2011 RRCA Annual Report

RRCA Annual Report_Layout 1 3/5/12 12:37 PM Page 1

We Run the Nation!RRCA.ORG

2 • RRCA Annual Report



RRCA Annual Report • 3


The RRCA uses the term �“running�” as a catch all word that encompasses the broad spectrum of �“running�”in the United States including competitive running, jogging, tness walking, race walking, and wheelchairtness on roads, trails, and tracks.

Highlights from the 54-Year History of the RoadRunners Club of America

1950’s

RRCA has had a signicant impact on thesport of running and promoting running as ahealthy lifestyle. Founded in 1958, the RoadRunners Club of America is the national association of running clubs, running events, andrunners dedicated to promoting running asa competitive sport and as healthy exercise.The RRCA is the oldest and largest distancerunning organization in the United Stateswith over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runnersactive in their running communities today.

�• 1958, the RRCA was founded with a fewfounding member clubs including the NewYork Road Runners. Only a handful of roadraces were held nationwide. The athletesthat founded the RRCA felt that the AAU wasnot interested in serving distance runningathletes by putting on events for them.

�• 1958, rst RRCA Championship eventswere awarded.

We Run The Nation!



1970’s

1960’s

1980’s

1990’s

2000’s

�• 1961, RRCA members had hosted over 600 roadraces around the country.�• 1963, the RRCA ignored the AAU age requirementsfor racing, ignored the AAU medical requirements anddid not set air temperature limits for RRCA memberraces.�• 1964, RRCA began certifying course accurately measured, and awarded certicates for time on the certiedcourses. (The USATF certies courses today, thoughthe original process was developed and implementedby the RRCA.)�• 1965, the RRCA held the rst National Women�’sCross Country Championship at the extended distanceof 2.5 mile distance, despite signicant objection by theAAU.�• 1964, the rst fun runs to promote jogging andhealth were hosted by RRCA members called �“Run forYour Life�”. These events did not fall under AAU sanctions, because they were fun runs and not competitiveevents.

�• 1970, the RRCA hosted the rst ever women�’smarathon championship event on October 25, 1970 despite the fact that women were not allowed to runmarathons by the AAU.�• 1976, RRCA received the group exemption statuswith the IRS making chapters of the RRCA nonprotorganizations.�• 1978, RRCA President, Je Darman helped lobbyCongress for the passage of the Amateur Sports Actof 1978. The Act changed the nature of amateur sportsin the US and essentially broke the AAU. This endedthe 5 virtual monopoly that the AAU had on Olympicsports governance in this country. The result of thebreakup of the AAU was the formation of �“The Athletics Congress/USA�” (TAC).�• 1979, the RRCA liability insurance program for clubsand events is launched after the Atlanta Track Club wassued in 1977 in the rst known lawsuit against a roadrace. The suit was ultimately dismissed.

�• 1980, the RRCA launches the Women�’s DistanceFestival in protest to emphasize the fact that womenwere not included in distance events in the 1980Olympics in Moscow.

�• 1983, the RRCA expands the categories for the National Running Awards, which already included theRRCAHall of Fame started in 1976.�• 1986, the RRCA launches the Children�’s DevelopmentProgram, which included education materials for clubsinterested in hosting youth running programs. With agrant from Nike, RRCA issued 600 grants to youth programs through the rest of the 80�’s.

�• 1996, RRCA launches Certied Distance RunningCoach course. The RRCA has certied over 1500coaches since the course�’s inception.�• 1996, the RRCA launched the Roads Scholar programto provide more money to emerging elite athletes dueto a lack of funding for US distance athletes at thetime. This RRCA has raised over $410,000 for the program since its inception.

�• 2005, the RRCA starts the annual RUN@WORK Daypromotion, which was an evolution of Run to WorkDayfound in 1986.�• 2006, RRCA establishes the Kids Run the NationGrant fund. By the end of 2011 the RRCA will havegranted $50,000 in ve year to youth running programs.�• 2009 the RRCA launched the Runner Friendly Community and Runner Friendly Business designation program.�• Early 2012 the RRCA will launch the rst ever RaceDirector Certication Course, which is currently underdevelopment.



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

The Board of Directors met only twice in 2011, perhaps justifying the quote variously ascribed toThomas Je erson and Henry David Thoreau, that�“he who governs least, governs best.�” However,the Board receives regular updates via email fromthe RRCA executive director related to progresson the board approved annual objectives for theRRCA.

The year 2011 continued a string of recent strongperformances for the Road Runners Club of America. We achieved another budget surplus and another clean audit. Dues and insurance rates wereheld to no increase. A signicant amount of our2010 budget surplus was moved into the AnnualOperating Reserve Fund and the State Representatives Fund to continue to support their e orts inpromoting the RRCA.

Membership grew again, despite a lagging economy. (Or maybe because of it. Running has thebenet of being as expensive or inexpensive asyou want it to be). Contributions and grants forthe Kids Run the Nation Fund increased. The�“Runner Friendly Community�” designations werelaunched. Members of the RRCA Road Scholarsprogram continued to thrive, with 17 of them qualifying for January�’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.

Communication e orts to our members and theoutside world increased signicantly with four is

sues of �“Inside Track,�” four issues of �“Club Running,�” monthly �“Keeping Pace�” emails, updates toour website, and increased attention to social networking.

The Coaching Certication program was broughtin house. The instructional materials and presentation are being updated. Plans are under development for a �“Train the Trainer�” program to meetthe burgeoning demand for the program. Signicant progress has been made in developing theRace Director Certication course, with a roll outprepared for later 2012. Also planned for 2012 is amembership survey, to help with marketing andplanning and to compare with our last membership survey from 2005.

All of this activity fails to mention the work doneon our convention, the championship event series,the RUN@ WORK Day e orts, the micronanceloan initiative, the �“Join a Club�” campaign, andmany other activities going on at the RRCA.

In closing, the Board would like to thank the staof the national o ce for all its ne work. Wewould also like to welcome you to Memphis to celebrate all these accomplishments, all of your accomplishments, and to prepare for some more.

PresidentVice PresidentTreasurerSecretarySouthern Region DirectorCentral Region DirectorWestern Region DirectorEastern Region DirectorAt Large Director

2 0 11 R R CA B oa r d of D ir ect or s

Brent AyerDavid CotterDennis NovakDan EdwardsLena HollmannMitch GarnerBailey PenzottiMark GrandonicoKelly Richards



We Run the Nation!

Report from the National O ce

Throughout 2011 the RRCA continued to grow andimprove programs and services in support of theRRCA Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Directors in 2009. The RRCA has a 9 member boardof directors dedicated to excellence in governancepractices for the organization. With limited bureaucracy, the organization can adapt quickly tothe evolutionary changes in running and createpolicies and procedures along with programs andservices to meet the needs of our members.

The administrative overhead of the RRCA still remains lean with only four paid employees at theconclusion of 2011. William Dyson joined the RRCAin July as the program coordinator. Dorothy Commock, o ce manager, celebrated her 11th year ofservice as the o ce manager, and Jean Knaack, executive director, celebrated her 6th year of serviceto the RRCA. Jessica Benney celebrated her rstyear as the membership coordinator for the RRCA.

As of December 31, 2011, the RRCA has over 925running clubs in the membership (646 are part ofthe RRCA nonprot group) and 553 event members for a total of 1478 organization members.RRCA member running clubs conducted over

6,700 events in 2011 from 5ks to Ultra marathons.These events attract approximately 3 million runners. There are approximately 220,000 individualmembers involved in local running clubs throughout the US. In 2011 RRCA members reported having over 98,000 volunteers that assisted with theirevents and activities. RRCA members collectivelyhosted over 90,000 group training runs and10,000 social events. Our members truly prove,

“We Run the Nation!”

Year Number of Member Clubs & Events

2005 693

744

863

988

1,122

1,267

1,478

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011



2011 Financial Report for the RRCA

YEAR ASSETS LIABILITIES NET WORTH2010 $1,542,439 $712,332 $830,1072011 $1,660,801 $764,620 $896,181*

YEAR REVENUE EXPENSES NET PROFIT2010 $1,530,349 $1,405,513 $124,8362011 $1,948,920 $1,882,846 $66,074

The following outlines the nancial performance of theRRCA over a two year period:

* $462,043 in net assets is temporarily restricted for program use in future years.

REVENUE 2011 ACTUAL 2012 BUDGETMembership Dues & Insurance Program $1,434,936 $1,464,387

Sponsorships $103,705 $25,000

Coaching Program Income $170,350 $204,864

Investment Income $21,910 $35,000

Contributions & Other Income $218,019 $203,950

TOTAL INCOME $1,948,920 $1,933,201

EXPENSES �– PROGRAMSAnnual Convention & Awards $21,167 $26,000

State Reps Program $36,091 $35,750

Championship Event Series $50,364 $51,500

Coaching Program $162,647 $190,000

Roads Scholar Program $27,500 $31,750

Kids Run the Nation Program $44,709 $28,000

Membership Services & Insurance Program $943,063 $956,145

Other Program Expenses $133,549 $106696

SUBTOTAL $1,419,090 $1,428,841

EXPENSES ADMINISTRATIVE National O ce Management $108,416 $107,630

O ce Rent $39,686.86 $40,000

Audit, Legal & Taxes $17,386 $19,700

Payroll $229,421 $254,130

BOARD & COMMITTEES EXPENSES $25,989 $35,500

DIRECT FUNDRAISING EXPENSES $42,857 $30,000

SUBTOTAL $463,756 $487,460

TOTAL EXPENSES $1,882,846 $1,915,801

Net Prot/(Loss) $66,074 $17,400



2011 Program Report

RRCA Coaching Program

The RRCA strives to provide quality programmingthat can be replicated throughout the country bymember clubs from small towns to large cities.Our programs promote and support running andrunners at all stages in life. The RRCA is dedicatedto providing the running community with educational information and programs that will keepthem safe, healthy, and informed.

The RRCA is very fortunate to be able to communicate to our members about our programsthrough Club Running magazine. This publicationis made possible through our partnership withRunning Network LLC. Club Running continued togrow in 2011 with four issues circulated during theyear. We are very thankful for the support we arereceiving from our advertisers and members in theform of quality content submissions.

