age 62, of Arlington, VA, with a time of 5:58.32 RRCA National 5K Championship Woodstock 5K – Anniston, AL Male Overall: Patrick Choptoek, age 27, of Bowling Green, KY, with a time of 14:05 Female Overall: Lydia Kosgei, age 27, of Kennesaw, GA with a time of 17:06 Male Master: Matthew Whitis, age 45, of Columbus, GA, with a time of 17:12 Female Master: Brooke Nelson, age 55, of Munford, AL, with a time of 21:32 Male Grand Master: John Glidewell, age 56, of Athens, AL with a time of 17:55 Female Grand Master: Theresa Burst, age 55, of Birmingham, AL with a time of 21:56 Male Senior Grand Master: Wayne Heckler, age 63, from Madison, AL with a time of 20:07 Female Senior Grand Master: Dolores Longoria, age 64, of Dothan, AL with a time of 27:33 RRCA National 10K Championship, 28th Annual Run for the Zoo – Albuquerque, NM Open Male: Scott Bauhs age 22 from San Diego, CA with a time of 31:43 Open Female: Mardrea Hyman age 40, from Albuquerque, NM with a time of 38:28 Male Master: Eugene Hogue, age 49 from Farmington, NM with a time of 36:09 Female Master: Christine Kennedy age 57, from Los Gatos, CA with a time of 41:15 Male Grandmaster: William West, age 57, from Albuquerque, NM with a time of 39:00 Female Grandmaster: Nancy Marquette, age 56, with a time of 1:17:52 Male Senior Grandmaster: Devin Croft, age 60, from Littleton, CO with a time of 41:32 Female Senior Grandmaster: Beth Onines, age 60, from Lake Zurich, IL with a time of 55:08

10 • RRCA Annual Report

RRCA National Championship Event Results RRCA National 10 Mile Championship Presidio 10 Mile – San Francisco, CA Open Male: Leon Medina age 23 with a time of 58:44 Open Female: Sarah Hallas, age 32, with a time of 1:03:48 Male Master: Scott Dunlap age 43 with a time of 1:00:34 Female Master: Kristi Rossi, age 44, with a time of 1:04:07 Male Grandmaster: Michael Ward, age 51 with a time of 1:04:14 Female Grandmaster: Suzette Smith, age 56, with a time of 1:17:52 Male Senior Grandmaster: Ross Bolding, age 66, with a time of 1:10:32 Female Senior Grandmaster: Maureen O'Mara, age 62, with a time of 1:40:38 RRCA National Half Marathon Championship Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half – Alexandria, VA Male Overall: Girma Gebre, age 20, from Ethiopia with a time of 1:04:41 Female Overall: Kellyn Johnson, age 27, from Flagstaff, AZ with a time of 1:13:02 Male Master: Mattias Rosa, age 40, of Ridgewood, NJ with a time of 1:20:06 Female Master: Stefani Watterson, age 44, of Alexandria, VA with a time of 1:28:38 Male Grand Master: Steven Desantis, age 52, of California, MD with a time of 1:28:14 Female Grand Master: Carol Clark, age 51, of Luray, VA with a time of 1:36:49 Male Senior Grand Master: Robert Beck, age 61, of White Hall, MD with a time of 1:31:24 Female Senior Grand Master: Marjorie Marque, age 62, of Alexandria, VA with a time of 2:04:11 Challenged Athlete Champion: Aaron Scheidies, of Seattle, WA, Visually Impaired National Half Marathon Champion, with a course record of 1:16:25 RRCA National Marathon Championship Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon – Napa, CA Open Male: Kevin Pool, age 30, of Folsom, CA with a time of 2:21:58 Open Female: Michelle Meyer, age 25, of San Francisco, CA with a time of 2:43:11 Male Master: Martin Rindahl, age 49, of Fresno, CA with a time of 2:42:21 Female Master: Molly Friel, age 45, of Freson, CA with a time of 2:44:17 Male Grandmaster: Mark Drake, age 57, of Davis, CA with a time of 2:51:16 Female Grandmaster: Diza Hilles, age 50, of Eugene, OR with a time of 3:32:08 Male Senior Grandmaster: Dan Blondin, age 60, of Westmont, IL with a time of 3:25:01 Female Senior Grandmaster: Patricia Evans, age 60, of Aptos, CA with a time of 4:06:55 RRCA National Ultra Championship 7th Annual Great Cranberry Island 50K – Great Cranberry Island, ME Male Overall: Brian McNiece, age 41, of Narragansett, RI with a time of 3:31:43 Female Overall: Lindsay Willard, age 34, of Somerville, MA, with a time of 3:40:36 Male Master: Gary Allen, age 56, of Cranberry Isles, ME, with a time of 3:58:30 Female Master: Sheila Jacks, age 50, of Bedford, NH, with a time of 4:31:29 Male Grand Master: Dave Nevitt, age 53, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with a time of 4:16:35 Female Grand Master: Caolan MacMahon, age 50, of Boulder, CO with a time of 5:04:44 Male Senior Grand Master: Mark Dangerfield, age 63, of Mesa, AZ with a time of 4:20:48 Female Senior Grand Master: Roxana Lewis, age 67, of Gardena, CA with a time of 6:52:27

RRCA Annual Report • 11

Kids Run the Nation® Program Since 2007, the RRCA has provided over $90,000 in small grants to de‐ serving youth running programs around the country through the Kids Run the Nation Fund. The Kids Run the Nation Fund is designed to provide needed resources to launch and support youth running pro‐ grams as an opportunity to address the on‐going inactivity and obesity crisis facing today’s youth. In 2013, we decided it was time to give our Kids Run the Nation pro‐ gram logo an updated look. The Kids Run the Nation program is de‐ signed to be gender‐inclusive and teach a life‐long love of running to school‐aged children. Based on this key programmatic value, we updated the program logo to clearly show a boy and a girl running the nation together. We also updated and re‐colored our printed materials to include the new logo and to match our new RRCA.org website colors. In October 2013, we were pleased to announce the annual Kids Run the Nation grant re‐ cipients.

Twenty-five programs throughout the U.S. serving over 4,500 children received a total of $20,250 in grants from the RRCA’s Kids Run the Nation Fund. In addition, the RRCA donated over 10,000 copies of the Kids Run the Nation: A Running Guide for Kids booklets to program participants in thirty‐four different programs, the in‐ kind donation to these programs was valued at over $10,000.

Congratulations to the following grantees: Mississippi Delta Runners (Sledge, MS), Kids Run/Walk Arkansas (Conway, AR), Grand Strand Running Club (Myrtle Beach, SC), Keowee Kids Running Club (Seneca, SC), YMCA Club South Youth Runners Program (Baton Rouge, LA), Eagle Ridge Elementary PTA Run‐ ning Club (Fort Worth, TX), YMCA Camp/Gadsden Runners Club Youth Division (Gadsden, AL). Somerville Road Runners Kids (West Somerville, MA), Patterson Park Public Charter School Running Club (Baltimore, MD), Gator Trek Club (Pine Hill, NJ) Longridge Running Club (Greece, NY), Navigator's Running Club (Providence, RI), Kids Run the Nation – Sag‐ inaw (Saginaw, MI), Nielson Navigators Run For Fun (Galesburg, IL), Ontarioville Owls (Hanover Park, IL), Esperanza Eagles (Greenwood, IN), Cavanaugh Kids Run the Nation (Lansing, MI), YMCA in Woodbury Kids Run the Nation (Woodbury, MN), Pomaika’I Run‐ ning Club (Kaului, HI), Jemez Valley Cross Country/100 Mile Club (Jemez Pueblo, NM), Hi‐ awatha Elementary Run Club (Othello, WA), Birney Running Club (San Diego, CA), Clover Quick Feet (Los Angeles, CA) Jackie Kids Run the Nation (San Diego, CA) Torres Running Club (Los Angeles, CA). Detailed descriptions of each program can be found at www.RRCA.org/services/news/. The RRCA strives to award grants to programs that serve diverse student populations that are at an increased risks for diseases associated with inactivity and obesity including the following highlighted programs that received grants in 2013:

12 • RRCA Annual Report

Kids Run the Nation® Program Highlights Mississippi Delta Runners – Sledge, MS Mississippi Delta Runners is an exciting, effective physical activity program for youth. The program is an after school program that serves over 200 children in grades 4‐8. A mini‐ mum of three times per week for the entire school year, children run on the Delta Mis‐ sions/Trinity Community Center parking lot, and they can run up to a total of six miles per week according to their running abilities. When the children complete their running for the day, they return to the center for a snack and to carry out other educational activities. The goal of the running program is to provide a fun, effective physical activity program for youth. The children served reside in the Delta area of Mississippi, where children's bel‐ lies were once distended from malnutrition, but are now the fattest region in America and lead the country in childhood obesity. Eighty‐eight percent of the children served are overweight or obese. 100% (200) of the children served by this program live in poor fam‐ ilies defined as having income below 100% of the federal poverty level.

Kids Run/Walk Arkansas – Conway, AR Based on the 2009‐2010 Arkansas Center for Health Improvements Assessment of Child‐ hood and Adolescent Obesity in Arkansas, 34.8% of Faulkner County children are over‐ weight or obese. In addition, according to the 2012 County Health Rankings, Faulkner County is expected to see a 3.17%‐5.19% increase over the next three years. It is believed that children who are overweight are more likely to become overweight in adulthood. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and many other health problems. Long aware of this issue, Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center created the annual Kids Run Arkansas run/walk. Over 200 kids participated in the inaugural event in 2009 and that number has increased to over 500 in 2013. For the program, highly‐qualified Conway Re‐ gional Health & Fitness Center staff members train and equip physical education teachers and parent volunteers in schools to implement the proven Kids Run The Nation running and educational curriculum in before and after‐school programs. The program is offered twice a week for ten weeks for both semesters. The Focus is on participation and devel‐ oping a healthy lifestyle and lessons include running form, goal setting, nutrition, safety and other concepts.

Kids Run the Nation Saginaw – Saginaw, MI KRTN‐Saginaw follows the 10‐lesson program guide provided by RRCA through its national Kids Run the Nation program. Lessons are taught during a one‐hour period over a 10‐week time frame, with 20 minutes of instruction followed by 40 minutes of a running activity and games. The program meets a maximum of three times a week, and has partnered with Saginaw Valley State University to provide student athlete volunteers as well as other community partners who visit "club" to talk about specific topics; e.g. nutrition and form. Every participant is provided with a t‐shirt, a backpack tag, a KRTN booklet, a journal, and a snack at the end of each lesson. The program concludes with a celebratory 1 mile race. Presently, the program has 114 children from K‐5th grade registered. The program has ex‐ panded from the initial "pilot" school (44 participants) to two other schools and plans are in place to also expand to the local YMCA during the summer of 2014. The projected number of youth served from Fall 2013 to Summer of 2014 is approximately 230.

RRCA Annual Report • 13

RunPro.com and RunPro Camp In 2013, the RRCA acquired the RunPro.com web site and the RunPro Camp as official RRCA programs. RunPro.com and the RunPro Camp were developed by Team USA Minnesota with the support of a 2010 Excellence Challenge Grant from USA Track & Field. The RunPro efforts were integrated with the RRCA’s Roads Scholar program to form a more compre‐ hensive program designed to support emerging elite athletes. By aquiring these valuable programs, the RRCA is also working to achieve one of our ten point strategic objectives, which is to integrate elite and developing American runners into the RRCA's promotion of running in the United States in order to provide good role models for American youth runners and to contribute to the ongoing pipeline of potential elite athletes. The RunPro.com website provides athletes with a comprehensive overview of what it takes and what is involved in becoming a professional distance runner – competing on the track, the roads and in Cross Country. The RRCA hosted the RunPro Camp in Arlington, VA on July 18‐21, 2013 where fourteen up‐and‐coming distance runners, who recently graduated from universities throughout the country, were selected to attend the second RunPro Camp. The RunPro Camp is designed specifically for athletes who are inter‐ ested in pursuing a professional running career. Selection to the camp was based on an application process, with most athletes being NCAA qualifiers and competing in distances ranging from the 800 meters up through the 10,000 meters as well as in cross country. The interactive camp provided a forum for runners to meet coaches and athletes from professional training centers around the US, learn about sponsorship requirements, determine what type of repre‐ sentation would be best, find out about USA Track & Field resources and long distance running initiatives plus anti‐doping compliance, as well as discuss how to work with the media and how to seek both fi‐ nancial and health support. An excellent line‐up of speakers for the RunPro Camp outlined the importance of the information shared through the effort. The Camp kicked off with a welcome dinner featuring 2008 Olympian, Amy Begley, who spoke about lessons learned as a professional runner and the Olympic experience. Other topics covered at the camp included Drug Testing, Awareness and Compliance presented by Jennifer Dodd, Olympic Education Manager from USADA. The following invited athletes had finished their collegiate careers as of June 2013 and show good po‐ tential for moving on to the next level. The RRCA provided travel and lodging grants so the athletes could attend the camp free of charge. We look forward to watching their careers in the coming years. Eric Finan – University of Cincinnati Michael Heller – Kent State University Meghan Nelson – Iowa State University Jonathan Peterson – University of California Davis Gabriel Proctor – Western Colorado State University Cydney Ross – Duke University Ben Sathre – University of St. Thomas Danielle Stack – Iowa State University Gina Valgoi – Loyola University Amanda Winslow – Florida State University Kristen Findley – Vanderbilt University Cate Westenhover – Baylor University Lara Crofford – Shippensburg University Lauren Kleppin – Western State Univ. of Colorado

14 • RRCA Annual Report

Roads Scholars® Program Since 1996, the Road Runners Club of America has awarded grants totaling over $450,000 through the Roads Scholar® program. The goal of the program is to assist American post collegiate runners who show great promise to develop into national and world‐class road running athletes. The grants awarded by the RRCA go directly to the athletes to help sup‐ port their goals of becoming world‐class distance runners. While traditionally the RRCA has distributed six grants, the strong credentials and impressive potential of this year’s pool of applicants, coupled with the ability to lay the groundwork for qualification in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics afforded the expansion of the 2013‐14 class to eight recipients. The RRCA Roads Scholar selection Committee for 2013 included Carl Sniffen (Chair), Mike Morgan (Roads Scholar‐2005), Amy Begley (Roads Scholar‐2002, Olympian), Joan Benoit Samuelson (Olympian), Don Kardong (Olympian), Phil Stewart, Bee McLeod, Brent Ayer, and Jean Knaack. The RRCA is pleased to introduce and congratulate the 2013‐2014 Class of Roads Scholars.