In 1998, Roy Benson and Carl Sni en, RRCA president at the time, launched the RRCA Coaching Certication Course. The goal of the RRCA coachingcertication program is to provide trained individuals to work as coaching professionals for thesport of distance running for all ages at all levelsfrom beginner to advanced runners. By o ering acoaching education program, our primary objectiveis for trained coaches to work with groups and individuals to train intelligently for any distanceevent and to minimize the risks injuries associatedwith distance running.

In 2000, Andy Palmer along with Jim Duguay tookover leadership of the course until the untimelydeath of Palmer 2002. In 2003, Patti Finke tookover and voluntarily chaired the program e ortsfrom 2003 to 2011. Finke was instrumental in expanding the program with assistance from MikeBroderick and Janet Hamilton who joined the program in 2004 and began instructing multiplecourses in 2008. In 2010, Mike Broderick passedaway unexpectedly and his teaching partner JanetHamilton continued to teach for the program. In2011, Hamilton taught 16 courses and the Finke�’staught 6 courses.

In December 2011, the RRCA hired Randy Accetta,Ph.D. as the Director of Coaching Education to update and expand the RRCA Coaching Certication

program. Janet Hamilton will continue to instructRRCA Coaching Certication Courses along with Dr.Accetta in 2012. The RRCA thanks Patti and her husband Warren Finke for their years of service to theprogram.

The RRCA coaching certication courses are scheduled almost every other weekend throughout theyear at locations all over the country from Maineto California from Washington to Florida. Members and supporters host the RRCA coaching certications courses with assistance from the RRCAnational o ce. Each course consists of approximately 16 hours of class lecture and practical groupexercises over two days. The program focuses onissues specic to road running and racing, includingcoaching fundamentals, scientic background, andthe establishment goals and training schedules tohelp athletes reach their running potential.

There are currently more than 2,200 RRCA CertiedCoaches across the US and Canada.



Kids Run the Nation® Program

Twenty eight programs throughout the US thatcollectively serve 30,000 youth received a total of$20,500 in grants, an increase compared to the$15,000 granted in 2010.

Since 2007, the RRCA has provided over $50,000 insmall grants to deserving youth running programsaround the country through the Kids Run the Nation Fund. The Kids Run the Nation Fund is designed to provide needed resources to launch andsupport youth running programs around the country as an opportunity to address the on going inactivity and obesity crisis facing today�’s youth.

The 2011 recipients include: Rutland County Vermont Kids Run the Nation; Kids Run the OC; Adamsin Motion; Dreamfar High School Marathon; Anacostia Kids Running Program; Bramleton Kids Runthe Nation; Mustang Marathon Club; ManhattanCross Country Club; San Jose Run Club; Kids Runthe School; Fremont Flash Youth Running Program;Allentown Elementary Running Club; Auburn Opelika Running and Track Association Children�’s HalfMarathon; Thomson McDu e Middle School Runner�’s Club; Townley Marathon Kids; White BearArea YMCA Teen Running Club; JUST RUN; JYSMud Runners; Tidewater Striders New Energy; RunFor Your Life Kids After School Run Club; StartingBlock Striders; Atkinson Running Club; Flying Ea

gles Running Club; Florida Striders Children�’s Running Program; Plateau Kids Running; NorthwestBroward Road Runners Youth Running Program;Laurel Running Thunder; and Husky Hustle. The Kids Run the Nation program is a gender inclusive, multi week, turnkey, youth running programdesigned to meet the physical activity goals outlined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for children in grades kindergartenthrough sixth grade. The program can also bemodied to better serve older grades. Through thisprogram, the RRCA�’s vision is to help establish locally managed youth running programs in everygrade school in America.

In September, the RRCA launched the 2nd editionof the Kids Run the Nation Program Guide. In threeshort years we have circulated over 2,500 copies ofthe Guide and almost 20,000 copies of the Kids Runthe Nation: A Running Guide for Kids booklets.The 2nd edition of the Kids Run the Nation Guideo ers ten lesson plans, compared to the eight lessons o ered in the 1st edition, that can be implemented over an 8 to 10 week period. RRCAmembers are encouraged to obtain copies of theProgram Guide, share them with schools in theircommunities, and work with parents and teachersto implement youth running programs.

In conjunction with the 2nd edition of the ProgramGuide, the RRCA has partnered with RunClubSignUp.com to launch the new Kids Club management tool. The Kids Club management tool can befound at www.RRCA.org/programs/kids run thenation program/program directors/. This new toolfeatures an online registration system for programdirectors that is free of charge if the program doesnot charge a registration fee for students. The KidsClub also features the free national youth runninglog.



Roads Scholars® Program

Since 1996, the RRCA has raised over $420,000 forthe Roads Scholar® program. The goal of the program is to assist American post collegiate runnerswho show great promise to develop into nationaland world class road running athletes. The grants

awarded by the RRCA go directly to the athletesto help support their goals of becoming worldclass distance runners. The RRCA congratulatesthe 2011 2012 Class of Roads Scholars:

McCandless graduated from Northampton High School where he was a District 11 Champion andrecord holder in the 3200 meter run with a time of 9:13.01, as well as a PIAA State Medalist in CrossCountry and Track and Field. After graduating, McCandless ran one year for the University of Maryland before transferring to Penn State University. At Penn State, he lourished under Coach Beth Alford Sullivan, steadily progressing to a 29:15 personal best 10k and an All American performance inthat event in the spring of 2010. McCandless quickly showed promise as a professional road racerwith a 46:04 15k at the Utica Boilermaker, claiming top American honors. He was also the top American inisher at the Buffalo Subaru Chase 4 Miler, and he won the San Francisco Half Marathon andset a course record with a time of 1:05:02. In his debut marathon, McCandless inished 6th at the2010 California International Marathon with a time of 2:17:22. In 2011, he ran 1:05:38 at the USAHalf Marathon Championships and 45:17 at the USA 15k Championships. He also won and broke thecourse record in Denver, Colorado at the 2011 RRCA Colorado State Championships 10 mile in a timeof 52:08 at 5300ft elevation. He inished 8th overall and top American at the 2011 Indianapolis MiniMarathon with a time of 1:05:09 and followed that with a 2:17:09 marathon personal best atGrandma�’s Marathon to inish 11th overall.

Tyler McCandless

Duwell is a 2005 graduate of West Bend West High School in West Bend, Wisconsin, where she wasclass valedictorian and won Wisconsin Division I state titles in the 800 meters as a sophomore andjunior. She ran for the University of Minnesota where she graduated from the Carlson School of Management in May 2010. Duwell inished her running career at the University of Minnesota as a threetime All American and a two time Individual Big Ten Conference Champion. She steadily progressedand improved throughout her collegiate career, leaving the University of Minnesota as a school recordholder in four events. Duwell is a member of Team USA Arizona, adidas McMillan Elite located inFlagstaff, Arizona. Since joining Team USA Arizona, Duwell has achieved several top ten inishes including the USA 10k Championship (7th), the USA Cross Country Championship (9th), and the Manchester Road Race (10th). She was a member of the winning team at the Club Cross Championshipwith fellow adidas McMillan Elite runners. Her 9th place individual inish at the US Cross Championships in San Diego earned her a spot to race at the NACAC Cross Country Meet in Trinidad in February 2011. Duwell won silver in the women's 6 km to lead Team USA women to the team gold medal.

Megan Duwell



Kids Run the Nation® Program

Williams started running at a young age through the Hershey Track and Field program, progressedthrough the Ann Arbor Track Club, and ran for his middle school and high school Cross Country andTrack teams in Dexter, MI. As a freshman at Dexter High School, his cross country team made the irstever appearance as a team at the Division 2 State Championship and placed sixth. In his senior year inTrack, Williams won the state meet in the 2 mile, was runner up in the mile, and was elected �“Mr.Michigan Track and Field�” for the state of Michigan. Also as a senior he placed 3rd at the Nike IndoorNationals in the mile and placed 4th at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 2 mile in 8:56. Williams attended the University of Michigan where he trained under the guidance of coach Ron Warhurst. Whilethere he became a Big Ten Champion, All American, Academic All American, and Team Captain. Hiscollegiate personal bests included 3:42.38 for 1500m, 4:01.72 for the mile, 7:55.59 for 3,000m,13:47.57 for 5,000m, and 28:34.28 for 10,000m. At Michigan Williams met his current coach, Tim Broe,who was a volunteer assistant for the team. Williams now trains with Broe at In The Arena based inHanover, New Hampshire. Williams made his professional road racing debut at the USA 8km Championships in Carmel, Indiana, placing 8th overall. He followed that up a week later with a 7th place inishat the Steamboat Classic in Peoria, Illinois.

Lex Williams

Armstrong went to high school in Tualatin, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, where she was a six timeState Champion in the 1500m and 3000m. She also competed in Track and Cross Country at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Armstrong was a four time All American and was the 2008 Big TenChampion in both the indoor 3000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters. She also holds the Iowaschool record in the 1500 meters of 4:17.41 and was a two time All American in the mile with a bestof 4:40.59. Additional collegiate achievements include a best of 33:28.00 in the 10,000 meters and asixth place inish in the 10,000 at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. After graduating in the spring of 2008, Meghan was selected to be a member of the NACAC Track & Field Under23 Team, which competed in Mexico. At NACAC, she inished irst in the 10,000. She joined Team USAMinnesota in September 2008. In 2009, Meghan competed at the USA Half Marathon Championships,the USA Cross Country Championships, and the USA 15k Championships. Her outdoor Track seasonincluded personal bests of 15:41.09 in the 5000m and 33:26.75 in the 10,000. At the 2010 USA HalfMarathon Championships, Meghan inished 11th with a personal best of 1:13:56, and she won theING Miami Half Marathon. During the year she placed 4th in the USA 5k and 10 Mile Championshipsand was a member of the Chiba Ekiden team. In 2011, Armstrong was 5th in the USA 15k Championships.

Meghan Armstrong



Roads Scholars® Program

Mack, a native of Winston Salem, North Caroline, currently lives and trains in Raleigh. He attendedNorth Carolina State University where he ran Cross Country and Track for Coach Rollie Geiger's Wolfpack. An all ACC and All American Cross Country runner, Mack set the pace for the Wolfpack leadingthe team to an ACC title in 2004. After a couple seasons of injuries Mack returned to top form andled the team to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2008. Mack has continued working withthe NC State team as a volunteer coach. He launched his professional running career by making theWorld Cross Country Team and representing the USA in Poland at the 2010 World Cross CountryChampionships. The 2011 season saw him drop his 10K time to 28:11 and earn his irst nationalroad title at the 8K USATF Road Championships in Carmel, Indiana. Other top national inishes includetop American and 5th overall in the 2011 Cooper River Bridge run in Charleston, South Carolina alongwith a 7th place inish at the USA 10K Road National Championships at the 2010 Peachtree Road Race10K. Mach currently races and works for a local running shop The Athlete's Foot Cameron Village inRaleigh, North Carolina.

Bobby Mack

Hogan was a high school and college basketball star who left the basketball team at Mount Ida Collegein Newton, Mass., to transfer to George Washington University after her sophomore year. It was atGW that she launched a collegiate running career even though the school did not offer women�’s track.During her inal year of collegiate eligibility in 2010, Megan posted 32:34 in the 10,000 meters at theStanford Invitational, inished 6th in the 10,000 at the USA Outdoor Championships, was the Atlantic10 Cross Country Conference Champion for the second year in a row, and inished 8th overall at theNCAA Cross Country Championships. While at GW, Megan received the Atlantic 10 women�’s CrossCountry Performer of the Year Award as well as the Atlantic 10 Student Athlete of the Year Award.Her coach named her one of the most accomplished student athletes in the history of GW athletics.She was also a two time All American in Cross Country. Megan made her professional road racingdebut at the 2011 USA 15k Championships in March and inished 3rd. On the track, she posted a 40second PR in the 5000m at the Mt. SAC Relays for a time of 15:29.12. She joined Team USA Minnesotain 2011. She ran a personal best 5K of 15:29 and came in 5th in the Freihofer Run for Women.

Megan Hogan

Professional runner Sally Meyerhoff (2008 and 2009 Roads Scholar) died inMarch 2011 after her bike collided with a pickup truck in Maricopa, AZ. Meyerhoff, considered one of America�’s top 10 marathon runners, was trainingfor the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston.

Meyerhoff was a seven time state high school track and ield champion inthe 1600 and 3200 meters. She inished 12th at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in 2001. She graduated in 2006 from Duke, where shewas an NCAA All American in Cross Country in 2004 and in track in 2006.She was the Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country champion in 2004. InJanuary 2011, Meyerhoff celebrated a marathon championship in her hometown, winning the P.F. Chang event in 2 hours, 35 minutes, 49 seconds. Itquali ied her for her second Olympics Trials in the marathon.



Runner Friendly Community

In 2011, the RRCA awarded the first ever RunnerFriendly Community® designations to sixteen deserving communities including Monterey Peninsula, CA; Dallas, TX; Wichita Falls, TX;Fredericksburg, VA; Allen Park, MI; Carson City,NV; Decatur, IL; Knoxville, TN; Lawrence, KS;Lynchburg, VA; Missoula, MT; Reading, PA; Salem,MA; The Woodlands, TX; Pensacola, FL; and Glastonbury, CT

At the 53rd Annual RRCA Convention in Fredericksburg, VA in May 2011, Monterey Peninsula wasfurther awarded as the Inaugural OutstandingRunner Friendly Community for applications received in the first round of designations. At theconclusion of 2011, Lynchburg, VA was awarded asthe 2011 Outstanding Runner Friendly Community. These communities have shown they meet theprogram�’s criteria, including community infrastructure, community support, and local government support for running. Each community has aninfrastructure that fosters physical activity in asafe environment; has a proven track recordwhere organizations and businesses work together to promote running as a healthy exercise;and there are positive relationships between therunning community and local government.

The program is designed to shine a national spotlight on communities that standout as runnerfriendly and to provide ideas for communities towork towards becoming runner friendly. Runnerfriendly communities can increase the quality oflife, improve physical activity for residents as outlined in the National Physical Activity Plan, and provide for increased economic impact for thecommunity.



RUN@WORK Day

RUN@WORK Day with the RRCA National O ce and Board of DirectorsThe RRCA Board of Directors and national o cesta met in Arlington, VA for a full day board meeting. Following the meeting, the Board and stagot together to complete a 30 minute run/walkfrom Crystal City, past Reagan National Airport.The group stopped briey to watch a plane takeo directly above the group before returning tothe hotel.

RUN@WORK Day in Salem, MA (RRCA Runner Friendly Community)On a beautiful, crisp fall day, many employers inSalem and the North Shore allowed their employees to participate in the event. Over 80 runnersstarted at noon and ran the 5K loop from the SalemCommon around the Willows and back. The community also celebrated Salem being designated nationally as a Runner Friendly Community.

RUN@WORK in Missoula, Montana(RRCA Runner Friendly Community)Missoula participated in RUN@WORK day for asecond year with eight group runs around the community. Run Wild Missoula partnered with Community Medical Center, St. Patrick Hospital, the City ofMissoula, the U.S. Forest Service, the University ofMontana, Ecology Project International, RockyMountain Elk Foundation and Adventure Life too er the community eight organized runs/walks.

RUN@WORK Day at Austin Peay State UniversityThis was the second for a RUN@WORK Day eventat Austin Peay State University. They had 81 participants that ran or walked a 1 mile route aroundAPSU main campus. Participants were encouragedto run/jog/walk the route for 30 minutes. The organizers provided a prize drawing and gave awayt shirts, resistance bands, backpacks, etc. The mathdepartment even got involved with the event anddid a statistics study. Approximately 35 of their students ran the route and at the end logged theirtime, age, weight, and height into an online database to get statistics.

Companies, organizations, and communities across the country participated in the 6thAnnual RUN@WORK Day to encourage adults to get 30 minutes of exercise each day,in accordance with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

SAVE THE DATE:SEPTEMBER 21,2012 SAVE THE DATE:

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012



Join a Club and Weight Watchers Walk It Day 5K

As part of our Join a Club promotional e orts, theRRCA partnered again with Weight Watchers International to host the Walk It Day 5K events. TheJoin a Club promotional e orts encourage peopleto join their local running and walking clubs and toparticipate in local events following the WeightWatchers Walk It Day 5K events. The partnershipalso enables the RRCA to pursue important strategies outlined in the National Physical Activity Plan.The RRCA has been an active partner in the development and implementation e orts for the Plan.

Nearly 22,000 people registered for the 2011Weight Watchers Walk It Day 5K events hosted na

tionwide by member clubs and events of theRRCA. The Kansas City Track Club hosted thelargest Weight Watchers Walk It Day 5K event withover 1,500 people taking part in the walk. TheLake Grapevine Runners & Walkers hosted the second largest Weight Watchers Walk It Day 5K eventwith 1200 people.

The RRCA extends a huge thank you to the following members for hosting an O cial Weight Watchers Walk It Day 5K on Sunday May 22, 2011. We alsothank Weight Watchers International and the supporting sponsors Sketchers, RunSignUp.com, LeslieJordan, Britton Banners, and Rainbow Racing.

Fleet Feet Menlo Park�’s Walkers CAFleet Feet Pleasant Hill CAGo WOW Team Ask About Running CALake of the Sky TrailRunners CARiverside Road Runners CASan Diego Track Club CAUltraLadies CAUSA Marathon Training CAFleet Feet Sports Hartford CTDC Running Club DCAmelia Island Runners FLFleet Feet Sports �– Sarasota FLRunner�’s Edge Foundation FLSpace Coast Runners FLSuncoast Striders FLMarathon Majic, LLC GASouth DeKalb Striders Running Club GAThe Heat Track Club GAWild Boar Racing LLC HIFleet Feet Sports Elmhurst ILFox River Running Club ILCalumet Region Striders INGreater Evansville Runners Club, Inc. INLogan Co Run/Walk Club KYFleet Feet Sports Baton Rouge LAGreater Lowell RRC MA

Old Colony Running Events MAPrince Georges Running Club MDCharities Challenge MNKansas City Track Club MORACE Montana MTFleet Feet Sports Winston Salem NCFour Seasons Running Club NCMoose Milers Running Club NHMile Square Consulting NYEast End Road and Trail Runners Club NYCleveland West Road Runners club OHRunners�’ Club of Greater Cincinnati OHYoungstown Road Runners Club OHWillamette Valley Road Runners ORFirst Place Events SCBrownsville Trailblazers TXHeels and Hills TXLake Grapevine Runners and Walkers TXPearland Area Runners Club TXSienna Running Club TXTough Cookies TXKingstowne Striders VATidal Basin Run VATidewater Striders VAMarty�’s Programs �– WI



The RRCA Championship events is one ofthe oldest distance running traditions in theUS, dating back to 1958 when the RRCAawarded their rst championship designation. The goal of the RRCA ChampionshipEvent Series is to shine a spotlight on wellrun events, and to promote the sport of running by recognizing the top performingrunners in the Open, Masters (40+), GrandMasters (50+), and Senior Grand Masters(60+) categories for both men and womenas RRCA Champions.

In 2011, the RRCA Championship Event Se

ries included 170 races at the State, Regionaland National level that attracted over265,000 runners nationwide, making it thelargest grassroots organized, running eventseries in the US. RRCA National and Regional Championship Events receive sponsorship support from Gatorade as theO cial Beverage of the series; FuelBelt asthe O cial Race Number Sponsor for theseries; Ashworth Awards a the O cialAward Provider for the series; Sports Authority as the Presenting Sponsor of theSeries, and Coolmax.