Cole Atkins An accomplished high school soccer player in his native Charleston, SC, Atkins attended High Point University (N.C.) on a scholarship where he appeared in 76 games in his 4 years as a midfielder. At the conclusion of his soccer career, Atkins approached Mike Esposito, the Track and Cross Country coach at High Point, and asked if he could begin running with the team. The switch to running proved fruitful as he showed very early a talent for the sport, running 9:04 for 3K and 15:18 for 5K mere weeks after joining the team. In his two short years training under Coach Esposito, Atkins ran 14:17 for 5k and 29:20 for 10k, the latter mark being the number 2 all‐time performance in school history, as well as earning 3 All‐ Big South Conference awards. These early moments of success attracted the attention of Pete Rea at ZAP Fitness, which he joined in 2010. During his first year as a professional runner he ran the fastest road 8k of any American in 23:18. In 2012, he bettered that mark running 22:50 and also clocked 14:19 for 5k on the roads. This past winter, he qualified for the USA Indoor Track Champi‐ onships in the 3,000m by way of his 8:00 performance in Boston. In May, he ran 47:43 for 10 miles in Philadelphia, which was the second fastest time any American had run on the Broad Street course in the past 10 years. Atkins is now five years into training and is committed to making sure his best days lay ahead of him. He plans to run the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Houston next Jan‐ uary with the hope of making his first of many U.S. teams.

Meaghan Nelson Going into high school in Cedar Rapids, IA, Nelson was focused much more on competing in other sports, such as volleyball, basketball, and especially swimming. Prior to her sophomore year, her high school coach convinced her to do both swimming and cross‐country, helping Nelson discover that she had potential in distance running. Finishing second both her sophomore and senior year, and the winning state cross‐country championship in 2006 showed her this was something she could do in college. Nelson decided to go to Iowa State University after being recruited by Coach Corey Ihmels. After some injuries and setbacks, she made a big jump in performance in 2011‐2012 and gained All‐American status in all three seasons, finishing 17th in cross‐country, 4th indoors for 5K, and 4th in the 10K outdoor. She capped this season by running in the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR. In her final year she accrued All‐American status in cross‐country and in the 10K outdoors. She assisted her Iowa State team to two Big 12 championships in cross‐country and in 2013 she became the Big 12 champion in the 10K. Overall, she is a 5‐time All‐American and is also the 7th fastest 10,000 meter athlete in NCAA history. Her collegiate PR's are 9:16 in the 3K, 15:51 for 5K, and 32:14 for 10K. With collegiate success came the desire to continue to pursue running as a professional career. Nelson attended RunPro Camp in 2013 as an invited athlete. Recently she has moved out to the hills of Boise, ID, to continue training under Coach Ihmels and to act as a volunteer assistant for the Boise State Track and Cross Country teams.

RRCA Annual Report • 15

Roads Scholars® Program

Alexi Pappas Pappas grew up in Alameda, CA. In high school, she won six HAAL Championships—five in running and two in soccer. She played on the Cal North State Olympic Development Soccer Team. When Alexi did finally fall in love with running in college, she fell hard. Literally, Alexi has fallen running many‐a‐steeple chase and Cross Country race, but has captured success along the way. As a proud Dartmouth Big Green, she finished third in the steeplechase at the 2012 NCAA Out‐ door meet, and holds the 2012 Ivy League Title and Dartmouth school record in the event. She ran the lead leg on Dartmouth's third place distance medley relay squad at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Cham‐ pionships and qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene as a steeple chaser. Alexi is a 7 time All‐American. After graduating as a runner at Dartmouth College, she finished her remaining two seasons of eligibility at University of Oregon, and helped lead the team to a team NCAA title in the 2012 cross country and 2013 indoor track seasons. She finished 8th Nationally at the 2012 Cross Country National Championships, and 6th Nationally in the 2013 Indoor 5k, and 8th nationally in the 2013 Indoor 3k (PR: 9:07). She recently finished as the 8th American Nationally at the 2013 US Champs in the Women’s 3k Steeplechase (with a PR of 9:46), before finally taking her first steps on the roads. This summer, Alexi discovered and came to love the world of road racing. After braving the hills at the Bix 7‐mile race, Alexi finished as the second American in the TD Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race. She was most recently the first American finisher at the 2013 Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, Massachusetts, as well as the 3rd place female finisher at the US Champs CVS 5K Road Racing Champs in Providence, RI—her first outdoor 5k (15:34). Now training under Mark Rowland with the Oregon Track Club Elite, Alexi looks forward training and competing with her new team.

Tyler Pennel Pennel grew up in Golden, CO, playing soccer and baseball. While attending Golden High School, he was convinced by his father to give Cross Country a try. He quickly found out that he was the best runner on the team. Throughout high school he continued to improve while setting school records in the 1600m (4:25) and 3200m (9:49). After high school Pennel attended Western Colorado State University where under the guid‐ ance of Coach Jennifer Michel, he was able to become one of the most decorated Mountaineers in school history. Pennel earned 11 All‐American Honors and 12 RMAC All‐Conference Honors. Pennel had a breakout season in the fall of 2011 finishing second at NCAA DII National Cross Country meet and running the seventh fastest 10,000m time in DII history (28:23). Later that spring, he won the 10,000m and finishing runner up at the DII National Track and Field Meet. Since leaving Western State College, Pennel has joined training group ZAP Fitness/Reebok based in Blowing Rock, NC. His first year as a professional runner has been very successful, placing top 10 at three different USATF National Championships, culminating in a 7th place finish at the USATF 10km National Road Championships on July 4th. He also lowered many of his track personal bests in the spring. He attended the 2013 RunPro Camp as the athlete representative for ZAP Fit‐ ness. Pennel plans to continue to live and train in North Carolina with the focus on runner faster times, as well as become more competitive on the national stage. He also intends to race a marathon by the end of 2014.

Gabe Procter Born in Ethiopia, Procter was adopted at age ten by Jim and Caryl Proctor and began running com‐ petitively as a high school senior in Vermont. While his school did not have a track team, he was fortunate to train with Jeff Johnson of Lebanon, NH, who really shaped Gabe’s early running and remains a respected advisor. By coming in second in the state in the indoor 3200m that year, he caught the eye of the Cross Country coach at Garden City Community College (GCCC) in Kansas. After helping GCCC to two national third‐place finishes, he moved on to Western Colorado State University’s team under the guidance of Coach Jennifer Michel. Despite some initial struggles with the increased level of competition, Proctor’s commitment to training and perseverance paid off. In 2011, he was a leading member of WCSU’s NCAA Division II National Championship Cross Country team. In 2013, he won the individual national championship in the outdoor 10K with a time of 28:58 and 5K with a time of 13:55. Proctor attended the 2013 RunPro Camp as an invited athlete. Now running professionally for Mammoth Track Club under Coach Andrew Kastor, Proctor ran a 1:04:38 half marathon in October 2013, a time that qualifies him for the 2016 U.S. Olympic marathon trials.

16 • RRCA Annual Report

Roads Scholars® Program

Mattie Suver Suver graduated from Laramie High School in Laramie, WY. She originally joined the track team as a way to stay in shape for volleyball, and did not run Cross Country until her senior year. She was never a standout in high school, placing 17th in the state cross country meet, and never breaking 20 minutes for the 5K, but she fell in love with the sport and knew that she wanted to continue running in college. Mattie walked on to Eastern Washington University. She ultimately earned a scholarship and made it to the NCAA Division I Cross Country and Track Nationals. She graduated in three years and attended the University of Oregon for graduate school where she completed her final two years of running eligibility. She was a three time Division I All‐American at University of Oregon. Suver attended the 2011 RunPro Camp and quickly became a standout. She joined the BRC/adi‐ das team and American Distance Project under Coach Scott Simmons in July of 2012. Since that time, her running career has really taken off. She has posted personal bests in every distance she's raced, from 10K (32:29) to half marathon (1:11:56) since joining. She was the 2012 Club Cross Country Champion, earning a spot on Team USA for the Bupa Edinburgh XC, and was a member of the 2013 World XC Team, placing 26th overall, and 3rd for Team USA. She looks forward to continued im‐ provement in all distances from 5K to the marathon, hopefully beginning with the ING New York City Marathon this coming November.

Daniel Tapia Tapia began running as a sophomore at North Monterey County High School in Castroville, CA, ini‐ tially as a means of getting in better shape for soccer season. However, thanks to the success of his team, and the close‐knit environment fostered by coaches Bruce White and Gustavo Ibarra, he fell in love with the sport. Though he had moderate success competing at Hartnell Community Col‐ lege, where he ran a 14:35 5K and on University of California Santa Cruz’s club team, the spark for Tapia’s emergence in the sport came at the 2010 Big Sur Marathon. There, in the first marathon of his life, Tapia won the race with a time of 2:26:09. Working out twice a day in between waiting tables at his family’s restaurant and attending Monterey School of Law night classes, Tapia placed seventh at the 2011 San Diego Marathon with a time of 2:16:20, 24th at the U.S. Olympic trials with a 2:15:11 and then won the California Interna‐ tional Marathon in 2:16:29. While studying for the bar exam in July, Tapia was informed he’d been chosen as an injury replacement to represent the United States in the marathon at the IAAF World Track & Field Championships in Moscow, largely on the strength of a ninth‐place 2:14:30 at the 2013 Boston Marathon. Under the guidance of his Hartnell coach, Chris Zepeda, and Colorado Springs‐based American Distance Project coach Scott Simmons, Tapia compressed an eight‐week training schedule into just four weeks. He finished the marathon in 2:18:31, good for 27th overall and second among Team USA runners and qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials – Marathon.

Amy Van Alstine Van Alstine started running Cross Country and track for Midland Park High School in New Jersey. Her siblings all ran and excelled, so her father encouraged her to follow in their footsteps. During her time at Midland Park, she became the Group 1 State Champion (2004) in Cross Country and In‐ door Track (3200) and Outdoor Track (3200). She also received 1st team all‐state honors in Cross Country and was named the YMCA student‐athlete of the year (2005). Collegiately, Van Alstine ran for the University of Richmond Spiders in Richmond, VA, where she was an All‐American in the 5k outdoors (2011). She was also the school record holder in the out‐ door 1500, 3k, and 5k and broke the Atlantic 10 Conference 1500 record. At the end of her college career, she was named Atlantic 10 Athlete of the Year. Post‐collegiately, she joined Adidas‐McMillan Elite in Flagstaff, AZ where she has had great suc‐ cess, achieving personal bests in every event from 1500 on the track up to 10k on the roads. She has personal bests from this past year of 4:14.56 (1500) and 15:36.56 (5k) on the track, and 25:50 (8k) and 33:15.72 (10k) on the roads.

RRCA Annual Report • 17

Runner Friendly Community The RRCA is pleased to announce the 2013 Runner Friendly Community designations, which included: Chattanooga, TN; Sarasota, FL; Kalamazoo County, MI; and South Lake, FL. These communities have shown that they meet the program’s criteria, which includes com‐ munity infrastructure, community support, and local government support for running. Each community has an infrastructure that can foster physical activity in a safe environment; a proven track record that organizations and businesses work together to promote running as a healthy exercise and sport; and there are positive relationships between the running community and local government.

2013 RRCA RUNNER FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES: Chattanooga, TN – Chattanooga has all of the ingredients for an outstanding runner friendly community and one of its best assets is its citizens. Chattanooga residents take pride in their community and show their support of running through participation in for‐profit and charity events as well as the cre‐ ation and maintenance of the community’s magnificent trail systems and parks. Chattanooga residents also support run‐ ners through training programs and clinics, many on a volun‐ teer basis. The city’s infrastructure is also remarkably runner friendly, with water fountains as well as community bathrooms or portable toilets along pedestrian networks. The pedestrian networks also include accessible parking, emergency phones, and lights that keep trails well illuminated. Furthermore, the community makes a tremendous effort to reclaim unused parcels to con‐ vert to uses supporting a healthy lifestyle. For instance, Enter‐ prise South Nature Park is situated on 2800 wooded acres that were previously part of the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant. Opened for free, public use by the Hamilton County govern‐ ment, the park offers miles of walking paths, bicycle paths, and off‐road biking and running trails, including American with Dis‐ abilities Act accessible trails. The Chattanooga Track Club (CTC) remains an important pillar of the Chattanooga running community. A key part of CTC’s vision and mission centers on developing an appreciation of

18 • RRCA Annual Report

running among youth and families. The club's website, weekly e‐news, and quarterly newsletter communicate information including training opportunities, events, race reviews, and re‐ sults. In addition to offering discounted membership rates to students, the CTC works with local schools and universities to bring running events and programs to young runners and their families. For several years, the CTC has hosted the elementary cross country series, consisting of four fall races for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, drawing over 600 students each year from public, private, parochial schools, and home school teams throughout the area. “Running and fitness have long been an integral part of the renaissance of Chattanooga,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R‐TN. “While serving as Mayor, Chattanooga initiated a citizen‐based planning process four outdoor recreation. This planning led to the creation of Outdoor Chattanooga, an initiative that encour‐ ages runners and other outdoor enthusiasts to take advantage of all our city has to offer in terms of scenery and amenities.”

Sarasota, FL – The Sarasota community offers hundreds of miles of trails and sidewalks that wind their way along the Gulf Coast and bay front and in to the interior portion of Sarasota County, including Myakka River State Park, Legacy Trail, and Oscar Scherer State Park. Sarasota has several business partners who rise early on Satur‐

Runner Friendly Community day morning to strategically place hydration stations along the pop‐ ular training routes. Public works employees open public restrooms by 6:00 AM to accommodate runners and walkers. The City of Sara‐ sota works closely with organizations to secure permits in a timely manner and is extraordinarily responsive on all requests. Local law enforcement officers are regulars at our running events, many of them runners themselves, but always cheering on our runners and supporting us by working or volunteering. Some of our local races are led by motorcycle officers and you always find officers aware of the situation. The community is also home to several running clubs including the Manasota Track Club (MTC), which offered its support for the ap‐ plication, along with other area clubs. As one of the strongest forces in the Sarasota running community, MTC hosts 11 races as part of their racing series, including the annual Sarasota half marathon. Local races often feature Sarasota middle school or high school students competing, a testament to the area’s long‐ standing commitment strong of commitment to youth running. In fact, many of the local running coaches have been active in the community for more than two decades. “Sarasota enjoys a well‐deserved reputation as being committed to developing and maintaining safe pathways for runners while respecting the integrity of environmentally sensitive areas and wildlife habitat,” said Sarasota County Commissioner Joseph Barbetta.