RRCA National Championship Event Results

Male Overall: Reuben Mwei, age 25 with a time of 14:16 from Acworth,GA Female Overall: Janet Cherobon Bawcom, age 36 with a time of 16:20 from Rome,GA

Male Master: Scott Strand, age 43 with a time of 15:57 from Birmingham, AL Female Master: Hayley Long, age 43 with a time of 21:30 from Oxford, AL

Male Grand Master: Robert Whitaker, age 52 with a time of 18:40 from Owens Cross Roads, ALFemale Grand Master: Theresa Burst, age 53 with a time of 21:57 from Birmingham, AL

Male Senior Grand Master: Wayne Heckler, age 61 with a time of 20:15 from Decatur, AL Female Senior Grand Master: Peg Tyler, age 60 with a time of 28:04 from Anniston, AL

RRCA National 5 K ChampionshipWoodstock 5 K – Anniston, AL

Male Overall: Richard Kandie from Kenya with a time of 29:15Female Overall: Janet Cherobon Bawcom from Rome, GA with a time of 33:22

Male Master: Matthew Dobson of Jay, FL with a time of 34:46 Female Master: Amy Hu of Mobile, AL with a time of 40:24

Male Grand Master: Leonard Vergunst, age 55, from Ocean Springs, MS with a time of 36:50Female Grand Master: Melanie Moore, age 59 from Mobile, AL with a time of 44:10

Male Senior Grand Master: Paul Colomb, age 65, from Lafayette, LA with a time of 39:14Female Senior Grand Master: Marian Loftin, age 64, from Mobile, AL with a time of 52:25

RRCA National 10 K ChampionshipAzalea Trail Run – Mobile, AL

Male Overall: Je rey Peterson from San Anselmo, CA, age 27, with a time of 55:46Female Overall: Sarah Hallas from Petaluma, CA, age 31 with a time of 1:05:21

Male Master: Scott Dunlap from Woodside, CA, age 41, with a time of 1:00:58Female Master: Gina Walker from Antioch, CA age 44 with a time of 1:17:20

Male Grand Master: Peter Hsia from San Francisco, CA, with a time of 1:06:23Female Grand Master: Suzette Smith from Alameda, CA with a time of 1:23:03

Male Senior Grand Master: Bregy Vancleve from San Fancisco, CA with a time of 1:17:32Female Senior Grand Master: Candace Mindigo age 64 with a time of 1:18:59

RRCA National 10 Mile ChampionshipPresidio 10 Mile – San Francisco, CA



RRCA National Championship Event Results

Male Overall: Wyatt Boyd, age 26 from Washington, DC with a time of 1:13:53Female Overall: Lanni Marchant, age 27 from Lansing, MI with a time of 1:21:27

Male Master: Alexander Hetherington, age 43, from Vienna, VA with a time of 1:19:57Female Master: Lori Buratto, age 40 from Spokane, with a time of 1:25:50

Male Grand Master: Richard Shaw, age 52 from Fredricksburg VA with a time of 1:23:42 Female Grand Master: Jill Hargis, age 50 from Annapolis, MD with a time of 1:40:11

Male Senior Grand Master: John Moore, age 60 from Milton PA with a time of1:32:35Female Senior Grand Master: Linda Mills, age 61 from Salisbury MD with a time of 1:53:40

RRCA National Half Marathon ChampionshipMarine Corps Historic Half – Fredericksburg, VA

Male Overall: Nick Szczech, age 22 from Cudahy, WI with a time of 2:22:17Female Overall: Amber Druien, age 26 from Woodstock, IL with a time of 2:54:16

Male Master: Kim Lasecki, age 44 from De Pere, WI with a time of 2:41:53Female Master: Mary Bolich, age 48 from Plymouth, WI with a time of 3:08:28

Male Grand Master: Richard Dodd age 52, from Madison,WI with a time of 3:03:50Female Grand Master: Cheryl Neumann,age 55, from Milwaukee,WI with a time of 3:28:20

Male Senior Grand Master: John Jenk, age 63 from Hales Corners, WI with a time of 3:27:31.00Female Senior Grand Master: Adele Pitt, age 60 from Cudahy,WI with a time of 4:19:39.20

RRCA National Marathon ChampionsMilwaukee Lakefront Marathon - Milwaukee, WI

Male Overall: Jorge Maravilla age 33 from CA with a time of 18:48:19Female Overall: Bree Lambert age 43 from CA with a time of 23:07:43

Male Master: Thomas Reiss age 43 from CA with a time of 20:58:30Female Master: Susan Donnelly age 48 from TN with a time of 30:59:05

Male Grand Master: Lee McKinley age 50 from CA with a time of 23:02:21Male Senior Grand Master: Tim Hicks age 67 from CA with a time of 30:42:38

RRCA National Ultra ChampionshipTahoe Rim Trail Run 100 Mile – Spooner Lake, NV

A Running Experience Club won the 2011 RRCA National Club Championship and earned the distinction of theThey posted an average nish time of 2:10:00.

RRCA National Club ChampionshipDisneyland Half Marathon – Anaheim, CA



RRCA National Running Award Winners

Since 1971, the RRCA has honored dedicated individuals for their outstanding service to the RRCA andthe sport of distance running. We are delighted to announce the 2012 RRCA Hall of Fame Inducteesand the 2011 National Running Award recipients.

RRCAD is t a nce R unning Ha ll of F a me Induct ees

JOE VIGIL

Joe I. Vigil is a former cross country/track and eld coach at Adams State University. He has a doctorate in exercise physiologyfrom the University of New Mexico. He is widely regarded as the preeminent long distance running coach in the UnitedStates. In 2010, the United States Olympic Committee recognized him for his accomplishments as one of America�’s greatestgoodwill ambassadors. Over the course of his coaching career, he has either conducted clinics or coached United States national teams, including Olympic and World Championship teams, in 25 countries spanning 5 continents. To each of thesecountries he has brought his endearing smile, his love of people, and his willingness to teach and share his knowledge of thesport of running with others so that they could become better athletes. His coaching style combines a profound knowledgeof distance running with a sense of caring and an unshakeable focus that enables young athletes to develop the characternecessary to reach and often exceed their highest goals. His record as head coach at Adams State is legendary, where he ledteams to 7 NAIA national track and eld championships and 12 NAIA national cross country championships. At the 1995 NCAADivision II national cross country championship, his Adams State team achieved a perfect scoreof 15 points. His overall winning record at Adams State stands at 94.2%, with 3,014 winsand 176 losses. He was named national Coach of the Year on 14 di erent occasions.During his tenure at Adams State, he produced 425 All Americans and 87 individualnational champions. He has also served as United States Olympic and (with BobLarsen) Team Running USA coach. Three of his most celebrated running protégés are 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, 2004Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keizighi, and multiple nationalcross country champion and 10,000 meter Olympian Pat Porter. He hasreceived numerous awards for his contributions to the sport of running,including 11 hall of fame inductions (United States Track & Field andCross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999). In 1989, hereceived the President�’s Award from The Athletics Congress. In 2005,he received the �“Doc�” Councilman Science in Coaching Award fromthe United States Olympic Committee.



RRCA National Running Award Winners

Abdihakim Abdirahman was born in Somalia in 1977. After graduating from Tucson HighSchool in 1995, he attended Pima Community College and later transferred to the University of Arizona for his junior and senior years. Since 1998, he has been one of America�’s premier distance runners. At Arizona, he was named the 1998 Pacic 10 ConferenceCross Country Male Athlete of the Year after nishing second at the 1998 NCAA CrossCountry Championships. In 2000, he became an American citizen. He has made theUnited States Olympic track and eld team four times, competing three times in the10,000 meters (in 2000 at Sydney (10th place), 2004 at Athens (15th place), and 2008 atBeijing (15th place)). In January 2012, he nished third at the Olympic marathon trials inHouston, Texas (2:09:47) and thus qualied to represent the United States at the 2012London Olympics in the marathon. His personal best 10,000 meters time is 27:16.99,which he achieved in June 2008 at Hayward Field during the Prefontaine Classic. He hasalso competed in the 10,000 meters at the World Athletics Championships three times,nishing 7th 2007, 13th in 2005, and 19th in 2003. In November 2007, his close friendand fellow marathon runner Ryan Shay died at the Olympic marathon trials in New York.Since Shay�’s funeral, Abdirahman has worn a black wristband in Shay�’s memory withthe words, �“Ryan Shay Believe in Yourself.�” Those were the last words Abdirahmansaid to Shay before Shay�’s untimely passing. He currently trains and resides in Tucson,AZ. He enjoys the nickname Black Cactus, which is also the name if his personal

Linda Somers Smith was born on May 7, 1961 in Germany at Bitburg Air Force Base,Rhineland Palatinate. She currently resides in Arroyo Grande, California. She is an Olympianand a two time United States national champion in the marathon (1993 and 1994). In 1982,she took up running during her junior year at the University of California and began runningdistance races, specializing in the marathon. She won the 1992 Chicago Marathon (2:37:41)and the 1993 California International Marathon (2:34:11). In 1995, she nished 7th in themarathon at the World Athletics Championships. In 1996, she took second in the UnitedStates Olympic marathon trials with a personal best of 2:30:06. Later in 1996, at the AtlantaSummer Olympics, she nished 31st with a time of 2:36:58, despite su ering an Achilles tendon tear during the race. She has continued to demonstrate her running excellence as amasters runner. At the 2008 Olympic marathon trials, she set the American 45 49 age grouprecord, nishing in a time of 2:38:49 and placing 17th. In 2009, she placed 6th at the UnitedStates Track and Field Association Club Nationals Cross Country meet. She is the holder ofAmerican 45 49 age group road records in the 5K (16:14, San Jose, California, November 26,2009), 10K (33:39, Paso Robles, California, September 26, 2010), 10 miles (57:07 Redding,California, March 6, 2010), 20K (1:09:42, San Jose, California, October 3, 2010), and halfmarathon (1:13:32, San Jose, California, October 3, 2010). At the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon,she qualied for her seventh consecutive Olympic marathon trials A standard, a record number, nishing in 2:36:33 and winning the masters title. She is the only person, male or female,to ever qualify by time standard for seven United States Olympic marathon trials. On January14, 2012, at the age of 50, she was the oldest competitor at the Olympic marathon trials inHouston, Texas. She nished in 28th place with a time of 2:37:36, setting an American 50 54age group record and adding another jewel to her crown of running glory. In her life awayfrom running, Somers Smith is a full time attorney with the law rm of Duggan Smith &Heath LLP in San Luis Obispo, California, specializing in business and real property law. Sheputs family and work rst, and running second, on her list of priorities.