Kalamazoo, MI – Kalamazoo represents community collabora‐ tion at its finest, with running event and program organizers, busi‐ nesses and municipalities, schools systems and non‐profit organizations striving together in partnership to grow the sport of running. It is this spirit of collaboration that has helped thou‐ sands of citizens within the community embrace a healthy life style through the support. Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR) is the largest RRCA Running Club in the State of Michigan with more than 1,200 members and works extensively with local government, organizing large‐scale races in both the City of Kalamazoo including the Kalamazoo Klassic, Run Through the Lights, and the City of Portage Winter Blast Half Marathon. KAR works with local schools and colleges/universities on training programs and events, including the Turkey Trot Time Prediction Run at Portage West Middle School and the Fast Track 5k/10k Training Program at Western Michigan University. Busi‐ nesses, schools and other nonprofit organizations grant use of their facilities for KAR’s training programs. The City of Kalamazoo and City of Portage work closely with Kala‐ mazoo Area Runners and other race organizers to host running events throughout Kalamazoo County. The City of Portage is a for‐ mal partner with the Kalamazoo Area Runners in hosting the Win‐ ter Blast Half Marathon & 5k, a major event throughout the city streets and trails of Portage. Both the City of Kalamazoo and the City of Portage work closely with race organizers on coordinating venues, routes, police, road closures and operations planning. Kalamazoo is home to the Kalamazoo Marathon and Borgess Run

for the Health of It, a major community event that collaborates heavily with businesses, organizations and local government. It at‐ tracted approximately 8,500 race participants and 900+ to its Borgess Run Camp Training Program in 2013 and is supported by more than 75 sponsors. “The cities of Portage and Kalamazoo have a long‐standing tradi‐ tion of being a proponents of infrastructure improvements to en‐ hance physical activity for regional benefit,” said Portage Mayor Peter J. Strazdas. “The city embarked upon a multi‐use trail system over 25 years ago and now has 18 miles of independent trails. The main trail is over six miles in length and has distance markings and minimal road crossings. South Lake, FL – In the gentle sloping hills of South Lake, runners of all ages, health, and fitness abilities find a community whose roots in health, wellness and running run deep. Some of the very best and most desirable running assets, facilities, and races, includ‐ ing the Lake Mineola Half Marathon, are found in South Lake. The community’s culture of running and its tangible benefits have given rise to enumerable investments into a network of year round paths, trails, and sidewalks adorned with mileage markers, shaded canopies, clean restrooms, ample parking, safe cross walks and shared space lanes. In fact, runners are able to complete more than 20 miles on South Lake’s pedestrian network before it ends. Local running clubs such as the South Lake Striders have charitable arms that help support existing youth charities within South Lake. Additionally, the local running clubs collaborate with local govern‐ ment, schools both public and private along with the business community to promote the tangible health and wellness benefits of running. The local clubs have a long‐standing relationship with the community, stakeholders, and leaders and collaborate and a spirit of cooperation to fulfill the running needs of the community. The hallmark of the South Lake community is a local government that understands the quality of life for the South Lake community, which is inextricably intertwined with the health status. Better health has a direct impact on the health of employees, retirees, students and families. The local government in coordination with South Lake Hospital, health care professionals, residents, business leaders, educator and students has taken this as a leadership op‐ portunity. One of the focal points of this end is the support from local government for running, runners, running events and related activities. Given the interest within the community for outdoor en‐ durance pursuits it has been a natural fit for our local government to integrate running, runners, running events and related activities into their considerations for planning, land use, improving funding and other decisions. “Our community is a network of supportive businesses, residents and town staff that understand runners are a part of the very fabric of our community, said Troy Bennett, Mayor of Monteverde in South Lake County. “Currently, we have funding to extend our trail system to enhance our current network of trails which provides an additional contiguous space for runners and outdoor enthusiasts.” RRCA Annual Report • 19

Run@Work and Run@School Day 2013 The Road Runners Club of America partnered with many of‐ fices and schools to promote the 8th Annual RUN@WORK Day and 2nd Annual RUN@School Day on September 20, 2013. Through this partnership, our organizations worked together to promote physical activity and healthy living within our com‐ munities and around the country. The goal of RUN@WORK and RUN@School Day is to encour‐ age adults and children to get 30‐minutes of exercise each day, in accordance with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Ameri‐ cans, either in the morning, during lunch, or immediately fol‐ lowing work or school. RUN@WORK and RUN@School Day also encourages companies to help employees schedule time for physical activity. Incorporating exercise into one’s daily rou‐ tine can markedly improve one’s overall physical health. “We chose to participate because I am an avid runner who runs at lunch,” said Valerie Blajeski of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game in Anchorage, Alaska. “Folks always mention that they'd like to join me but don't always have an incentive to do so. This event shows them how feasible it is to squeeze in some physical activity during your lunch break.” Blajeski also noted that her office to offered a 5K run or 1 mile walk from along trails adjacent to her office at noon with a potluck lunch to follow. The office also put out a running clock at the finish so folks could time themselves if they wanted to. Christopher Wooleyhand, principal of Richard Henry Lee Ele‐ mentary School in Glen Burnie, Maryland, says his staff “spon‐ sored the event to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, not just for students but also for school staff members.” The school began the day with a 7:50 A.M. staff run where partici‐ pants lapped the building twice. At recess, close to 500 stu‐ dents ran a cross country course, where every finisher received a medal. Also, throughout the day, teachers took smaller groups of students outside for various running activities. Durbin Elementary School in Hopatcong, NJ also found a unique way to celebrate the day. Four teachers, Kristine Mendyk, Tatianna Altamirano, Carmela Catizone and Mary Noonan ran the close to 4.5 mile commute to work that morn‐

ing, and were greeted by more than 200 cheering students when they arrived at the school. Mendyk told the New Jersey Herald that the run was “aimed at demonstrating to the stu‐ dents that they can incorporate exercise into their daily lives.” Landry’s Inc., a hospitality and restaurant group headquar‐ tered in Texas participated in the event for a second year, and saw double the number of participants. Recognizing the im‐ portance of promoting physical activity for employees, Landry’s has also a continuous version of RUN@Work, leading morning and evening workout sessions the third Thursday of every month. Throughout 2013’s RUN@Work and RUN@School Day, par‐ ticipants shared their pictures, observations and videos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #runatwork. According to social media analytics site Topsy, over 500 tweets were sent in the 24 hours encapsulating RUN@WORK and RUN@School Day. The outpouring of par‐ ticipants taking to social media allowed the RRCA to use Storify, a digital media curation tool, to put together a visual timeline demonstrating the overwhelming diversity and pop‐ ularity of the event. To view this Storify timeline, visit (http://www.rrca.org/services/news‐entry/runwork‐and‐run‐ school‐day‐participants‐share‐pictures‐reflections1/) Our friends at Brook’s running created several fun picto‐graph‐ ics and shared 5 helpful tips for RUN@WORK Day, which was shared on their site at talk.brooksrunning.com/2013/09/16/5‐ ways‐to‐celebrate‐run‐at‐work‐day

SAVE THE DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

20 • RRCA Annual Report

RRCA Race Director Certification November 2013 signified the one‐year anniversary of the RRCA’s Race Director Certification Course that was created in partner‐ ship with Road Race Management and leading event directors from around the country. As of December 31, 2013 the RRCA has certified 70 race directors with another 82 working towards fin‐ ishing the certification process. Our program goals are to: • Provide a baseline of training and knowledge for anyone that directs a distance running event; • Provide a structured program for individuals seeking to become certified race directors through a recognized national association for the sport; • Provide credentials to race directors that may assist in the permitting process; • Provide continuing education opportunities and requirements for certified race directors; • Provide a Code of Ethics for Certified Race Directors to follow to help ensure the integrity of the sport and running event management.

55th Annual RRCA Convention Recap Hundreds of running leaders gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the 55th Annual RRCA Convention held in May 2013 by the Albuquerque Road Runners. The location was a scenic setting and culture‐rich for the convention, with education ses‐ sions that included Engaging the Running Community to Insure Integrity in Local Running Events, Creating an Effective Com‐ munication Plan for Your Club and Events, and Refueling with Chocolate Milk, and more. “When you wear a USA jersey it’s not just about you,” said Meb Keflezighi, 2004 Olympic Marathon Silver Medalist, the Satur‐ day luncheon speaker at the convention who was in atten‐ dance to also pick up his 2012 Road Runner of the Year award for his outstanding performance in the 2012 Olympic Marathon with a forth place finish along with his win at the 2012 Olympic Trials ‐ Marathon. A non‐athlete, 92‐year‐old Chester Nez, last surviving, original, Navajo Code Talker from World War II, also provided moments of inspiration for convention attendees. Nez and 28 other Navajo Marines developed a code within their own language to aid the U.S. war effort against the Japanese. Brian “Iron Heart” Boyle was the Saturday evening keynote speaker. Boyle survived a horrific car accident to begin compet‐ ing in Ironman and marathon events only three years after leav‐ ing an intensive care unit. “Crossing that finish line was like being reborn,” said Boyle. Among those honored at the RRCA National Running Awards Banquet was Don Nelson, RRCA Florida ‐ South State Repre‐ sentative as the Outstanding State Representative of the Year.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2013 RRCA CONVENTION SPONSORS

GOLD LEVEL

Ashworth Awards • Leslie Jordan got chocolate milk? K&K and Star Insurance • RunSignUp.com

SILVER BRONZE LEVEL

Running Network • Nite Beams

LEVEL

ChronoTrack • Skechers • US Bank Albuquerque Roadrunners Club • Bloomsday Road Runners Club New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Sport Science• Road ID • Virtual Race Bags • iamAthlete Electric City Printing

RRCA Annual Report • 21

55th Annual RRCA Convention Recap

22 â&#x20AC;˘ RRCA Annual Report

RRCA National Running Award Winners Since 1971, the RRCA has honored dedicated individuals for their outstanding service to the RRCA and the sport of distance running. We are delighted to announce the 2014 RRCA Hall of Fame Inductees and the 2013 National Running Award recipients.

RRCA DISTANCE RUNNING HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Anne Audain

Audain was born November 1, 1955 in Auckland, New Zealand with severe bone deformities of both feet. She did not walk correctly until she had reconstructive surgery at age 13. Three years later, at age 16, she qualified for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games in the 1500 meters. A year later, at age 17, she finished 9th at the 1973 World Cross Country Championships. She also competed in the 1500 meters at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand, finishing 6th and top New Zealander in the final with a time of 4:21.1. At the 1976 Montreal Sum‐ mer Olympics, Audain competed in the women’s 800 and 1500 meters. Although she failed to get past the heats, she broke the New Zealand national record for the 1500 meters in her heat. Prior to the start of the 1980s, major track and field events did not include any women’s events longer than 1500 meters. This practice started to change early in the new decade, and in March 1982, Audain competed in her first 5000 meters race, breaking the world record. At the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane she won gold in the women’s 3000 meters in 8:45.53, a New Zealand national record. At the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Audain competed in the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon but failed to finish. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, she won a silver medal in the women’s 10,000 meters. In 1988, at her final Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, she placed 11th in the inaugural women’s 10,000 meters race, finishing in 32:10.47. During the 1980s, Audain won more American road races (75) than any other male or female runner, including 7 wins at the Lilac Bloomsday Run in the 80s and early 90s. In 1993 Audain founded the Idaho Women’s Fitness Cele‐ bration 5K, which is now the largest 5 kilometer race for women in the United States. Audain became an American citizen in 1995. That same year, she received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Award for her services to athletics. In 2000 she launched the Anne Audain Scholarship Awards. This scholarship pro‐ gram funds college scholarships for young women who seek to balance academics, sports, leadership and community endeavors in their daily life.

Ken Martin

Martin was born on September 10, 1958. He is an American long‐distance runner who was a two‐time United States National Champion in the Marathon. At the 1984 California Interna‐ tional Marathon, Martin set a course record with a time of 2:11:24. At the 1985 Pittsburgh Marathon, he competed alongside his wife at the time, Lisa Martin. Based on their perform‐ ance at the 1985 Pittsburgh Marathon, he and Lisa became the fastest married couple ever in a marathon, winning their respective divisions. Martin placed second in the 1989 New York City Marathon, finishing in 2:09:38 to Tanzania’s Juma Ikangaa’s 2:08:01. As of 2007, his finish time at the 1989 New York City Marathon was the fourth‐fastest marathon ever run by an American‐born athlete. Martin is now a 55‐year‐ old father of three living in Indiana. In 2010, he had a bout of Hodgkin lymphoma and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. It was, for the time, successfully treated with chemotherapy. Following the chemotherapy, Martin returned to his training, with the goal of setting a new male 50‐54 age group record in the mile. The non‐Hodgkin lym‐ phoma, however, took on a more aggressive form. Though he was “mad as hell at first” about the disruption in his running plans, he continued exercising, even during treatments for his lymphoma. During two six‐day rounds of chemotherapy, Martin brought a stationary bicycle into his hotel room and rode it 30‐minutes a day. “Cancer and the fatigue will wear you out, affect your mood and your ability to do stuff,” he said. Martin is interested in exploring whether exercise can improve the quality of life for patients like himself. There was little available research on this topic. Martin’s response was to create the Workout Cancer Research Fund to finance research on exercise’s impact on tumors and cancer treatments. Learn more about the WorkOut Can‐ cer Research Fund. RRCA Annual Report • 23

RRCA National Running Award Winners

OUTSTANDING CLUB PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR

Bonnie Sexton

Kalamazoo Area Runners

These days, it seems that Club Presidents must be experts in Race Management, Human Resources, Web Design, Fundraising, Accounting and Business Management. This year’s award winner is all that and more. This President has developed, and applied a high level of administrative and organizational management skills to the Kalamazoo Area Runners Club. Bonnie Sexton has been a tireless supporter of running for years. Under her direction the Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR) in Kalamazoo, MI, has grown to be the largest club in the state of Michigan. Every year they support the RRCA by hosting State, Regional, or National Championship RRCA races. Under her Presidency, the KAR have launched a successful “New Runner” running program and had Kalamazoo designated as a RRCA Runner Friendly Community. In her spare time, Bonnie is the race director of their new Winter Blast Half Marathon. Bonnie is also a “speedy” president. She finds time to race and often places in her age group. During her terms, the club has grown from 200 runners to 1261 current runners. The club has a marathon training program that has been underway for 10 years as well as a fast track 5k program for their new runners. She has overseen the addition of 10 new events, many featuring specific youth divisions. Also in support of kids running programs, the KAR have added a YMCA Kids Classic race. Weekly group runs have ex‐ panded exponentially and the club has worked with community groups and businesses to obtain dis‐ counts for its club members. Most significantly, Bonnie is a tireless promoter of the RRCA’s mission.

BROWNING ROSS SPIRIT OF THE RRCA

Louise Tinsley

Huntsville Track Club

The Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA Award was created to honor the memory of Brown‐ ing Ross, one of the founding members of the organization. The award is intended to honor a club member who may shy away from the spotlight, but still manage to champion the RRCA’s mission with unwavering enthusiasm. Those qualities perfectly embody this year’s winner, Louise Tinsley, who has tirelessly served the Huntsville (Ala.) Track Club since its inception in 1971. The wife of one of the RRCA’s Founders, Harold Tinsley, Louise has never held an elected title or formal position in the Huntsville Track Club. However, she has played an integral role in the club’s success. During her time with the club, Louise has handled logistics for all club correspondence, including the intricacies of bulk non‐profit mailing. She has managed the club’s membership roster, as well the Future Races section of the club’s newsletter, an effort that requires a tremendous amount of outreach and or‐ ganizational savvy. Additionally, Louise has typed all 212 issues of the HTC News, using an actual type‐ writer before word‐processors. Louise’s skills also served her well when she served with Harold as co‐race director for the Rocket City Marathon throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. At the national level, Louise also served as Harold’s unofficial RRCA Secretary when he was president of the organization from 1983‐86, managing the administration for 400+ clubs. Louise has made the RRCA a part of her daily life and her home club and the organization are much stronger as a result.

OUTSTANDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Sue Brown-Nickerson

Indiana State Rep

Sue Brown‐Nickerson has been an advocate for RRCA at the community, state, and na‐ tional level for over ten years. At the state level, Sue helped grow the RRCA State Cham‐ pionship Events, which included the: Veteran’s 5K in Columbia City, 10K Fort 4 Fitness in Fort Wayne, County Line Orchard 10 Miler in Hobart (directed by Sue), Carmel ½ Marathon 24 • RRCA Annual Report

RRCA National Running Award Winners in Carmel, Indianapolis Marathon in Indianapolis. She managed to be present for each of the State Championship Events, which helped her visit 19 RRCA clubs in 2013. During her visits, she shared an action template to help communities apply for the Runner Friendly Community designation. She also helped coordinate an RRCA Coaching Certification in Valparaiso, which sold out in just one day. Locally, Sue has been very active through her continued involvement with the Calumet Region Striders Youth Pro‐ gram. This year there were well over 50 kids from over four counties in Indiana. Along with the program, she also directed the annual FREE Hershey Meet, which enables kids the opportunity to try running track. Sue also managed to fit in coach‐ ing a beginner running program through a local running specialty store, Extra Mile Fitness Company. They received the RRCA Runner Friendly Business Award in 2013 from Sue. Even while doing all this, Sue still finds time to run races around the country. In 2013, Sue was also recognized by the Valparaiso Kiwanis Club as an Outstanding Community Volunteer.

OUTSTANDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Bill Werling

Peachtree City Running Club

A member of the Peachtree City Running Club (PTCRC) and a Charter member of the PTCRC 1000 Mile Club, Bill Werling embodies volunteerism both in his actions and attitude. For the PTCRC, Bill has served in multiple leadership roles: Administrative Vice President (2001‐2002), Activities VP (1995), Director of the Summer Track Series, and President (2009‐2010). In 2007, the reigning President awarded Bill the Extra Mile Award for his ability to go above and beyond in all aspects of his support for the running com‐ munity and the club. He twice received the RRCA Volunteer Service Award (1998, 2012) for logging over 1,000 hours as a volunteer and is the only member not to miss a single year earning the 1000 mile award. Bill also held the position of Assistant Cross‐Country Coach for Our Lady of Mercy High School from 2000‐2007. Bill’s leadership and passion for the sport and people enable numerous people to fall in love with running ‐ enabling a life time of activity and health conscience behaviors. He is always ready to lend a helping hand, tell a joke or give a word of encouragement. He is crowned the “Parking Czar” due to his numerous years of leading and executing parking logistics for almost every local race. This year Bill has volunteered at over sixty events, the next closest person in the club has eighteen. These activities include waking up at a very early hour to manage volunteers and park cars, leading and working high school and summer track events, arranging for and managing timing at club and non‐club local events. He is the heart of what a volunteer should be and serves as an example for all with whom he comes in contact.

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Grace Owen

Lakeland Runners Club

The Outstanding Youth Program Director award honors a club member who engages new runners through a community‐based initiative, a description that certainly befits Grace Owen of the Lakeland Runners Club (LRC) in Lakeland, FL. Grace is the director of the Lakeland Runners Club Kids Running Pro‐ gram and most deserving of the Outstanding Youth Program Director Award. For over two years, Grace could be found at the Lakeland High School track ever Tuesday night coaching, teaching and running along with kids from the local and surrounding communities. The program is open to everyone between the ages of five‐through‐twelve, no matter their ability level, and Grace does a wonderful job of teaching them the importance of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. From the opening warm‐ups to the unique water gun gauntlet cool down, Grace has captured the minds and hearts of her kids and they will run through walls for her. At the beginning of the program, there were 15‐20 kids at each week, but as word of mouth spread it grew and grew and grew. Now Grace av‐ erages over 70 kids each week and their enthusiasm has grown as much as their numbers. Parents tell us each week that their children can’t wait for Tuesday nights and are utterly disappointed on the weeks that the weather doesn’t co‐ operate. Grace has also worked with the LRC board and local race directors to get more kids races at shorter distances into our community. Lakeland’s running community continues to grow and Grace Owen is ensuring that the next gen‐ eration of runners will be better and smarter runners come their time to take the reins. RRCA Annual Report • 25

RRCA National Running Award Winners

ROAD RUNNERS OF THE YEAR

Mattie Suver

Open Female ‐ American Distance Project

Suver is a 26‐year‐old Wyoming native who trains with the American Distance Project in Colorado Springs, CO. In 2013 she was the Bronze Medalist at 2013 BUPA Edinburgh XC. She set three personal bests on the roads at 15K, at 25K, and at the half‐marathon national championships, finishing in the top five in all three races. During the year, she ran in 6 out of 11 the USA Running Circuit races, the most events run by a single female participant in the series. She placed high (2nd to 7th place) at each USARC event she ran including two events where she was the 2nd place female. She won the Great Cow Harbor 10K on Long Island. She placed 18th over all at NYC marathon and was the 3rd US Female finisher. For her outstanding performances in 2012 and 2013, Suver was selected to receive an RRCA Roads Schalor grant for 2013‐2014. She was also a RunPro Camp attendee in 2011.

Shadrack Biwott

Open Male ‐ Sacremento Running Association

Biwott was definitely a standout on the roads in 2013. The former University of Oregon All‐American started the year with a 3rd place finish at the Houston Half Marathon. He followed up that performance with a string of top finishes on the roads. He won the Bermuda Road Mile and 10K. He finished 2nd in the USA 20k Championships and placed 3rd in three other national championships: the USA Marathon Championships, the USA Half Marathon Championships and the USA 10k Championships. He finished 2nd in the .US National Road Racing Championships in Alexandria, Va. to claim the overall USA Running Circuit title.

Libby James

Masters Female ‐ Presented by Running Times Magazine

Don and Marian Lein review thousands of races annually, selecting quality performances to include in their database (generally only those that exceed 85% age grade*). At year’s end, they consolidate all results, compare runners’ performances and rank them in each age group. As a result of this effort, Libby James was the clear standout for 2013 with seven overall marks at four common distances (5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon) including three No. 1s. James didn't enter a race until age 40, refers to herself as a "plodder" and has never had a coach, but Libby James is one of the world's finest distance runners. Among masters athletes her performances are the best, bar none. James, who turned 77 in July, raced sparingly in 2013, as is her fashion. But when she did lace up her racing flats, the results were remarkable. And this year James did something new: She ran a race with the goal of setting a world record. Any anxieties she might have felt about a record attempt must have evaporated when the gun went off at the 2013 Disney World Half Marathon in Janu‐ ary, for James ran one of the best races of her life to finish in 1:45:52 (1:46:08 gun time). Her age‐graded score of 103.75 percent topped all other performances of 2013 of any age or gender. In the 5K James ran 23:55 at Freihofers Run for Women getting a 103.28% age graded performance. At the 10K, she ran 49:34 at the Double Road Race (103.69% age graded) and 50:39 at Bolder Boulder. Despite her ever‐increasing success as a master, James has kept a low profile in the sport and doesn't vary her routine too much. Thirty miles is a good weekly total for her these days, and most of it is run at a relatively easy, conversational pace. (Excerpt Courtesy of Running Times magazine – by John Kissane)

26 • RRCA Annual Report

RRCA National Running Award Winners

Kevin Castille

Masters Male ‐ Presented by Running Times Magazine

At 41 years of age, Kevin Castille has earned the spot as the top male masters runner in the US with six overall marks based on the Lein’s rankings, with two at No. 1. Every second, minute, month, and year Castille spends running now, he sets one American masters record after another‐‐in the 3,000, the 5,000, the 10,000 and the 10‐mile. For Castille, this is time reclaimed from the streets, where his 20s were lost to drug dealing and the resulting legal problems after being introduced to the business of selling crack cocaine by one of his track teammates in college. Following a storied and difficult road with his running along with a decade off from the sport, Castille has found his legs once again and is more focused on his training in recent years. This has led to his recent rise as one of the top masters runner in the US. In April, he improved upon his American masters record which was first set in 2012, running 28:53 in the 10,000 m. Kevin ran his marathon PR, a 2:20:58 at the Twin Cities Marathon in October, where he came in second in the masters category. He actually placed 21st overall at Twin Cities with a very competitive field of guys half his age. Kevin ran a 14:23 in the RJ Corman 5K earning a 95.6% age graded performance. He led the 10K ranking for his performances at the Crecent City Classic with a time of 29:38 along with a 29:41 at the Peachtree Road Race (both age graded above 96%). His half marathon time of 1:04:31 at the Garry Bjorklund Half earned him another age graded top finish at 96.36%. (Excerpt Courtesy of Running Times magazine – by Charles Beatha) *The performances are calculated using World Masters Association age‐grading tables, and include only results attained on USATF‐certified, non‐aided courses. Don and Marian Lein continue to collect results and calculate masters rankings that appear on runningtimes.com/masters‐rankings.

Jeff Glasbrenner

Challenged Athlete of the Year ‐ Little Rock Road Runners Club

Jeff has never taken a childhood farming accident that cost him a leg below the knee as a setback. Instead, he made the best of it, calling it his greatest opportunity. Jeff is a three‐time Paralympian and has completed 20 Ironmans, but what makes Jeff special is his positive attitude and want to help others. In 2013, while running the Boston Marathon, and he had problems with his amputated leg. Later he would say that was the best thing that could have happened to him. Had his leg not given him problems, his finish time likely would have put him very close to the explosions. Jeff has always inspired others in the Arkansas running community by speaking and helping them along. He released an au‐ tobiography this year “The Gift of a Day” and it told the story of a person that was on a mission not to be defined by his phys‐ ical limitation, but to use them as motivation. He has helped two other challenged athletes in Arkansas qualify for Boston and they will all be there for the race in 2014. Neither of them can thank Jeff enough for his wisdom, as seeking counsel for them isn’t as simple as walking into a running shoe store. Jeff’s willingness to so openly share his experience and advice is a tremendously positive force. Jeff’s fellow club members at the Little Rock Road Runners Club all speak glowingly of him. Some have decided to run for his team at the Little Rock Marathon to raise awareness and to do their part in carrying his inspirational message forward. One of them commented “we need more people like him that are willing not only to be great athletes in the face of adversity, but also challenge everyone to rise to the occasion and make it happen.” Jeff likes to say we all have a disability; it's just that everyone can see his.

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS

OUTSTANDING P N Miles and Minutes

RINT

EWSLETTER

Edward Kelleher, Editor • Richmond Road Runners Club – Richmond, VA

RRCA Annual Report • 27

RRCA National Running Award Winners

OUTSTANDING E-N EWSLETTER

Omaha Running Club Newsletter

John Fey, Editor • Omaha Running Club – Omaha, NE

OUTSTANDING C W Y OUTSTANDING J E LUB

Marty Williams

RITER OF THE

EAR

Second Wind Running Club – Champaign-Urbana, IL

OURNALISM

John Hunt

XCELLENCE

Chattanooga Track Club – Chattanooga, TN

OUTSTANDING W www.brrc.com

EBSITE

Baltimore Road Runners Club

OUTSTANDING B R P EGINNING

UNNING

ROGRAM

San Antonio Road Runners Beginning Running Program

While there is something special about the persistence, resiliency and passion it takes to become an ac‐ complished road racer, there is something particularly meaningful about being able to bring others into the sport. Scott Peacock of the San Antonio Road Runners (SARR) has taken the initiative to become a certified coach and develop training programs designed to introduce new members to an enjoyable lifestyle of running for health and fitness. As a result of his passion and enthusiasm, his club, SARR has experienced tremendous growth in new members. Furthermore, his efforts have inspired current members to also become certified coaches to further growing the club. The training programs add value to membership in the San Antonio Road Runners, which now offers training programs for beginners, 5 and 10K runners, and even for half and full marathon participants. In turn, these programs have helped SARR attract new club officers, increase the volunteer base, and grow event participation, all the hallmarks of a successful beginning running program.

28 • RRCA Annual Report

RRCA National Running Award Winners

OUTSTANDING R R Y OAD

ACE OF THE

EAR

Great Cranberry Island 50K Ultra Marathon

Great Cranberry Island - ME The Great Cranberry Island 50K Ultra Marathon was hosted by Crow Athletics, under the leadership of Co‐Race Directors Gary Allen and Mary Ropp on July 27, 2013, serving as the RRCA National Ultra Marathon Championship. The race was held on an off‐ shore Maine island. Great Cranberry Island (GCI) is located off of world‐famous Mount Desert Island that is home to fewer than 30 year‐round residents, though the summer community boosts that number to 300+. There are several small businesses and a museum located on the island, which was originally settled in the 1600's. All race materials are barged by boat, and runners com‐ mute via ferry. Runners and their gear are shuttled by local residents from the town dock, to the start/finish area located in front of the church and firehouse. The course followed a series of out‐and‐backs along the only paved road, which stretches the length of the 2‐mile island. The names and hometowns of all participants were made into signs that lined the phone polls, along with 100+ inspirational quotes. Runners were invited to take their name signs and any quotes that might have helped them during the day. Lobster claw belt buckles (by Ashworth Awards) and smooth, native beach stones were awarded to all finishers. A traditional Maine lobster bake followed the conclusion of the run, and the postrace party went long into the night. Participants were invited to camp on the town's field the night after the race. (Some even rent houses and stay for the week!) The morning after there was a breakfast buffet hosted by, and to benefit the GCI Ladies Aid Society, after which most runners returned to Mount Desert Island by ferry, perhaps a little sore from the race, but smiling from the experience.