ABDI ABDIRAHMAN

LINDA SOMERS-SMITH



Outstanding Club President of the Year

Alpine R unner s of La k e Z ur ich – La k e Z ur ich, IL

Beth has been running since 1981 and has been the Presidentof the Alpine Runners for over 10 years. She has run over100 marathons and several ultras. She was the Program Director of CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) for several years and helped thousands of runners reach their goalsof running their rst marathon. She brought those skills tothe Alpine Runners and started marathon, half marathonand beginning running training programs. Under her tutelage, the club also started a kids running program preparingthem to run the Alpine Races in the Youth Mile. Because ofthese programs and her enthusiasm for running, our clubhas grown to one of the largest and best organized runningclubs in Illinois.

There are several opportunities for club members to volunteer throughout the year, and she always recognizes all ofthem at year�’s end. The Alpine Runners have always beena very social club with many activities, parties and dinnersfor all seasons. Beth has always been an advocate of theRRCA. She has been the Illinois State Representative andRegional Director for RRCA and attends the Conventionsevery year. She also organized the Convention in Chicago in2007, which was a resounding success for both the RRCAand the Alpine Runners. The Alpine Runners have two organized training / fun runs per week. Our Saturday morningruns may have over 200 participants. For safety reasons,Beth starts the groups o in groups based on their speedfrom 7:30 minute miles to walkers and the walkingwounded. These are led by group leader volunteers to assure no one gets left behind or lost. We have water andGatorade stops for our runs every 2 or 3 miles to support therunners up to 20 miles.

In addition to our 6 newsletters per year for which she always contributes articles and news, Beth also sends out ourWeekly Announcements via email to keep all our memberswell informed of club news. Through example and countlesshours of work, Beth has been an advocate of running, theRRCA, the Alpine Runners and a healthy lifestyle.

BETH ONINES



Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA

Outstanding State Representative for 2010

Al Becken served as Texas RRCA State Rep in the early 1980�’s and was the rst State Rep to be honoredas the Outstanding RRCA State Representative. Mr. Becken subsequently served as RRCA Vice President South/RRCA Southern Director from 1986 1989. During his tenure as Southern Director he helpedestablish the Arkansas RRCA Grand Prix series that has served as the benchmark for other State�’s RRCAGrand Prix�’s. Under his leadership his region�’s Championship program was second to none. Mr.Becken�’s leadership and management skills were instrumental in making the Southern Region thelargest and strongest in the RRCA.

In 2005 Mr. Becken presented the RRCA with its largest individual contribution to support the travelof State Reps to the RRCA Convention for training and networking. He continues to strongly supportthe State Rep program and encourages all members to do so as well.

As a member of the San Antonio Road Runners and Friends of McAllister Park he spearheaded thedrive and devoted countless hours to help construct park improvements including paved jogging trailsand other recreational facilities. He was subsequently honored with a pavilion named for him and isa ectionately known as Mr. San Antonio for his role in improving city government.

Mr. Becken has projected the RRCA banner far and wide as he has run at least two marathons in everystate and continues to participate in races and running related activities. He has devoted many yearsof volunteer service to his community, the sport of running, and avidly champions the RRCA missionexpecting nothing return. Al Becken embodies the Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA Award.

Louisiana State Rep Betsy Boudreaux is always willing to go the extra mile serving the RRCA and herclubs. She communicates with them at least monthly, disseminating important information about RRCAprograms and deadlines, plus relevant articles, and Convention session summaries that she wrote(RRCA Insurance, How to Motivate Volunteers, etc.). To make sure important RRCA News reaches allof their intended audience, she built her list to also include running stores, dedicated volunteers, andRRCA Coaches.

She provides extra �“goodies�” at her Championship races, often spending money out of her own pocket.National Running Award nominees in her state got their certicates framed, and presented to them ina ceremony at a State Championship race. She also purchased RRCA merchandise for the winners ofthe Cajun Cup 10K, an RRCA Southern Region Championship.

Betsy attended all State and Regional Championships in Louisiana during 2011. For the Cajun Cup 10K,she booked the RRCA tent and other promotional materials, and manned the RRCA booth at the Expo.After the event she posted pictures and a video on Facebook. Betsy always attends the RRCA AnnualConvention, and is a major contributor to the State Reps Silent Auction. In 2010, she secured a week ata Mammoth Lakes Condo for the auction.

In addition to serving the RRCA, Betsy is a frequent and appreciated volunteer on the New Orleansrunning scene, and one of only two course measurers in the State. But above all Betsy is a wonderfuland caring person. She cares about her clubs and made great e ort to distribute the 2012 State Championships fairly.

BETSY BOUDREAUX

AL BECKEN



Outstanding Volunteer of the Year

Ca lumet R egion S t r ider s of N or t hw est India na – Ca lumet , IN

Mary Zemansky of Michigan City, Indianais the Calumet Region Striders outgoingCompetitive Race Series Chair and BoardMember. In 2011, there were 30+ Gold CupRaces, and 15+ Sponsored Race Events.This required endless communication, calendaring and compiling race evaluationsfor feedback to RD's.

Her job description includes: establishingthe club's annual Gold Cup Race Seriesschedule and selection process; establishing and monitoring a Long Distance SeriesSchedule; selecting and monitoring theSponsored Race Events for those racesthat are not selected for the club's GoldCup Race Series; maintaining communications and mentoring all race directors;preparing evaluations and surveys ofevents; coordinating Gold Cup Table coverage at Gold Cup events for club mem

bers; coordinating and presiding over annual race director meeting(s); coordinate, prepare,and preside over committee meetings(s); attending and participating in monthly club boardmeeting(s)

In 2011, the integration of 11 XYZ Trail Club Series became possible under her leadership. Aself mission like no other, her interest in trail running kept this series alive. Member interestin this series will grow as a result of her work and recruitment of new races to come.

Her integrity as a board member is like no other. She routinely attends board meetings andprovides valuable input and follow up; she meets and presides over her own committee meetings of approximately eight members as necessary. She developed a system for obtainingand tracking participant and board member race evaluations electronically and was instrumental in making sure the event directors receive this important feedback and critique. Herrecruitment of new sponsored races is an avenue for the board to recruit future Gold Cupevents. She has become a valuable resource and mentor for event directors in the process.She also authors articles for and contributes to the club's monthly newsletter columns.

Mary Zemansky ts all the criteria for the RRCA Outstanding Volunteer Award. She has beena past convention delegate. She is a dedicated club volunteer and contributor to races notonly in the community, but also in the region. She has been our club's committee's chair andbard member for six years. She is a strong spirited race competitor amongst her peers. Although not known to enjoy long distance racing, she even demonstrated the spirit of theChicago Marathon by completing her rst marathon in 2011.

MARY ZEMANSKI



Y

Outstanding Youth Program Director

Devaun Churchya nominated Marc Glotzbecker. Devaun�’s words say everything about Marc Glotzbecker.

I am nominating my father, Marc Glotzbecker, as the Outstanding Youth Program Director, because Ihave watched him willingly give of his time and energy for the past ten years to the Fremont Flash YouthRunning Program. The program is something that he built over the years to share his love for runningand to teach the young people from my community what participating in running can do for a person.

I am a junior in High School now and although I am too old to be a part of the Flash, I can see much moreclearly now the benets that the program has in our community and just how much time and energy hehas put into it. My own teammates who were a part of the program with me when younger still call mydad "coach" when he shows up to one of our meets or to pick me up from practice. They still ask him foradvice or how he thought they did. You can always hear my dad telling kids (as he told us) "the most important thing is not the place that you nish in, it's what you learned about yourself between the startline and nish line that is more important."

I've watched my dad write grants and nd donations to help with uniforms, equipment, scholarships orto put on "Shoe Day," which is when he works with our local running store Second Sole to get all of thekids new running shoes. He puts his heart into the Fremont Flash and I believe that there is no other person more deserving of being named "Outstanding Youth Program Director" than him.

From Jamie Torrance who also nominated Marc Glotzbecker Marc is and has been 100% dedicated to promoting youth running and coordinating an incredible youth running program in our community. He goesabove and beyond in giving of his time to recruit, coach and organize events for the young runners to participate in. To better illustrate this, I share with you a story. For the past two years, Marc has successfullyworked hard to write and obtain grants to help support the program. One thing Marc has done withmoney received is the purchase of quality running shoes for the participants. Last winter during the IndoorTrack Program, shoes were purchased for the kids and were presented to them after a practice. A fewweeks later prior to the start of practice, I was talking with Coach Marc when one of the runners came in.Coach quietly told me to watch what that runner did. What I watched was one of the most heartwarmingthings that I've seen in quite awhile. The young man proceeded to take a towel from the inside of his gymbag. He unwrapped it to take out the running shoes he had received. He then used the towel to wipethem down before putting them on. When practice was over, I watched the same young man take hisshoes o , wipe them down with the towel again, wrap them up and put them back in his gym bag. Whenasked about it, Coach Marc said that he'd been watching him do this the past few practices and simply responded with "knowing that there is that much value placed in what was given to him is what we're allabout and it's that kind of value that running can have is what we're trying to teach the kids."

Marc Glotzbecker is deserving of this award because he is promoting running as a valuable thing to theyoung people in our community.

MARC GLOTZBECKERF r emont F la sh Yout h R unning P r ogr a m – F r eemont Elit e R unner ’s Club – F r emont , OH



Road Runners of the Year

OP EN M ALEHall had another outstanding year on the roads in 2011. In January 2011,he was second at the USA Half Marathon Championship in Houston,TX. He followed up that performance with a 4th place nish at the2011 Boston Marathon, and was the top American in the event. Hallimproved the best ever time by an American to 2:04:58. He was 5that the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and was also top Americanat that event. Other events for Hall included: a 4:17.2 road mile, goodfor 13th at the Medtronic TC 1 Mile (05/12/11), a seventh at the high altitude Bolder Boulder 10k in 30:30 (05/30/11), a seventh at thePeachtree 10k (07/04/11) in 29:16, and a fourth place at the VirginiaBeach RNR half marathon (09/05/11) in 1:03:02.