THANK YOU TO SELECTION PANEL VOLUNTEERS The RRCA thanks the following individuals for serving on the various award selection panels. Each selection panel includes RRCA members from around the country. Thank you to: Mitch Garner, Brent Ayer, Creigh Kelley, Don Kar‐ dong, Doug Kurtis, Frank Shorter, Jacqueline Hansen, Jim Oaks, Joan Samuelson, Kim Jones, Lisa Rainsberger, Steve Spence, Simone Adair, Chip Allman, Brent Ayer, Ken Bendy; Betsy Boudreaux, Chris Burch, Gary Corbit, David Cotter, Larry Eder, Dan Edwards, John Farrow, Tony Flesch, Kathryn Gleghorn, Mark Grandonico, Larry Eder, Johnathon Beverly, Don Lein, Jean Knaack, Lena Hollmann, Dan Kesterson, Tom Kramer, Blaine Moore, Sheri‐ lyn Johnson, Mark Miller, Gary Morgan, Bee McLeod, Doug Pitchford, Beth Onines, Bailey Penzotti, George Rehmet, Kelly Richards, Lisa Rippe, Goody Tyler, Mariska van Rooden and Mark Ward. Thank you to RRCA Program Coordinator Andy Smith for coordinating the selection process.

RRCA Annual Report • 29

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

For over three decades, the RRCA State Representatives (State Reps) have served as ambassadors for the organization by providing a physical presence in each state for the RRCA. State Reps promote our programs and services to clubs and events in their home state. State Reps assist the National Office and the RRCA Board in carrying out the mission, vision and values of the organization. State Reps monitor trends and issues at the state and local level and report them to the National Office. In addition they promote membership in local clubs and recruit unaffiliated clubs, events, corporate supporters and individual members. Learn more about the State Reps, including their contact information and bios, at www.RRCA.org/about/ The RRCA would like to thank the following individuals for volunteering in their free time to help promote the mission of the organization and the sport of distance running. Alabama State Rep: Ron Macksoud Alaska State Rep: Steve Bainbridge

In 2013, there were five RRCA Championships, includ‐ ing 1 National Championship, hosted by five different member clubs in Alabama. I attended and competed in Woodstock 5K and Kaiser Realty Coastal Half Marathon and presented the championship awards for those events. The following RRCA Championships were held in Alabama: • RED NOSE 10 MILE RUN, Homewood, January 12 • SWAMPERS 5K, Muscle Shoals, April 27 • WOODSTOCK 5K, Anniston, August 3 (National Championship) • VULCAN RUN 10K, Birmingham, November 2 • KAISER REALTY COASTAL HALF MARATHON, Orange Beach, November 30 I participated in the 55th Annual RRCA Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 2‐5, marking the 15th convention I have attended, including the last 11. I served on two RRCA Committees: 2013 RRCA Of‐ ficer and Director Nominating Committee and 2012 RRCA State Representative of the Year. Three com‐ prehensive Alabama State Representative Newslet‐ ters were sent to numerous key Alabama RRCA club contacts via email. Finally, the YMCA Day Camp/Gads‐ den Runners Club Youth Division Club in Gadsden, AL received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. 30 • RRCA Annual Report

Arizona State Rep: Randy Accetta Arizona hosted two State Champi‐ onships in 2013, the TMC Meet me Downtown 5K Night/Run Walk, which will serve as a National Champi‐ onship in 2014, and the TMC Get Mov‐ ing Tucson Half Marathon.

Arkansas State Rep: David Meroney I continue to enjoy being the Arkansas State Rep, which means I am part of the wonderful community of runners and supporters from all over the state. This year, I organized and promoted the Arkansas Grand Prix race series, a state‐wide, year‐long com‐ petition for individuals as well as RRCA clubs. At the completion of a season, I award plaques and gift cer‐ tificates to top finishers in Overall, Masters, Grand Masters, Seniors, age groups, and team categories. I attended every RRCA championship race in the state including the Go! Mile and Chile Pepper XC 10K re‐ gional championships. I promote RRCA races on the Arkansas RRCA Facebook page, Twitter, FourSquare, and State Rep blog. Throughout the year I have attended and spoke at meetings for Western Arkansas Runners, Arkansas Running Klub, Cabot Country Cruisers, Saline County Striders, and Arkansas Ultra Runners Association. Ad‐ ditionally, I promoted National RRCA topics and com‐ munications, working with City of Little Rock and encouraging other cities to apply for Runner Friendly communities.

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

I also worked to add RRCA clubs in Arkansas such as the Pine Bluff Running Club and the Little Rock chapter of Black Girls Run! and continue to work with running groups in other communities to possibly form RRCA clubs. I hosted the end‐of‐the‐ year Arkansas RRCA awards which are determined by nominations and then popular vote. Recipients were introduced and presented with a plaque. This year, I requested, scheduled, and hosted a RRCA coaching certification course; Arkansans took every seat except one. I’m also excited to share that Kids Run/Walk Arkansas, a youth running program in Conway, AR where highly‐qualified Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center staff members train and equip physical education teachers and parent volun‐ teers in schools to implement the proven Kids Run The Nation running and educational curriculum in be‐ fore and after‐school programs, received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation Grant. California – East State Rep: Simone Adair I’d like to thank all of my clubs for their amazing con‐ tributions to the RRCA. I had a great time meeting new folks, seeing old friends and running in club‐ sponsored races. My 2013 highlights include traveling around the state of California to different races and meeting new members. I had a great time once again working at the RRCA Info Booth at the Kaiser Perma‐ nente San Francisco Half Marathon (Western Re‐ gional Championship). I always enjoy partnering up with my fellow State Rep George Rehmet and West‐ ern Region Director Bailey Penzotti. We worked to‐ gether at both the KPSF Half and the RRCA National Championship at the Napa Marathon. We also held our State Club meeting at Napa. The best part of being an RRCA State Rep is vis‐ iting clubs, presenting plaques to outstanding volun‐ teers, helping with races and answering the myriad of questions club officers may have. I look forward to 2014 where I already have a slate of activities com‐ ing up in my calendar. California ‐ Coastal State Rep: George Rehmet If I had to sum up 2013, it would be TRAVEL! I had the honor and pleasure of traveling around California and the United States to help promote the RRCA. In fact I ran in 5 of the 6 RRCA National Championship races and helped at 4 of these races. In March at the Napa Valley Marathon, a national RRCA championship, I as‐ sisted RRCA President Dave Cotter, Executive Direc‐ tor Jean Knaack, and RRCA Western Regional

Director Bailey Penzotti with the awards. The next month at the Presidio 10, another na‐ tional RRCA championship, I assisted the race direc‐ tors with the awards. I managed the RRCA booth there as well. I was honored to introduce and pres‐ ent Meb with RRCA Male Runner of the Year at this year’s RRCA National Convention in Albuquerque. I also headed the committee to select the RRCA Vol‐ unteer of the Year and donated many items for the silent auction for the State Reps. In late July, I trav‐ eled to Maine for the RRCA National Ultra Champi‐ onship, the Great Cranberry Island 50K. Along with Maine RRCA State Representative Blaine Moore, we presented awards to the winners. Special thanks to Blaine for driving me around and providing accom‐ modations. A week later, Georgia State Representa‐ tive Mark Ward picked me up in Atlanta and we drove to Anniston, Alabama for the Woodstock 5K. Meeting up with Alabama State Representative Ron Maksoud, we helped present awards to the winners. In March, I traveled down south for the Los An‐ geles Marathon and met up with Southern California State Representative Jacqueline Britton. She was gracious enough to show me around with her club, the LA Leggers. In October, we would meet up again when Jacqueline traveled up to San Francisco for the Nike’s Women’s Marathon. Along with Simone Adair, we hosted the RRCA state clubs meeting at the Napa Valley Marathon. I traveled several hours south to Morro Bay and presented commendation to the San Luis Distance Club for its 40th anniversary. Despite this busy schedule, I managed to send out four quarterly newsletters to my clubs and also talked or visited with a variety of clubs and individuals about running issues. After driving 6 hours, I finally visited my most northern club. – the Mt. Shasta Run‐ ners. Regrettably, I will be unable to join you at the RRCA convention this year as my daughter is gradu‐ ating from high school and I do not want to miss any of her final school activities. Many thanks for the RRCA Annual Report • 31

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report RRCA Board Members, State Representatives, and race directors for their support. California ‐ South State Rep: Jackie Britton In May 2013, I attended the RRCA Convention in Al‐ buquerque, NM. One of the sessions that impacted me was the express CPR/First Aid class. After leaving the Convention, a small committee from the LA Leg‐ gers Board of Directors got together to plan two CPR/First Aid classes for our mentors. We had ap‐ proximately 50 mentors and board members regis‐ tered for the classes. The sessions were informative and hands on. The classes were a success and mem‐ bers received CPR/First Aid Certification. I wrote about the CPR/First Aid session in my newsletter, because I wanted to encourage RRCA clubs and events to consider conducting a session for interested leaders in their group. The information is helpful and we never know when we will have to ad‐ minister first aid or CPR. It was also exciting that Birney Running Club and Jackie Kids Run the Nation (a different Jackie!), youth running programs in San Diego, CA and Clover Quick Feet, and Torres Running Club youth running pro‐ grams in Los Angeles, CA received 2013 Kids Run the Nation grants. In August 2013, Bailey Penzotti, Western Region Director, and I volunteered at Bulldog 50K and 25K Trail Run, which is a State Championship Race. “The challenging and popular Bulldog runs consist of two races – the 50K Ultra Run and the 25K Trail Run, which are conducted simultaneously.” The winner of the 50K was Ricardo Ramirez with a time of 3:53:09. The sold out event was a success. Nancy and the Ladies Ultra did a fantastic job. Colorado State Rep:

Marathon in Colorado Springs, the Snowman Stam‐ pede in Littleton, and the Greenland Trail 50K in Lark‐ spur. Colorado also hosted a Western Regional Championship in 2013, the Stapleton Central Park XC in Denver. Connecticut State Rep: Art Byram Connecticut hosted one State Championship in 2013, the ING Harftord Marathon. Delaware State Rep: Ray Christensen Delaware has continued slow improvement of our running clubs establishing bonds between them. Again, we have five RRCA member clubs in the state, ranging from 40 to 220 members each. In 2013 I only maintained email correspondence with most. Race management companies organize the vast majority of races, so clubs aren't as visible to race participants. We held the second “Club Challenge” race where the 4 largest Delaware clubs (all RRCA mem‐ bers) competed against each other using age‐ graded scoring on a 5K cross country course. The friendly competition helped internal club spirit and the social afterwards helped build bonds between the clubs. We even added a charity element, by ac‐ cepting food donations. There were four State Championships in Delaware in 2013, the Citizens Bank Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, the Delaware Marathon and the E‐ Racing the Blues 50K in Wilmington, and the Nun Run 5K in Newark. As Race Director of Nun Run 5K for the fourth year, it was again a Championship Race, grow‐ ing to 500 participants. I’m Past‐President of Pike Creek Valley Running Club and helped membership growth continue. We're getting more members involved in club admin‐ istration to continue growth. With 145 current house‐ holds, our Wilmington area club should potentially include over 300. We've increased sponsorship and now have more funds to use for programs. Our most successful club program was a “Couch to 5K” where over 20 participants were motivated and led through 10 weekly group runs, culminizing in all of them par‐ ticipating in our Delaware Distance Classic 5K in Oc‐ tober. We'll do that program again in 2014 and have identified areas to improve. Our main club sponsor assisted with publicity and coordination. District of Columbia State Rep: Goody Tyler See report under Virginia

Colorado hosted four State Championships in 2013, the American Trail Discovery Marathon, and Half 32 • RRCA Annual Report

Florida (North) State Rep: Todd Neville (Outgoing)

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report Bryan Graydon (Incoming) Florida – South State Rep: Don Nelson (Outstanding State Rep of the Year) We have over 50 RRCA clubs in South Florida. I try to communicate with all of these clubs, and ask them to communicate with each other. In December, two Florida areas, South Lake and Sarasota were desig‐ nated as RRCA Runner Friendly Communities. Once again we had Championship events on both coasts, with the first being Sharks Tooth 10K in Sarasota in April. The New Suncoast Foundation, Inc, did a great job putting on this event. The next RRCA Florida State Championship was the Fire Fighters 5K, by the Gold Coast Runners on September 8. As al‐ ways, they did a wonderful job. I was pleased that the Space Coast Half Marathon was awarded the RRCA Southern Region Championship this year. The Space Coast Marathon was the RRCA Florida State Championship. Both races were held on December 1 and hosted by the Space Coast Runners Club, one of the oldest running clubs in Florida. Space Coast is also the oldest marathon in Florida.

the Carpet City 10 Miler. I had planned to run it too, but the weather was too rainy and cold on race day. I sent out four newsletters in 2013, and email communications to the clubs whenever there were RRCA issues that warranted immediate attention. I also used Facebook to promote RRCA and Georgia RRCA. I managed to gain several new contacts and new clubs looking to join RRCA, whether it was for a club or an event. This year was busier than in the past! I was the key RRCA Rep working with the Na‐ tional Office to make improvements to how we con‐ duct the State Rep Silent Auction. We looked at everything from the donation form to the closing time. The 2013 Silent Auction was again a huge suc‐ cess, and I am hoping 2014 will be even better. I plan to attend the convention in 2014 and will then again take the leadership role in the Silent Auction. I worked hard this year to establish a couple of new clubs in the state, by attending some new kick‐ offs and answering questions as I could. I also had the pleasure of assisting a couple of Georgia clubs in expanding their presence within their local run‐ ning communities.

Georgia State Rep: Mark Ward Hawaii State Rep: Joan Davis (Outgoing) Ron Alford (Incoming) Hawaii hosted three State Championships in 2013, the Aloha State Games, the Tantalus 10 Miler and the S.A.M’s 5K, all in Honolulu. Hawaii also hosted a Western Regional Championship in 2013, the Johnny Faerber 10K in Honolulu. The Pomaika’i Running Club in Kahului, HI, a youth running pro‐ gram that serves over 50 children ages 5‐10, with the goal of preparing them to run the Maui 5K, re‐ ceived a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant.

After six years as the Georgia RRCA State Rep I am stepping down to allow a fresh new perspective. Mariska Van Rooden will take over effective Janu‐ ary1, 2014. She will bring a lot of energy and dedica‐ tion to the running community. We had five RRCA State Championships in Geor‐ gia in 2013: The Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, the Soldier Half Marathon, the New Hope Harvest 5K, the Peachtree City 15K classic, and the Carpet City 10 Miler. Carpet City was a State Championship for the 6th straight year. Also, the Sickle Cell 7K was a Southern Region Championship, in the “odd dis‐ tance” category. I attended and ran the Soldier Marathon and the Sickle Cell 7K, and I also attended

Idaho & Nevada State Rep: Steve Thornock I continue writing our quarterly Nevada/Idaho State Rep Email Newsletter each month and enjoy feed‐ back from them. Our 800+ member Las Vegas Track Club, of which I was President from 2007 through 2012, host roughly 20 RRCA Races each year. Ending my five‐year 'run' as president has allowed me to run much more in 2013 even winning the LVTC Award for Most Improved Runner of the Year. Our Nonprofit RRCA club continues giving away annual Scholar‐ ships to our worthy high school graduates, $13,000 in 2013 ($112,000 since 2001 inception) with another $38,000 given to local school's cross country teams. We still make donations to other charities such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Chef's for Kids, Little People of RRCA Annual Report • 33

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

America and Spirit Therapies of around $10,000 last year. I was also the Race Director once again for 2012's National RUN A MILE Day Race at Hyde Park Middle School (home to our Las Vegas Jr. Track Club). This 30 week long after school running club based on the Kids Run the Nation idea AND the National RUN A MILE Day Race are FREE to all kids thanks to our Las Vegas Track Club. Our Hyde Park Middle School kids ran 1,653 miles last school year! We also added a second middle school at the end of the 2013 school year, Jerome Mack Middle School. This school is in a low income neighborhood which made volunteering there each week even more re‐ warding. We also hosted an additional National RUN A MILE Day Run at this school complete with Pizza Party and prizes to all the 50 kids who attended! We even kicked off the 2013/2014 school year by hosting Kids Run@School Day! I struggle to get nominations in our 11 Cate‐ gories from all our Nevada and Idaho RRCA Clubs for our RRCA State Level Awards each year. I keep nom‐ inations open until our RRCA State Meeting in De‐ cember with RRCA State Level Certificates to be given away at the following year's RRCA National Convention when we break up into our Regional Meetings hosted by our Western Director, Bailey Penzotti. Those not in attendance will receive their Certificates in the mail with the postmark from the National Convention city. This year will be my sev‐ enth consecutive RRCA National Convention. With so much NEW information learned each year to take back to both of my Las Vegas Jr. Track Club as well as all our Nevada/Idaho Clubs now that I've been State Rep these past several years, I can't imagine myself ever missing one! I was able to get one more shoe store to place our RRCA's Runner Friendly Business sticker in their window this past year. Please contact me before visiting Las Vegas if you'd like to run with us while you are here. Lastly, if you haven't taken advantage of the all FREE social media out there, it's never too late to start. Facebook, Twitter, Meetup Group and others get your club's name out there to friends of friends. Illinois State Rep: Doug Pitchford This was my first year are Illinois State Representa‐ tive and while I accomplished some of my objectives, I plan to complete them all during 2014. I had 4 major goals this year: to learn about the RRCA and what it offers to clubs and individual runners; to learn about 34 • RRCA Annual Report

and interact with the 43 clubs in our state; to encour‐ age more state Championship races and to search out other groups to join the RRCA. Illinois hosted four championship races this past year, including the Route 66 10k, which was a Central Region Championship event, the Alpine Runners Half Marathon, Dads Day 5k, and the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon. The Illinois Marathon is the largest run‐ ning event in the state after the Chicago Marathon and Race Director Jan Seeley graciously allowed us to set up an RRCA booth at their expo. Regional Di‐ rector Beth Onines joined me in promoting our or‐ ganization to the approximately 20,000 visitors. I set up a map showing the locations of our 45 state clubs, which attracted a lot of attention from members and prospective members. We gave out RRCA informa‐ tion and answered many questions about what we offer to the running community. We met with many RRCA members from clubs throughout Illinois includ‐ ing the Springfield Running Club, Second Wind Club Running Club and the Kennekuk Road Runners. The Nelson Navigators Run for Fun, in Galesburg, IL and the Ontarioville Owls, in Hanover Park, IL each received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grants. What an exciting time to be running, especially in Illinois where we have the four seasons, great natural beauty, great places to run, and many RRCA clubs and members to run with! Indiana State Rep: Sue Brown‐Nickerson Indiana had 19 RRCA clubs in 2013 and hosted several RRCA state championships • 5K Veterans Marathon 5k • 10K Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon, Fort Wayne, Indiana • 10M County Line Orchard 10miler • 13.1 Carmel Half‐Marathon, Carmel, IN • 26.2 Indianapolis Marathon

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

active youth coach for AAU & USTAF, Indiana Cal Striders and a volunteer coach for Extra Mile Fitness Company Adult Beginner Runner Programs.

I personally visited four state championships: County Line 10miler in Hobart, IN, Veterans 5k in Columbia City, Indiana, Carmel Half Marathon in Carmel, Indi‐ ana; and the Indianapolis Marathon. Spring 2013, Indiana RRCA assisted Extra Mile Fit‐ ness Company of Valparaiso Indiana with their first RRCA Coaching Clinic application and the course cer‐ tification process. Summer 2013, Indiana RRCA vis‐ ited Extra Mile Fitness Company of Valparaiso, Indiana, and designed and presented them with a plaque designating them a RRCA Runner Friendly Business for all they do and offer in the local commu‐ nity for athletes, and event directors. Also in 2013, the Esperanza Eagles, a youth running program in Green‐ wood, IN, received a Kids Run the Nation grant. Indiana RRCA developed its own action plan/template, and shared with clubs, to assist community committees get organized and started while considering application for Outstanding Run‐ ner Friendly Community. (Attached) Assisted Val‐ paraiso, Indiana Committee with start up ‐ project still in process. Indiana RRCA attended NW Indiana’s Race Di‐ rector Meeting consisting of approximately 30 race directors promoting RRCA’s programs, services, and benefits such as the new race director certification course, review of championship series process, na‐ tional awards process, volunteer recognition, runner friendly community overview, and available re‐ sources on RRCA website. Outside of the RRCA in 2013, I received 2013 Ki‐ wanis Outstanding Community Volunteer, assisted with many youth running events, including hosting a free local Hersheys Track & Field meet. I was also an

Iowa State Rep: Chris Burch Greetings from Iowa! I am proud to serve as the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) State Rep‐ resentative for Iowa. I have attended 5 RRCA con‐ ventions and plan to attend Washington in 2014. Of course, I am excited to host you at the National Convention in Des Moines, IA April 23 – 27, 2015. The National Convention coincides with the Drake Relays and conference attendees will be given the opportunity to officially participate in the 105th run‐ ning of the Relays.There are currently 14 RRCA member clubs/events in Iowa. Member races con‐ tinue to flourish with Dam to Dam having more than 7,100 finishers. The DAM race, celebrating 35 years, will change from the nation’s largest 20K to a half marathon this year in order to accommodate growth and a number of different events in Des Moines race weekend. The Capital Pursuit celebrated 31 years of rac‐ ing. Put on by the Capital Striders, RRCA member club in Des Moines, the race also hosted the RRCA State Championship in the 10 Mile distance. More than 450 athletes competed in the 10 Mile race with Luke Demmel crossing the line in 54:12 and Stephanie Mortenson not far behind with a time of 1:05:09. Des Moines hosted a RRCA Coaching Certification class this past year were on hand from 11 different states. It is the second time I have had an opportunity to attend the Coaching Certifi‐ cation class and strongly recommend it to anyone who comes into contact with runners and/or run‐ ning clubs. The information is quite helpful.Des Moines was also honored to receive the Outstand‐ ing Running Friendly Community in America last year. New trails are constantly being added across the state of Iowa allowing runners and recreation‐ alists of all types the opportunity to stay con‐ nected. Governor Terry Brandstad has issued a proclamation to make Iowa the Healthiest State in the nation in 2013. I look forward to another year of state repre‐ sentation for Iowa and the member clubs of the RRCA. My goal is work with each member club to further their awareness of the benefits available to them through RRCA and to answer any questions that potential running clubs/events may have for the RRCA. RRCA Annual Report • 35

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

Kansas State Rep: Michael Pfannenstiel Kansas hosted four State Championships in 2013, the Run for Life and Miracle on Kansas Avenue Rescue Run in Topeka and the Prairie Fire Spring Half Marathon and Prairie Fire Wichita Marathon in Wichita. Kentucky State Rep: Donna England I am staying in contact with RRCA clubs on a per‐ sonal basis, attend club meetings when possible, stay in touch through social media, and try to pass any information along to the clubs as it becomes available to me. I am currently encouraging some clubs to bid on state championship races, for example the Hatfield‐ McCoy Marathon or Half Marathon. In February, I will be attending a racing event hosted by the Tug Valley Road Runners, to talk about the RRCA Coaching Cer‐ tification Course, and promote the benefits of run‐ ning and walking related sports. Since being appointed to the RRCA, I have been able to attend two Conventions, and will attend more in the future. The running communities in my state have grown by leaps and bounds, but getting them to join the RRCA is a challenge that I will con‐ tinue to work on. I am looking for bigger and better things to come in the future for the RRCA in the State of Kentucky. Louisiana State Rep: Betsy Boudreaux Our Louisiana RRCA clubs and event members were quite busy in 2013! I was able to travel to each of the State Championship events and even ran most of them! Our state held championship races in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Mandeville, Manchac and Norco. The Armadillo Dash hosted by New Orleans Run‐ ning Systems served as the cross country champi‐ onship and overall winners were Ian Carr & Caroline Smith. The Twilight Classic hosted by Club South Run‐ ners served as the 5k championship and overall win‐ ners were Will Shefftall & Kati Roethele. The Four on the Fourth hosted by 15th Street Flyers served as state championship and overall winners were Ian Carr & Katherine Telfeyer. The Cajun Cup 10k hosted by Cajun Road Run‐ ners Club served as state championship and overall winners were Jarrett Leblanc & Laura Carleton. The Middendorf’s Race hosted by New Orleans Running Systems served as the 10 mile championship and overall winners were Ian Carr & Caroline Smith. In ad‐ 36 • RRCA Annual Report

dition to attending each of the championship races held in our state I was able to travel to other cities and run races in Houma, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Manchac, Mandeville and New Orleans. 2014 looks to be an impressive year of championship races in Louisiana and will even include the National 10k Championship event in November at Cajun Cup 10k in Lafayette! The RRCA Convention in Albuquerque, NM was my 9th convention as State Rep and it proved to be another valuable learning tool. This year I was joined by several members of running clubs in Louisiana and hopefully they were able to take back some of the information gathered from other running club mem‐ bers and vendors that attended. I was fortunate again to be able to contribute numerous items do‐ nated from running clubs & running specialty stores in Louisiana towards the silent auction held annually. Complimentary race entries, running club logo mer‐ chandise and Cajun cuisine gift baskets were all auc‐ tioned off at the convention. Once again a RRCA Certified Coaching class was held in New Orleans and sold out almost as soon as it was announced! Our list of certified coaches found in Louisiana also continues to grow and RRCA run‐ ning coaches can be found from Raceland to Ruston, Slidell to Shreveport and all points in between! It was also exciting that the YMCA Club South Youth Runners Program in Baton Rouge, LA received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. Our list of RRCA clubs and event groups in Louisiana also continues to grow and now includes a youth running group in Baton Rouge and beginners running group in New Orleans. Anyone travelling to our state for business or pleasure can easily find a running club, training group or road race just about in any city on any given day. It’s a great time to be a runner in Louisiana! Maine State Rep: Blaine Moore Running in Maine in 2013 was quite strong. Maine offers runners something to do almost every week‐ end throughout the year with a snowshoe series and a small handful of races in the winter months and a strong slate of road and trail races the rest of the year. Participation continues to climb and races continue to sell out early. This has become an unstoppable trend for most events that have been around for more than a few years and even some younger events are beginning to sell out early. There were six championship events in Maine

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

this year. The Maine Track Club hosted the 5K and Half Marathon State Championship and the 10 Mile Regional Championship races, Crow Athletics hosted the Marathon Regional Championship and Ultramarathon National Championship races, 3C Race Productions hosted the 5k State Champi‐ onship race. In 2014, Maine has 4 state championships scheduled. The 10 Mile championship will be the Mid‐Winter 10 Mile Classic in Cape Elizabeth on Feb‐ ruary 2nd, the 5k championship will be the Maine Track Club Turkey Trot on November 24th, the Maine Half Marathon on October 5th, and the MDI Marathon on October 19th. Maryland State Rep: Dwight Mikulis I took over the MD Representative position on Jan‐ uary 1st and dove right in. My goal in 2013 was to spend time with each of the presidents and their boards of the major running clubs. I facilitated the half day strategy meeting at MCRRC (4000+ mem‐ bers) in February and attended regular board meet‐ ings for the following clubs: Annapolis Striders Baltimore Road Runners Frederick Steeplechasers Howard County Striders (HCS) Kent Island Running Group Montgomery County Road Runners Club Prince Georges Running Club Renaissance Allsports Running Club (RASAC) I think that I’m much more productive in at‐ tending board meetings over standing around at certain club races. So far, every visit has been con‐ structive and feedback on my attendance has been positive. I held 2 meetings, a quick one after our multi‐club 10 Mile challenge race where we cover our own Maryland Grand Prix series and our sup‐ port of the WDF races along with awards for the club winners of the Challenge. The second meeting was a half day workshop and I invited all the boards of the 10 or so major clubs. We had about 30 peo‐ ple attend and we cover club operations, changes in races like security after Boston and other impor‐ tant items. We will do this again in 2014. I attended the National convention and con‐ tributed to the Silent Auction. While at the conven‐ tion, I taught one of the workshops on guidelines for Presidents and a planning tool when reviewing

board events. I also wrote an article for the Inside Track that seemed to be well received. During the year I handled several request for individual event insurance along with general race questions. As a former President of HCS, I had sig‐ nificant experience in race management and train‐ ing programs which has been helpful in working with the clubs. Also, I coordinated with Jessica Stern from HCS to put on the RRCA Coach Clinic in May for multiple MD clubs. Patterson Park Running Club, in Baltimore, MD, during where during a ten‐week program, stu‐ dents will explore the benefits of running, physical fitness and healthy lifestyle choices, also focusing on issues such as improvement in body image, eat‐ ing attitudes and self‐esteem, received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. Massachusetts State Rep: John Childs

In 2013, Massachusetts hosted one Eastern Re‐ gional Championship, the Wicked Frosty Four in Salem. We also hosted a coaching certification course. I attended the convention in Albuquerque. RRCA events have risen in Massachusetts for the past several years. We will host a regional 5 mile Championship in 2014. I’m stepping down as the Massachusetts State Representative effective 12/31/13. I would suggest that a club leader be iden‐ tified to assume the role to increase club engage‐ ment with RRCA. Stephen Viegas assumed the role in February. SPR Kids, in Somerville, MA, a free, community based and non‐competitive youth running program with and on participation, developing a healthy lifestyle, and having fun received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. Michigan State Rep: Gary Morgan It was another great year of running in Michigan. RRCA Annual Report • 37