RYAN HALL

OP EN F EM ALECherobon Bawcom from Rome, Ga. was a stand out for Road Runnerof the Year after earning both the 10K and 5K National RRCA Championships events, both held in Alabama in 2011. Cherobon Bawcom wonthe Medtronic TC 10 Mile with a time of 54:15. A day after winning theB.A.A. Half Marathon, Cherobon Bawcom dominated the eld at theUSA Women's 10 km Championships in Boston, MA, running 32:47 forher third U.S. title of the year and securing the women's title for the2011 USA Running Circuit. Cherobon Bawcom is the eldest of eight siblings raised alone by their mother. After a chance encounter withPeter Rono, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist at 1500m, Cherobon Bawcom began running at age 20 and earned an athletic scholarship toHarding University in Arkansas, where she went on to become athree time NCAA Division II Champion and eight time All American.She graduated in 2005 with a degree in Health Care Management andlater studied nursing at Georgia Highlands College in Rome, GA.

JANET CHEROBON-BAWCOM



Road Runners of the Year

M ALE M AS TERIn 2011, Terry McCluskey (age 63) won three United States Track andField Association national championships (5K XC, 8K, and 15K) and aWorld Masters Athletics championship (marathon) in the male 60 64age division. In December 2011, he was selected as the 2011 USATF national age division champion (#1 ranking among all runners in theUnited States) for males 60 64. He placed rst among males 60 69 atthe 2011 Boston Marathon, nishing in 2:48:38, the fourth fastest agegroup time in the history of the Boston Marathon. He placed rstamong males 60 64 at the Gate River Run 15K, setting an age courserecord with a time of 56:38. He placed rst among males 60 64 at theCherry Blossom 10 Miler, nishing in a time of 1:00:12. He was also amember of the Ann Arbor Track Club's 2011 USATF men's masters 60+grand prix national championship team. The majority of his nishtimes in 2011 were age graded between 90% and 93%. Beyond his running achievements, he served as Vice President on the YoungstownPeace Race's Board of Directors and added two new charities, theAmerican Cancer Society and a food bank, to the YPR's list of charitiesfor 2011. He was also elected to the Youngstown Runners Hall of Fameand was highlighted in the August 2011 issue of National MastersNews. He is the author of an article entitled "The Full 26.2," which maybe found at www.runforlife.com.

TERRY MCCLUSKEY

F EM ALE M AS TERAt age 50, Linda earned the World record for women 50+ in the 10Kwith a time of 34:14 at Heritage Oaks 10K in Paso Robles in September2011. She was also the winner (masters and open) of the 2011 Shoreline Open Cross Country women's race, running 3 miles in a time of16:31. She won ve out of the ve Pacic Association USATF CrossCountry races as a masters, and four of the ve events she was alsothe overall winner. She set the F50 54 World Record for the halfmarathon with her time of 1:15:18 at Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Los Angelesin October 2011. She nished 8th in 20:27 in the open women�’s 6Krace at the USATF National Club Cross Championships in Seattle onDecember 10, 2011. She would be named USATF Athlete of the Weekas a result. Finally, she is the only person (male or female) to date toqualify by time standard for seven U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

LINDA SOMERS-SMITH



Excellence in Journalism Awards

Outstanding Website

S ma ll Club N ew s let t er :THE R IV ER TO R IV ER R U N N IN G R EP OR TEREditor David Bond River to River Runners �– Carbondale, IL

La r ge Club N ew s let t er :R IV ER CITY R U N N ER S AN D W ALKER S N EW S LETTER Editor Donna GrahamRiver City Runners and Walkers �– Parkersburg, WV

E-N ew s let t er :W ICKED R U N N IN G R EGIS TEREditor Michele CampbellWicked Running Club �– Salem, MA

Club W r it er of t he Yea rED HAR D EEAmelia Island Runners �– Fernandina Beach, FLWith both a witty and insightful air for capturing the human essence of the sport of running, Ed Hardeeis an honorable selection for the 2011 RRCA Outstanding Club Writer. Hardee has demonstrated his diverse writing talent by tugging on a reader's heartstrings with a touching column about the death of hislong time running companion, his dog Sadie, and a story about a fallen runner being saved from deathby alert paramedics. As both a writer and the editor of the club�’s e newsletter, Hardee's columns andstories are always a must read. And, his journalistic work is always factually and grammatically accurate.

Jour na lism Excellence R ACHEL TOORSenior Writer, Running Times magazineRachel has over the past decade contributed numerous insightful and inspiring magazine features andcolumns to both Running Times and Marathon & Beyond. Her writing is crisp, concise, and comprehensive, and her passion for the sport of long distance running oozes from every line. Additionally, in 2008many of her running essays were bundled together in the delightful book PERSONAL RECORD: A LoveA air with Running. Rachel has proved her knowledge of our sport/lifestyle and has translated it to therunning world by frequently pacing ultrarunners toward their dream nishes.

GAR D EN S TATE TR ACK CLU BW W W .GAR D EN S TATETC.OR G

cour

tesy o

f Ath

leta



Outstanding Beginning Running Program

The Annapolis Striders�’ Beginning Running Program was originated by and is still run by Evan Thomas. Evan and his crew aregetting ready for the 20th anniversary of the program, which heinitiated as a way to �“put something back�” into the sport. Theprogram evolved after he experienced a magical run ofmarathon nishes that culminated in his qualifying for theBoston Marathon at the club�’s B&A Trail Marathon in March of1993. This convinced him that if he could reach that lofty goal,perhaps others could as well.

It was Bob Glover�’s program with the New York Road Runnersthat provided the foundation for the nascent beginning runningprogram and it continues to be the starting point for our currentprogram. The rst week features one minute runs followed bytwo minutes of walking. By the 10th week of the three timesper week program, the new runners will complete a 20 minutenon stop run. The real �“graduation�” of the program is the 5Kruns put on by the Striders: The Women�’s Distance Festival 5Kand The Run After the Women 5K. These events are the �“beginning�” points for the graduates. In 19 years all but two who completed the program and then entered the 5K(s) were able tonish their event.

Class attendees receive presentations on many useful topics including how to add distance safely, running form, strengtheningexercises, cross training, nutrition, how to buy running shoes,

running safety, heart rate monitoring, injury prevention andtreatment, runner�’s high, and keeping running fun. In this lattercategory, Evan has excelled and uses a large collection of anticsand apparel to keep the participants entertained and not thinking too much about the hard work ahead. He received coachingtraining at the Spokane RRCA convention and is a former Maryland State RRCA Representative and three time club president.

Crucial to the success of this program is that previous graduatesreturn and speak to the class about their experiences and/or actas mentors. These real life success stories help the attendeesto see that there is light at the end of the 10 week tunnel. So, itis safe for us to say, �“The best is yet to come!�” The class alsostresses the connection between the club and the RRCA National O ce along with the programs and services that are available to RRCA members. Many of the post class shirts havebecome collector�’s items and all bear the RRCA logo. A photoof a recent class still graces the RRCA�’s website.

The beginning running program has been written up in RunningTimes Magazine, the Annapolis CAPITAL newspaper, MetroSports Magazine (now incorporated into COMPETITOR Magazine) and Taste of the Bay Magazine (Annapolis area generalnews). Over the years, graduates of the class have gone on tobe integral members of the Striders, serving as race directorsand on the Board of Directors.

EVAN THOMASAnna polis S t r ider s B eginning R unning P r ogr a m - Anna polis , M D



RRCA Road Race of the Year

Imagine drinking a Bloody Mary and munching ona breakfast burrito while your companion is drinking a local Sierra Nevada beer while eating pancakes soaked in maple syrup. A band is playing inthe background. And it gets better your meal'sbackdrop is the San Francisco Bay with Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge looming large. Youcan�’t believe this is the nish line area.

Imagine again proposing a toast for having runthrough the Presidio and then both sides of theGolden Gate Bridge! (Note: the west side is normally closed to pedestrians, except for this race.)You appreciate the cheering of the high school volunteers at the aid stations. And before that, therewas Nancy Hobbs, executive director of the American Trail Running Association, as grand marshal tostart the race. And before that, there was RRCA Executive Director Jean Knaack leading the smilingcrowds with warm up stretches.

The reality is that this is the Presidio 10 race in whichthe 10 mile race was a RRCA National Championshipwhile a 10K was a RRCA Western Regional Championship. The race is put on by the Guardsmen andproceeds go to The Ashlyn Dyer Foundation forNeurological research aims to fund research andraise public awareness for traumatic brain injury.

The race involves the RRCA substantially by havinga free RRCA booth at the nish line expo, hosting aRRCA state club meeting the day before, and having RRCA o cials participate in the awards ceremony. There is a competition among RRCA clubs inthe 10K for fastest club and largest club. The racesaw the introduction of the RRCA championshiprace banners and the new booth. The Presidio 10well deserves for Road Race of the Year.

PRESIDIO 10R a ce dir ect or , Jef f La ndr y – The Gua r dsmen – S a n F r a ncisco, CA

THAN K YOU TO S ELECTION P AN EL V OLU N TEER SThe RRCA thanks the following individuals for serving on thevarious award selection panels. Each selection panel includes RRCA members from around the country. Thank youto: Mitch Garner, Amby Burfoot, Bill Rodgers, Don Carding,Doug Kurtis, Frank Shorter, Jacqueline Hansen, Jim Oaks,Joan Samuelson, Joe Henderson, Ken Young, Kim Jones, LisaRainsberger, Steve Spence, Bee McLeod, Gary Corbitt, BrentAyer, Lisa Paige, Kelly Richards, Mark Grandonico, David Purinton, Chip Allman, David Epstein, Larry Eder, Brenda Barrera,Dan Edwards, John Farrow, Mark Miller, Nancy Hobbs,George Rehment, Tom Downing, Lena Hollmann, BlaineMoore, Simon Adair, Lisa Dahl, Tony Flesch, Beth Onines, Jessica Benney, Tom Kramer, Dan Kesterson, Mike Dove, SueBrown Nickerson, Jessica Sleight, Mark Ward, KathrynGleghorn, Bailey Penzotti, Chris Burch, Chuck Bartlett, andTim Short. Thank you to RRCA Program Coordinator WilliamDyson for coordinating the selection process.