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report Clubs are phenomenal about continuing to put on Championship races in this state. Michigan RRCA clubs put on eight Championship events. It’s a real testimony to their loyalty and commitment to run‐ ning and RRCA. • Kal‐Haven State trail ultra, Kalamazoo Area Runners, • Winter Blast, state half marathon, Kalamazoo Area Runners, • Dexter to Ann Arbor, Regional half marathon, Ann Arbor Track Club, • Kalamazoo Classic 10k, Regional 10k, Kalamazoo Area Runners • Kalamazoo Classic 5k, state 5k, Kalamazoo Area Runners • Kayla O'Mara Memorial 10k, State 10k, Kayla O'Mara Memorial Fund • Milford Labor Day 30k, Regional 30k, Huron Valley Runners • Kensington Challenge 15k, State 15k, Ann Arbor Track Club Kalamazoo Area Runners helped Kalamazoo be‐ come an RRCA Runner Friendly Community. They have the largest club in the state with over 1,000 run‐ ners. They are continuously starting new running programs for kids and adults. Ann Arbor Track club has a great youth and masters contingent that is competing in USATF and AAU championship events. Ann Arbor Track Club will be hosting its first RRCA National Championship event in 2014, The 41st Dex‐ ter to Ann Arbor Half Marathon run. Ann Arbor Track Club also hosted an RRCA coaching clinic where over 30 people attended along with legendary Frank Shorter. I attended the coaching clinic and I'm now an RRCA certified coach. Kids Run the Nation ‐ Saginaw, a youth running program in Saginaw, MI and Cavanaugh Kids Run, a youth running program in Lansing, MI each received 2013 Kids Run the Nation grants. I attended the Spots Link Symposium at Col‐ orado Springs hosted by the US Olympic Committee and talked to a variety of people there about the RRCA. Many of them were interested and wanted to know more about the RRCA. There was a lot of rep‐ resentatives from convention bureaus around the country and they wanted to know about hosting RRCA events. I also attended the US Track and Field and Cross Country coach’s convention in Orlando. Once again many of the coaches there were very in‐ 38 • RRCA Annual Report

terested in what the RRCA does. I'm looking forward to 2014 because Michigan RRCA clubs are on the move. Minnesota State Rep: Lisa Rippe For 2013 I awarded the following Minnesota State Championships: Charities Challenge Obesity 5K, Get in Gear 10K, Med City Half Marathon, and Charities Challenge Free to Run 4 M. I participated in two of the 2013 Minnesota State Championship events. I have three Minnesota State Championships secured for 2014 and am working on obtaining more. In 2013 I provided all Minnesota RRCA running clubs / events a quarterly newsletter. The purpose of the newsletter is to inform members, generate ex‐ citement about upcoming events, and foster two‐ way communication. I follow up individually with key contacts to determine how I can best support them. I am excited to be preparing to host another coaching program in March 2014. I have the facility secured and the menu planned. I am actively recruit‐ ing participants in the local area in anticipation of an‐ other sell‐out crowd. During 2013, YMCA in Woodbury Kids Run the Nation, in Woodbury, MN received a Kids Run the Nation grant. I also served on the Fundraising and Marketing Working Group and promoted Kids Run the Nation. If you haven’t already, do check out the online materials for Kids Run the Nation; they are extensive. I also had the pleasure of pacing a 4:25 finish at the Wisconsin State Championship Lake‐ front Marathon. Mississippi State Rep: Bryan Lagg

After completing just over three years as State Rep‐ resentative, I am excited to report that the growth of running and overall participation in fitness events in the Magnolia State is at an all time high. Our flag‐ ship running clubs throughout Mississippi have en‐ hanced their commitments to promote and sustain stronger, healthier and more supportive running

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

communities, through marketing and social media. We continue to promote our sport via competitive racing, while also addressing health risks in our state. Racing in Mississippi kicked off the year on Jan‐ uary 5, 2013 in the capitol of Jackson with the 6th Annual Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half Marathon. The Blues Marathon served as the 2013 Southern Region Marathon Championship while the Half Marathon served as the State Champi‐ onship. A sold out field of over 3,000 hit the streets of Jackson as part of the weekend festivities, which also included a Kids Mile and a Relay. As a Commit‐ tee Chairman for the events, it was a pleasure to host runners from 47 states, the District of Colum‐ bia, and ten foreign countries. In May, Corinth hosted Mississippi’s second‐ largest road race ‐ the Coca‐Cola Classic 10K. This event served as the 10K State Championship, mark‐ ing the 32nd running of one of the most prolific road races in the Southeast. In July, Jackson hosted the Watermelon Classic – the state’s largest 5K and the 5K State Championship. The number of races in the state has increased from 160 in 2010 to more than 200 in 2013. For the Mississippi Track Club, the largest RRCA club in the state, total participation in local races increased for the 7th consecutive year. During 2013, I ran in 32 races across the state. I also assisted as a volunteer in 30 events, including the Blues Marathon Championship events mentioned above. We are also hosting conference calls and face‐ to‐face meetings among running clubs and commu‐ nities across our state in an effort to increase membership and promotional opportunities. Strategic communities have been targeted in 2014 to promote “Runner Friendly Communities” as well as “Runner Friendly Businesses” across the Mag‐ nolia state. The Mississippi Delta Runners, a youth running program in Sledge, MS where exercise helps prepare student’s minds for better school performance, re‐ ceived a 2013 Kids Run the Nation Grant. Missouri State Rep: Travis Keller Missouri hosted one State Championship in 2013, the Brew to Brew Relay in Kansas City. Missouri also hosted a Regional Championship in 2013, the West‐ port St. Patrick’s Day Run, also in Kansas City. Montana State Rep: John Devitt In 2013, Montana hosted eight State Championships,

the Missoula Marathon in Missoula, the Big Sky State Games 10K and Half Marathon in Billings, the First Se‐ curity Bank Wind Drinkers Stampede in Bozeman, the Madison River Run 5K and 10K in Ennis, the Pine Needle Stampede in West Yellowstone and the Run!Turkey Run! in Billings. Montana also hosted a Western Regional State Championship, the Heart and Sole Run in Billings. Nebraska State Rep: Tom Whitaker Greetings from America’s Heartland, home of the Cornhuskers and a lot of good running. This has been a very active and productive year for running in Ne‐ braska. Our four RRCA groups, the Lincoln Track Club, the Omaha Running Club, Endorphins Racing and the Homestead Running Club, have been very active and productive in presenting events and sup‐ porting their respective running communities. All are looking forward to continuing their support in 2014 with such events as the State Farm 10‐miler in Lincoln in March, the 34th Annual Lincoln National Guard Marathon and Half Marathon in May, the Boys and Girls Town 5‐mile race in Omaha on Memorial Day, the NE5 RRCA State 5‐mile Championship in Omaha in June, and the Peak 2 Peak 10‐miler in September. The Lincoln and Omaha clubs support a number of charity events and provide much useful running in‐ formation through their websites and newsletters. The NE5 5‐mile race, the Papillion 10K, the Peak 2 Peak 10‐mile race and the Monument Marathon served as the RRCA State Championship Events. If you are planning a visit to the Midwest during the year, check out the race calendar at www.lincol‐ nrun.org or www.omaharun.org. There is always a good race any time of the year and we would be pleased to show you what we have to offer. New Jersey State Rep: Chuck Schneekloth The Gator Trek Club in Pine Hill, NJ, a youth running program that meets once a week and begins with a lesson from the Kids Run the Nation Program Guide, and also includes education in nutrition, stretching, running stamina, and setting goals, received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. New Jersey hosted seven State Championships in 2013, The Long Branch Half Marathon and The New Jersey Marathon in Oceanport, the Fred D’elia Ridgewood Run in Ridgewood, the College Ave Mile and the Get the Gorilla XC 5K in New Brunswick, the Trick or Trot 5K in Long Branch, and the Super Santa 5K in Morris Township. RRCA Annual Report • 39

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

New Mexico State Rep: John Farrow

North Carolina State Rep: Peter Asciutto North Carolina hosted four State Championships in 2013, the Winter Flight 8K in Salisbury, the NCRC In‐ vitational in Cary, the China Grove 5K Main Street Challenge in China Grove and the Run the Valley 10K in Badin. North Carolina also hosted a Southern Re‐ gional Championship, the Carrboro 10K in Carrboro. North Dakota: Dick Boyd

This past year was a busy one in New Mexico as the Albuquerque Road Runners Club were hard at work preparing to host the RRCA National Convention at the Hotel Albuquerque for the second time. Jemez Valley Cross Country/100 Mile Club, a youth running program in Jemez Pueblo, NM with two running clubs serving grades K‐8th that 145 run‐ ners where students from K‐5th have the entire year to run or walk 100 miles, received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation Grant. New Mexico hosted four State Championships in 2013, the Duke City Marathon 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon, in Albuquerque, NM. The Duke City Marathon 5K will serve as the Western Re‐ gional Championship in 2014. New York State Rep: Bob Beattie (Outgoing) I officially took on state representative responsibilities in July of this year, replacing Bob Beattie of the East End Road and Trail Runners Club / Island Running. The majority of 2013 has been spent on introduction and garnering feedback from our membership; which re‐ mains an ongoing process to better communications. In 2013, New York hosted two State Champi‐ onships, the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon in Sleepy Hollow and the Wineglass Marathon in Corning. The state has not offered a full slate of state champi‐ onships in many years, though and this presents a great opportunity to work with our clubs to bolster this aspect of the RRCA. I have promoted the RRCA programs in general, and have specifically had Kids Run the Nation Pro‐ gram discussions with local running club members. This remains an ongoing process. Longridge Running Club, in Greece, NY, in which a group of students will track their miles each week in an after school pro‐ gram in the hopes of completing 26.2 miles by the end of the year, received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant.

40 • RRCA Annual Report

Ohio State Rep: Jim Latham In 2013, Ohio hosted three State Championships, The Churchill’s Half Marathon in Perrysburg, the White Trail Half Marathon 10K in Waynesville and the Churchill’s 5K in Monclova. Ohio also hosted a Central Regional Championship, the Medical Mutual Glass City Marathon in Toledo. I look forward to continuing to contact Ohio's running clubs. I have established regular communi‐ cation with Cincinnati, Cleveland West, Columbus, and Toledo. I also submitted state championship nominations for the Ohio River Road Runners Club, and we had our first‐ever state championship com‐ ing up at the Frosty 14 on February 22nd. My plan is to make contact with all clubs during the year. For 2014, I would like to see every club submit at least one race and have state championships in all distances. Oregon State Rep: Mark Barrett Oregon hosted one State Championship in 2013, the OORC Vernonia Marathon in Vernonia. The Oregon Road Runners Club also hosted an RRCA Coaching Certification course. Pennsylvania State Rep: Rick Moyer (Outgoing) Pennsylvania hosted two State Championship in 2013, the Grings Mill 10K in Reading, and the Oil Creek 100 in Titusville. Pennsylvania also hosted an Eastern Regional Championship, the Blues Cruise 50K in Leesburg. Rhode Island State Rep: Chuck Peabody The Providence Navigators, a youth running program in Providence, RI where students who enroll in the program run three times a week for at least 60 min‐ utes and are taught how to properly stretch, run at a relaxed pace, controlled breathing, and how to track distance, received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation Grant. Rhode Island hosted one State Championship in 2013, the Colt State Park 5K in Bristol.

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

South Carolina: Tim Arthurs The Keowee Kids Running Club in Seneca, SC and the Grand Strand Running Club Kids each received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. South Carolina hosted three State Championships in 2013, the Red, White, and Blue Shoes 5K and the TD Bank Reedy River Run 10K in Greenville and the Governor’s Cup Road Race in Columbia. South Carolina also hosted a Southern Regional Championship, the Resolution Run 10K, in Columbia. South Dakota State Rep: Tom Whitaker Our three RRCA Clubs in South Dakota, the Sioux Falls Area Running Club, the Black Hills Runners Club and the Dakota Plains Running Club, provide a good deal of useful information on running in the western and southeastern South Dakota, northwestern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota areas. The calendars on their web sites reveal a very active race schedule and their many club activities serve their running communities well. Although South Dakota covers a large area with a widely scattered population, it hosts a very active running program and some great races. The Longest Day Marathon and Half Marathon in Brookings, the Mickelson Trail Marathon and Half Marathon in his‐ toric Deadwood, the Crazy Horse Marathon and Half Marathon in Hill City and the Leading Ladies Women’s Marathon and Half Marathon in Spearfish are good examples. These great events along with the many small, local races, especially in the summer in connection with community celebrations, provide plentiful running opportunities in the State. The Sioux Falls Marathon, the Mickelson Trail Half Marathon and the Wellspring Stampede 10K hosted the RRCA State Championships. A running va‐ cation in South Dakota would be a great way to see some prominent historic and geographic sites, and take in a great race at the same time. How many folks have a South Dakota race number? This year would be a great time to “run one down”. Tennessee State Rep: Sherilyn Johnson 2013 was an exciting year in Tennessee. The biggest highlight was having Chattanooga selected as the RRCA Outstanding Runner Friendly Community. This was a great honor for Chattanooga and the Chat‐ tanooga Track Club. I assisted with the effort to com‐ plete the application process. There were many excellent races and events in 2013, including six RRCA State Championship races.

Among them were the 5K Championship, held in Feb‐ ruary in conjunction with the Scenic City Half Marathon in Chattanooga. It was hosted by the Chat‐ tanooga Track Club, and supported eight local chari‐ ties. I was deeply involved with the planning and execution, and represented RRCA by presenting the RRCA awards. Beginning in 2014, I will be the race di‐ rector for this race. Other championship races were the German‐ town Half Marathon in Memphis, the UPS Ultimate 10K, also in Memphis, the Pigeon Forge Midnight 8K in Pigeon Forge, the Lookout Mountain 50‐Miler Trail Race in Chattanooga, and the Nashville Ultra Marathon in Nashville. The last two races served as Ultra and Cross Country Championship, respectively. In November I was the Co‐Race Director and Vol‐ unteer Coordinator for the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon & Half Marathon in Fort Oglethorpe, Geor‐ gia and hosted by the Chattanooga Track Club. The marathon was selected as the RRCA Georgia State Marathon Championship. I completed the RRCA Race Director Certifica‐ tion course in 2013. This proved to be very helpful in planning and implementing successful road races. The outlook for 2014 is even more exciting as Rock Creek Stump Jump 50K was selected as the RRCA National Ultra Championship. Also, Chicka‐ mauga Battlefield Half Marathon will serve as the RRCA Southern Region Championship and the Scenic City Half Marathon will serve as the RRCA Tennessee State Championship. Texas – North State Rep: Kathryn Gleghorn 2013 was my first full year serving as the RRCA North Texas State Representative. I’m continuing my out‐ reach to the running communities in my designated region and have made some great contacts with the 20 plus clubs in my area. I display timely RRCA information and programs on the RRCA Texas Facebook page, often by sharing posts from the main RRCA page and the “RRCA Southern Region” page. I also continue to send out newsletters to the clubs and event members keeping them informed of RRCA programs, deadlines and news that affects them. In 2013 I attended my second RRCA convention. RRCA Texas was able to sponsor a North Texas mem‐ ber club’s convention fee to assist them with ex‐ penses. The Dallas Running Club took advantage of this offer and had a great time at the convention. I plan to offer two convention fee scholarships for RRCA Annual Report • 41

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

2014. At the convention I also assisted with the State Reps Silent Auction, and brought some wonderful items to be auctioned out. One of them was a “Dallas Marathon Race Package” for the RRCA Texas Marathon Championship. I’m fortunate to have RRCA board member at large, Kelly Richards, as a member of my home run‐ ning club, Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers (LGRAW). We partnered for a couple of events in 2013. Among them were the RRCA’s 2013 Southern Region 5K Championship where we shared race di‐ recting duty, and a “Run@ WORK DAY” event at LGRAW with 30 attendees, which we hosted. I also reached out to area P.E. teachers about hosting a Run@School Day event. Johnson Elemen‐ tary School in Southlake and Townley Elementary School in Irving (a past Kids Run the Nation grant re‐ cipient) both held events. I plan to reach out to more P.E. teachers to get them on board for September’s RUN@School Day in 2014. In other youth running news, the Eagle Rids Ele‐ mentary PTA Running Club in Fort Worth, TX received a 2013 Kids Run the Nation grant. In August I hosted the hugely popular RRCA Coaching Certification course in the 2012 Runner Friendly Community of Grapevine, TX. It was very well received and sold out, with attendees prima‐ rily from Texas. Through careful planning and spending I was able to refund $500 of the allotted stipend to the RRCA. Texas – South State Rep: Lee Greb

Hello from Texas (South)! There are more than 30 running clubs representing more than 6,000 house‐ holds in Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, George‐ town, Houston, Huntsville, New Braunfels, San Antonio and San Marcos and surrounding south 42 • RRCA Annual Report

Texas communities. Like the national organization we have experienced phenomenal growth in 2013. There were seven RRCA Texas State Champi‐ onship races in 2013. Texas (South) had four of these events with the Bellaire Trolley 5K, Baytown Bud Heatwave 5 Miler, Bayou City Classic 10Kand the La Porte By the Bay Half Marathon. I attended all of these events and presented the awards. I have been fortunate enough to have had access to the RRCA traveling tent in 2013 and took it to all our state cham‐ pionship races and other local events. The Run for the Water 10 Miler in Austin was once again the 2013 RRCA Southern Region Champi‐ onship race. Working with Kathryn Gleghorn (North Texas State Rep) we secured 17 bids from interested races and named eight RRCA Texas State Champi‐ onship races for 2014. Four of these races are from Texas (South) (Bellaire Trolley 5K, Toughest 10K‐ Kemah, Classical 25K in Houston and Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon). Two Texas (South) races have been chosen to host 2014 RRCA Southern Region Champi‐ onships with the Run for the Water Miler in Austin on October 26, 2014 and the Bayou City Classic 10K in Houston on March 8, 2014. Again in 2013, we held two events in Houston to promote walking and running with appreciation for the arts. These events were the 5th Annual Tour de Art Walk on Sunday, May 12th and the 8th An‐ nual Tour de Art Run on Sunday, September 22, which coincided with the RRCA National Run @Work Day (Sept. 20th). This walk in the spring (Mothers Day) and run in the fall are a tour of the artwork and sculptures around downtown Hous‐ ton. Roger Boak, Vice President of HARRA (Hous‐ ton Area Road Runners Assoc.) is an art historian and leads us on a tour of 15‐20 sculptures/artwork in downtown Houston. In 2013, I served my second year on the Board of Directors of HARRA (Houston Area Road Runners Association), which is the umbrella organization for most of the running clubs in the Houston area. This has allowed me to meet and spread the word directly about the RRCA programs and benefits. Utah State Rep: Dave Moore In 2013, Utah hosted two State Championships, the Salt Lake City Track Club Winter Running Series 10K and the Salt Lake City Track Club Winter Running Se‐ ries 15K, both in Salt Lake City.

2013 RRCA State Reps’ Report

Vermont State Rep: Vermont hosted two State Championships in 2013, the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon in Burlington and the 36th Crowley Brothers’ Memorial 10K in Rutland. Virginia State Rep: Goody Tyler In 2013 I was asked to be the DC “State” Rep, as well as continuing as the Virginia State Rep. This added four clubs to the 41 Virginia clubs, plus event mem‐ bers, I represent. There were 4 Virginia RRCA cham‐ pionship events, which I attended, and 2 other events in Virginia that were either a national or re‐ gional championship event. As you can see, running is very vibrant in this part of the country. I continue to contact clubs and events on becoming champi‐ onship events, but have been have only fair results. This year I attended the National Convention in Albuquerque, my 10th Convention, I missed 2 due to military commitments, since becoming in‐ volved with the RRCA in 2000. I also sponsored 1 attendee to the convention this year from a Virginia club. I plan to do this again this year and offer a small stipend to help with their expenses. I chose my winner by having those interested email me, and I randomly picked the winner. I have joined most of the clubs in Virginia and DC and plan to do so again each year that I am their representative. This is a is a good means for getting newsletters and email up‐dates on each club’s activities. West Virginia State Rep: Tom Kramer West Virginia, being the small state that it is, has been very fortunate to host several RRCA National, Re‐ gional, and State Championship's over the years. In 2013 we hosted several State Championships; News and Sentinel Half Marathon and Chick‐Fil‐A 10K in Parkersburg, WV; Freedom's Run Marathon in Shep‐ herdstown, WV, and Red Bud Distance 10‐ miler in Augusta, WV. It was my pleasure to accept the Outstanding Beginning Running Program Award at the RRCA Na‐ tional Convention in Albuqurque N.M. for Melissa "Missy" Wigal from the River City Runners and Walk‐ ers Club in Parkersburg, WV. Missy's award was pre‐ sented to her at a local race. Our Willis Ridenour Award, which is presented to a West Virginia RRCA club member, who has pro‐ moted running/walking in WV in an exceptional way. The 2013 award went to Derek Marks from the River

City Runners and Walkers Club. Willis was West Vir‐ ginia State Rep from 1998‐2005. Washington State Rep: Paul Gill Hiawatha Elementary Run Club, a youth running pro‐ gram in Othello, WA based in a Title I school, where 300 students are encouraged to run around a 1/4mile course on the school’s playground at lunch recess re‐ ceived a 2013 Kids Run the Nation Grant. Washington hosted one State Championship in 2013, the Blooms‐ day Run 12K in Spokane. The race will serve as an RRCA National Championship in 2014 and is part‐ nered with the RRCA National Convention. Wisconsin State Rep: Barbara Jewell There are 14 RRCA member clubs or event members in Wisconsin, with a total of over 3,500 members. That is an increase of 4 clubs/events from 2012 and an additional 600 members! The largest club is the Badgerland Striders based in the Milwaukee area, which has 1,750 household members. The Ice Age Trail 50 Miler served for the first time as the RRCA Central Region Championship Event. The race takes place in the Kettle Moraine State Forest and offers scenic, historic, and geolog‐ ically fascinating areas that were left behind when the glaciers retreated from Wisconsin more than 10,000 years ago. Ohio native David Riddle's win‐ ning time of 5:56:46 was the third fastest in the 32 year history of the race. Female champion Cassie Scallon's time of 6:46:38 broke the course record by almost 18 minutes. There were three RRCA State Championship events in 2013: Shore Half Marathon; Cudahy Classic 10 Miler, and the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. I was active in several WI clubs in 2013, as a vol‐ unteer and as an event participant: I served as the Treasurer of the Racine Area Running Club as well as the chair of the Finance Committee for the Bad‐ gerland Striders. I also volunteered at Racine’s River City 5K and the Lakes Area Running Club’s 8K Snow Fun Run and participated in Racine’s River City 5K, Kenosha Running Club’s Mayor’s Turkey Day 10K, and in several races sponsored by the Bad‐ gerland Striders. Wyoming State Rep: Dave Moore Wyoming hosted one State Championship in 2013, the Adam Fowler Memorial 10K in Laramie.

RRCA Annual Report • 43

2013 Contributors to the RRCA

ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND

Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed over $126,800 to the Annual Program Fund. Annual contributions to the RRCA by our supporters help fund the Kids Run the Nation program materials, Runner Friendly Community program, RUN@WORK Day promotional efforts, RRCA National Running Awards Ceremony including award winner travel stipends, Championship Events Series, 2,000 Hour Volunteer Recognition program, Join a Club marketing efforts, RRCA history preser‐ vation efforts, and much, much more. We thank them for their support. AGA Services Company** Alaska Salmon Runs Alice Kresse Alta Vista Sports Altria Client Services, Inc.** Andrew Duffy Andrew Golden Annapolis Half Marathon Annette Kilder Ashworth Awards***(In‐kind) Atomic City Roadrunners BAE Systems, Inc.* Bank of America Chicago Marathon**(In‐kind) Bill Ritter Bobby Vance Brevard County Dental Society Carz N Toyz, Inc. Crowell & Moring**(In‐kind) Daniel D. Edwards** David C. Moore David M. Kelly* Dwight Mikulis** Fidelity Charitable Trust***

George Rehmet Greater Redondo Youth Run Club Honeywell International Charity Mgmt.** Jacqueline Britton James K. Hammond*** Joe Hannon John Maley Joshua Boker Kansas City Track Club Kathryn Gleghorn Mark Acher Mark Barrett M&T Charitable Foundation Nashville Striders Network for Good** Omaha Community Foundation* Prairie State Road Runners Richard Felton Rich Wood Rick Tucker Ri%in Matching Donation River City Run Inc Riverbend Striders

Robert Litowitz*** Run Lawrence Kansas Runner's High Club Running Club of Granville Running Times Magazine***(In‐kind) Santa Fe Road Runners Club Seashore Striders Stephanie Bald The GE Foundation Tidewater Striders Trail Runners Club United Way of Northern New Mexico USA Track & Field** USA Track & Field Foundation** Vanguard Chartable Trust Varsity Running Whatcom Tesseract White Rock Racing

***$5,000 and above donors **$1,000 and above donors *500 and above donors

ROAD SCHOLARS FUND

The following clubs, events, individuals, and corporate supporters have helped raise $26,836 this year to support the Roads Scholar Fund. We thank them for their support. Alaska Salmon Runs Alta Vista Sports Annette Kilder Atlanta Track Club*** Atomic City Roadrunners Bee McLeod and Goody Tyler** Blue Cross Broad Street Run* Bobby Vance Brevard County Dental Society Championship Racing LLC Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Race**** Club Northwest Cumberland Valley Athletic Club** Fulmont Road Runners Club Greater Redondo Youth Running Club John Maley Kansas City Track Club Lilac Bloomsday Association** Mitchell E. Garner Montana Amateur Sports Inc NAPA Valley Marathon** Nashville Striders

44 • RRCA Annual Report

River City Run, Inc. River City Runners & Walkers Club Riverbend Striders Running Club of Granville Seashore Striders Syracuse Chargers Track Club* The Boilermaker Road Race, Inc. Travis Eliot Landreth Memorial Scholarship Fund ** Utica Road Runners White Rock Racing Willamette Valley Road Runners

****$10,000 and above donors ***$5,000 and above donors **$1,000 and above donors *$500 and above donors

2013 Contributors to the RRCA

KIDS RUN THE NATION FUND

Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed over $23,480 to the Kids Run the Nation Fund in 2013. We thank them for their support. 15th Street Flyers Abilene Runners Club Alaska Salmon Runs Alta Vista Sports Andrea Thibault Francis Ann Arbor Track Club* Annapolis Half Marathon Annette Kilder Anonymous Donor Atomic City Roadrunners Bee Mcleod*** Bill Ritter Bobby Vance Boston Police Runners Club Brevard County Dental Society Cardinal Track Club* Carz N Toyz Inc Cecil Parks Columba Quintero Germantown Half Marathon & Mayor's Cup 5K Greater Redondo Youth Run Club Hawaii Ultra Running Team Hogeye Marathon and Relays Houston Striders** Indianapolis Marathon Joe Hannon John K Huseby** John Maley Kansas City Track Club Kelly Richards* Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers** Maine Track Club** Mark Acher

Mark Grandonico Marleen Waldron Monisha Randolph Murfreesboro Half Marathon Nashville Striders North Carolina Roadrunners On My Own Two Feet, Inc. Pensacola Race Management PR Fitness Livestrong Group River City Run Inc Riverbend Striders Runner's High Club Running Club of Granville Sarah Solie Seashore Striders Shelley Hodkiewicz Southern Arizona Roadrunners Springfield Road Runner's Club Star Insurance Agency** Sustainable Sports Foundation** Terry Diller** Theresa Melvin Tidewater Striders Tough Mother LLC Varsity Running West Florida Y Runners Club White Rock Racing

***$5,000 and above donors **$1,000 and above donors *$500 and above donors

STATE REPS FUND

Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed to the State Reps Fund in 2013. 15th Street Flyers Alaska Salmon Runs Annapolis Half Marathon Annette Kilder Atomic City Roadrunners Birmingham Marathon Bobby Vance Brevard County Dental Society Greater Redondo Youth Run Club Honeywell International Charity Management* Kansas City Track Club Kathryn Gleghorn Kelly Richards Lena Hollmann North Carolina ultra running

Old Colony Running Events Riverbend Striders Run Against Cancer Events Running Club of Granville Seashore Striders South Florida Racewalkers Tahoe Mountain Milers Tidewater Striders Tom Whitaker Trail Nerds Varsity Running Washburn Area Running Club White Rock Racing *$500 and above donors

RRCA Annual Report â&#x20AC;˘ 45

2013 Contributors to the RRCA

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Gatorade • Running Network LLC • Sports Authority Ashworth Awards • RunSignUp.com Official Sponsors of the RRCA provide $10,000 and above to support the RRCA mission

Platinum Level Corporate Members ($1,600 and up)

Constant Contact Leslie Jordan Run for Fun Cruise National Event Services Refuel with Chocolate Milk Active Network Racer Brainshark

Gold Level Corporate Member ($1000 and up)

Rainbow Racing Human Kinetics

Silver Level Corporate Member ($500 and up) Cvent Aquajogger Boulder Blimp Company

46 • RRCA Annual Report

WE RUN THE NATION! RRCA.ORG

We Run the Nation! RRCA.ORG

We Run The Nation!