53rd Annual RRCA Convention Recap

Nearly 200 people attended the 53rd Annual RRCAConvention in Fredericksburg, May 12 15, enjoyingthe hospitality and wide ranging program of convention organizers Fredericksburg Area RunningClub (FARC) and Marine Corps Marathon.

Attendees were given a couple of opportunities to�“run through history�” with scenic fun runs in theFredericksburg and Spotsylvania Battleelds, siteof Civil War skirmishes between Yankee and Con

federate soldiers, as well as a trek through thedowntown area.

The RRCA Board and RRCA State Representativeseven �“met through history,�” with work sessions inHistoric Town Hall. The history theme was mostprominent during the RRCA welcome reception atthe Fredericksburg Area Museum featuring localsin authentic period garb.

A topic that frequently generates questions fromRRCA member clubs was addressed in the GeneralSession on the rst full day of the convention. TerryDiller, who has handled RRCA�’s insurance programfor 19 years, discussed Insurance & Risk Management. Among the break out sessions that followedwas a �“Rules of the Road�” seminar by �“Miss RoadManners,�” a.k.a., Freddi Carlip. RRCA�’s president

from 2000 2004 presented common sense runningetiquette and safety tips appropriate for both theseasoned runner and those to new to running.Other breakout sessions included �“DevelopingMarketing Strategies�” and �“Motivating Your Volunteers.

The only American to win an Olympic gold medalin the 10,000 meters was the luncheon motivational speaker. Billy Mills was victorious in Tokyo�’s1964 Olympics. His feat was dramatized in the 1983movie Running Brave starring Robby Benson. Millssays he became good friends with the actor andthey ran road races together.

�“It�’s not the journey,�” said Mills in discussing lifelessons learned. �“It�’s the destination.�”Mills also stressed the potential impact of perceptions. �“Perceptions can make you and perceptionscan destroy you,�” he said.

The General Session Business Meeting concludedin about 15 minutes. Four RRCA directors for 20112013 were elected unanimously. Lena Hollmann(Southern Region Director), Kelly �“K2�” Richards(At Large Director), and Dan Edwards (At Large Director) will be serving second terms on the RRCABoard, while Bailey Penzotti (Western Region Director) begins her rst term.

An evening outdoor barbecue with bluegrassmusic at Market Square in Fredericksburg cappedthe day. Mills hung around for the event, signingcopies of his book and CD, and patiently honoringall �“photo op with a Gold medalist�” requests.

Race walking participant in the 1988 SeoulOlympics, Gary Morgan, was luncheon speaker.Morgan�’s visual presentation covered highlightsfrom his travels around the world from Antarcticato Africa. Morgan, RRCA Michigan State Representative, was recognized as 2010 Outstanding StateRepresentative during the RRCA National Banquetand Running Awards Ceremony that evening. Following Gary�’s motivational talk, the Monterey BayPeninsula was awarded as the inaugural Outstanding Runner Friendly Community.

Yet another Olympian, Julie Isphording, was thehumorous banquet speaker. Isphording ran withthe rst ever U.S. Women�’s Olympic MarathonTeam. She is an award winning syndicated radio



2011 Program Report

talk show host who focuses on tness and nutritional advice. Isphording not only spoke to the audience, she showed them, pulling out items from acardboard box to illustrate her topics, including amedal, running shoes, and tank top.

�“You have to bet on you,�” she said. �“Keep on keeping on in everything you do. You can�’t cross the nish line unless you start.�”

Other award winners honored at the banquet included RRCA Distance Hall of Fame Inductees BobKennedy, Alan Culpepper, and Julie Emmons; Outstanding Club President of the Year, Chip Allman,River City Runners & Walkers, Parkersburg, WestVirginia; Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA AwardKen Bendy, former RRCA Southern Region Directorand North Florida State Representative; and Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Dink Taylor,Huntsville (Alabama) Track Club. Steve Edwardswas in attendance at the event to accept the RoadRunner of the Year award on behalf of his wife,

Shalane Flannagan.

RRCA President, Brent Ayer, honored outgoingWestern Region Director David Epstein for hismany years of service to the RRCA Board of Directors.Jean Knaack, RRCA Executive Director, wrappedup the evening by announcing the 2013 RRCA National Championship events, the 3rd Annual RaceShirt contest winner, and announced Albuquerque,New Mexico, as host city for the 2013 RRCA National Convention, which will follow Memphis, Tennessee as host city for the 54th RRCA NationalConvention in 2012.

RRCA Convention 2011 concluded the following daywith the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, Historic Half Relay and Semper Fred 5K. The halfserved as the RRCA Half Marathon National Championship. Drew Carey was among the notable nishers, along with second overall Todd Neville,North Florida RRCA State Representative.

Gold LevelRunning Network

Leslie Jordan

RunSignUp.com

imATHLETE

Britten Banner

K&K Insurance

Star Insurance

Raceit

Silver LevelMemphis Runners

Track Club

Ashworth Awards

Chronotrack

Bronze LevelCourtyard Marriott

Virginia Barbeque

City of Fredricksburg

Road Race Management

Sports Science



2011 RRCA State Reps�’ Report

For over three decades, the RRCA State Representatives (State Reps) have served as ambassadorsfor the organization by providing a physical presence in each state for the RRCA. State Reps promote our programs and services to clubs andevents in their home state. State Reps assist theNational O ce and the RRCA Board in carrying outthe mission, vision and values of the organization.State Reps monitor trends and issues at the stateand local level and report them to the National Ofce. In addition they promote membership in localclubs and recruit una liated clubs, events, corporate supporters and individual members. Learnmore about the State Reps, including their contactinformation 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 sportof distance running.

Alabama State Rep: Ron MacksoudAlabama hosted a total of eight RRCA Championships, including an unprecedented two NationalChampionships (Azalea Trail Run 10K, 3/26, in Mobileand the Woodstock Run 5K, 8/6, in Anniston), twoSouthern Region Championships (Red Nose Run 10Miler, 1/8, in Homewood and the Pinhoti 100, 11/5, inSylacauga), and four Alabama State Championships(Monte Sano Run, 9/3, in Huntsville; R3 Labor DayRun, 9/5, in Montgomery; 1 Mile River BottomBurnout, 10/8, in Florence; and the Kaiser RealtyCoastal Half Marathon, 11/26, in Orange Beach).

I attended and/or participated in four of Alabama�’sChampionships. I attended the 53rd Annual RRCAConvention in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I donateditems for the convention�’s Silent Auction and assisted with the setup and organization of the auction. During the RRCA Convention National AwardsBanquet, Dink Taylor, Huntsville Track Club, was recognized as Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.

Five Alabama State Representative Newsletterswere sent to key Alabama RRCA club contacts viaemail, along with other emails containing special,time sensitive information. Among RRCA programsand information covered in these communicationswere the following: Membership Renewal, NationalConvention, National Awards, Championship events,Runner Friendly Communities, Kids Run the Nation,Run@Work Day, RRCA Logos, RRCA Mission Statement, RRCA Facebook Fan Page, RRCA News Syndication, and RRCA Expo/Race Tent.

Alaska State Rep: Steve BainbridgeGreeting from the State of Alaska! This is a totallyamazing state ! �… with an area of over 570,000square miles and a population of approximately700,000 people! At one point in time (before thegovernor made a proclamation to have Alaska�’s timezones �“consolidated�” into one) the State of Alaskaencompassed four time zones. It is not an easy driveto get across all the time zones. Roads in Alaska arefew and far between. Planes are the favored methodof transportation to get to and from most of Alaska�’s�“cities�”. A person cannot drive to Juneau, the Statecapital, and home of the Southeast Road Runners.Prince of Wales Island and Ketchikan are home to thePrince of Wales Runners Club and the Ketchikan Running Club respectively. Ferries and airplanes are theonly way in and out of these Southeast communities.

Alaska clubs feature year round running events,which is no small accomplishment given that wehave seen temperatures as low as 50F in Fairbanksthis winter and are coping with over eight feet ofsnow fall in Anchorage. I should note that we arepleased to announce the formation of our newestrunning club, and RRCA member, in beautiful Homer,Alaska

So come on up to Alaska for a visit �… whether to rununder the �“midnight sun�” in the months of June andJuly or to run under the Northern Lights in themonths of December and January. You might be oneof the lucky ones to experience a �“convergence�”(where the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales come together at 40F). Denitely something that you willnever forget.

Arizona State Rep: Randy AccettaStrong RRCA clubs in the state include the RC3 clubin the Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek (otherwiseknown as the Running Chicks of Cave Creek), theYuma Desert Runners, and the Thunder MountainRunning Club out of Sierra Vista. The busiest eventbased club is Fleet Feet Tucson, ranked once againas one of the nation�’s top 50 stores. The agship clubin Arizona is the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, withabout 800 household memberships and 1200 overallmembers.

Arkansas State Rep: Andrea Sieczkowski (outgoing)In January, the Arkansas RRCA kicked o the 30thannual running of our Grand Prix series. Shortlyafter the season started we hosted the StateChampionship 15K and awards ceremony for the2010 Grand Prix. Over 150 club members fromacross the state attended this ceremony, which



2011 Program Report

also included a chili cook o . Over $2000 in awardsand door prizes were given away. Two of our threesponsors were in attendance.

As always, we kept club members in the knowwith an up to date website that included 16 StateRep blog entries, Facebook and Twitter feeds, andthe National RRCA�’s news feed widget. TheGrand Prix season ended in November with over400 club members participating. The annualawards ceremony was held immediately in conjunction with the final race. There were over 100runners in attendance.

This was my nal year serving as the Arkansas StateRep. It has been a fun and rewarding three yearsand I�’m honored to have been able to representsuch a great organization.

California Coastal State Rep: George RehmetThe 2011 Championship events include:

�• Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon (Western Regional) �– I hosted a nish line expo booth which had information about the RRCA and RRCA clubs and events in my region.

�• Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon(Western Regional) �– I was on the �“Running the Course�” panel at the Marathon College. In addition, I was a guest speaker at the dinner and helped topass out awards.

�• Presidio 10 Mile (National) and Presidio 10K (Western Regional) �– The RRCA boothmade its rst West Coast appearance. I assisted Jean Knaack with passing out the RRCA awards. The day before I hosted a RRCA state club meeting along with the Eastern and Southern California States Reps, Western Regional Director David Epstein, nominated Western Regional Director Bailey Penizotti, and Jean Knaack.Moreover, I assisted the race by recruitingNancy Hobbs, executive director of the American Trail Running Association, as race marshal.

�• Avenue of the Giants Marathon (State) �– I hosted the RRCA booth, helped to emcee,and pass out awards. I honored the race forits 40th anniversary with a signed race poster from Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit, Joe Henderson, and other running celebrities.

I continued to work with Southern California StateRep Jacqueline Britton. In January I assisted EasternCalifornia State Rep. Simone Adair with the banquet

for the Pacic Association of the USA Track & Field. Iworked with outgoing RRCA Western Regional Director David Epstein to nd his replacement, BaileyPenzotti. I led a committee to select the 2011 RRCAVolunteer of the Year.

In addition to quarterly email communications withmy clubs, I have had several opportunities to meetwith them in person. The San Francisco HalfMarathon, the Oakland Marathon, Avenue of the Giants, the Buzz Marathon, and Christmas Relays werevenues to meet with other clubs. I made personal visits to clubs hosting their events such as the Half MoonBay International Marathon, Run for the Stinkin�’ Rose(South Valley Running Club), Freedom Road (PeopleEvents), and many of the Dolphin South End Runners�’race. The East Bay Front Runners & Walkers allowedme to host the RRCA booth at its Pride Run.

California �– East State Rep: Simone AdairI�’m happy to report that Eastern California RRCAClubs are doing great. Having had the chance to visitmany of them this past year,I�’m inspired by the leadership, vision, and spirit of ourrunning community here inCalifornia. I�’d like to thank allof my clubs for their amazingcontributions to the RRCA. Ihad great time meeting newfolks, seeing old friends, andrunning in club sponsoredraces. One of my 2011 highlights include hosting anRRCA Coaching CerticationCourse at Coast Guard Island,in Alameda.

I had a great time working alongside my fellow StateRep George Rehmet at the RRCA Info Booth at theKaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon(Western Regional Championship). We also workedtogether at the Presidio 10 Mile (National Championship) and Presidio 10K (Western Regional Championship) using the new RRCA Booth. The day beforeI helped host the RRCA State Convention withGeorge and our Southern California State RepJackie Britton. On hand were Executive DirectorJean Knaack and then Western Regional DirectorDavid Epstein.

I was also thrilled to work on an award committee forthe 2011 Convention. I was grateful to attend the convention and give a presentation on Social Media alongwith George Rehmet. I was honored to accept an




award for the Coast Guard Running Club.

The best part of being an RRCA State Rep is visitingclubs, presenting plaques to outstanding volunteers,helping with races, and answering the myriad of questions club o cers present. I greatly appreciate all thehelp that I have received from George Rehmet, DavidEpstein, Bailey Penzotti (our new Western RegionalDirector), and everyone at our national o ce. I lookforward to 2012 where I already have a slate of activities coming up on my calendar.

California South State Rep: Jackie BrittonI have been a State Rep for 17 months. I�’m delightedto say that I�’m beginning to form relationships withsome of our member clubs. Southern California has 54member clubs. I will not get to visit all of the clubs inmy territory because of distance; however, I send outquarterly newsletters and make contact via phone.

In May, I attended the Convention in Fredericksburg,Virginia. It was my second convention. I enjoyed theseminars; especially, the seminar on �“Conict Resolutions.�” The seminar on �“Conict Resolution�” was veryinformative, so much so that I attached the seminarnotes to my quarterly newsletter.

On 5/22 I joined the Ultra Ladies, who hosted theWeight Watchers Walk It Day 5K in Balboa Park located in Encino, CA. There were approximately 250 excited participants from various Weight WatchersChapters in Southern California. After completing therace I passed out medals. The excitement on each nisher�’s face spoke volumes. I was glad to be a part ofsuch wonderful bonding experience. The participantswere unied by the fact that they shared in the struggle of losing weight, and on that day, they shared inthe joy of walking, for many, their rst 5K race.

On 5/27 I volunteered at the Regional ChampionshipUltra, the Bulldog 50K Ultra Run, which is a very popular and well organized race. The race was held at Malibu Creek State Park. There were 500 participants. Iwas amazed to see the excitement of runners in 100degree temperatures.

My goal is to continue to build relationships with themember clubs in Southern California.

Connecticut State Rep: Art ByramDespite earthquakes, hurricanes, and ve feet of snowin one month, Connecticut runners persevered in 2011.Runners in the state worked with hikers, local businesses, and government to pass new recreational liability laws. These new laws o er additional protection

to municipalities who choose to allow their land to beused for recreation, including running trails.

Glastonbury Connecticut was the rst town in CT toearn the prestigious RRCA designation of �“RunnerFriendly Community�”. This was a joint e ort shared byThe Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce, The HartfordMarathon Foundation, and local running club TheGlastonbury River Runners.

Another highlight of the year included the RRCA StateChampionship Half Marathon event: The ING HartfordHalf Marathon. We�’re proud to have the ING HartfordMarathon named the 2012 National Marathon Championship. It will be held on 10/13.

Delaware State Rep: Ray ChristensenDelaware has a strong running community, with increasing number of runners and competitive individuals. We�’re in need of more leaders and organizationsto help both current runners and prospective onesreach their goals and enjoy the health, tness and social benets even more. I�’m President of Pike CreekValley Running Club and helped membership grow by30% in the past year. We hold more group runs, actively recruit, and now have several club sponsors. Ibecame State Rep in April 2011; just in time to attendthe convention in May. Delaware held State Championship events at the 5K, 10K, half marathon andmarathon distances.

Besides sending an introduction email (and convention recap) to leaders of each Delaware club, I met individually with leaders of two event members andthree club members. We discussed their current status, their relationship with RRCA, and number of theirmembers. I also met with the owners of four runningstores in the Wilmington area to discuss mutual goals.We further discussed potential multi club events suchas informal competition between clubs and to combine some events and introduce more runners to eachother (build critical mass) while promoting eachother�’s races.

The Nun Run 5K was a State Championship event for2011 and had a participation of 330 runners.

2012 goals include: increase interaction betweenclubs and help each identify leaders to help themgrow, promote their benets, and to start promotingRRCA programs such as Run@Work Day.

District of Columbia State Rep: Paul ThompsonThis has been another complex year for road running in the nation�’s capital. The enthusiasm and



2011 Program Report

participation for road running at the grass rootslevel has been stronger than ever. The desire ofrunners to join organized running is still somewhatdampened by a wish to avoid organizational structure, partly by the attachment to prior clubs, partlysince so many DC area residents are from elsewhere, and also due to the numerous races in thearea which can be entered without membership.There are so many races and running opportunitieseach week that the need to join a running clubdoes not seem as compelling as it might be elsewhere. Hence, there is a constant need to be anRRCA a liate advocate!

Training programs are still the best rationale forjoining an RRCA club and group runs continue toremain a big draw for local clubs. I worked withlocal clubs (and commercial running companies) toarrange for a common training pool in which theywould synchronize training programs and groupruns in order to assure variety. At a minimum wehave improved communications (fortunatelythrough increased support from the local papers)so that information is shared in a broader way.Websites also continue to provide information andbring out runners as we have tried to encouragegreater awareness and use.

There have been several incidents requiring workwith local clubs to address relationships with lawenforcement authorities concerning charges foruse of public streets, and complaints about streetclosings (a recent commercial race experienced extensive delays and logistics when a tra c jam occurred, creating bad relations with thousands ofrunners and travelers). To try to lesson this growing conict and the staggering cost for police, I coordinated a meeting with the commander of themilitary district to inquire about the use of militarybases to stage more club races. This would savemoney and provide a safer place to run, but thereare lingering security concerns.

The good news is there is a growing appreciationof what RRCA involvement can mean to runningactivities. The green emphasis has been well received by neighborhood associations, as has thegeneral emphasis on wellness.

Florida (North) State Rep: Todd NevilleThe highlight of the year was the annual convention in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Hopefully we willsee several Florida clubs in attendance this year inMemphis. Last year�’s convention gave me the opportunity to reconnect with old RRCA friends and

it also reminded me of all the great services the organization provides, such as Roads Scholars, theannual Run@Work Day, and my favorite, supportfor our local running clubs.

The 2011 convention also taught me about a program of which I was unaware: The Runner FriendlyCommunity designation. This is a rather new program that puts advocacy for running in the handsof towns and communities. Together with localRRCA clubs, these communities work to provide arunner friendly environment, and they have tomeet certain criteria to gain the recognition.

2012 should be another good year; I�’m excited forthe Florida 10K State Championship in February!

Florida �– South State Rep: Don NelsonGreetings from the Conch Republic! Our race season has just started and we have more races andeven more participants attending events in SouthFlorida than ever. Counting both club and eventmembers, we have about 50 RRCA clubs in SouthFlorida. I continue to communicate with all of theseclubs and ask them to communicate with eachother. Our Southern Region Director, Lena Hollmann, continues to keep in regular communicationwith all of the Southern Region State Reps and I feelthis helps us to connect better with each other.

Getting our runners and clubs together from bothFlorida�’s East and West coasts continues to be dicult, but this year we had three State Championship events: one on the west coast and two onthe east. The rst Florida State Championship wasthe Fire Fighters 5K, put on by the Gold Coast Runners on 9/11. The second was the Space CoastMarathon and Half Marathon, hosted by the SpaceCoast Runners Club, on 11/27. This race is a top quality event that has been growing yearly, and withgood reason. The numbers topped out over 2,000for both races. Finally, we had the 11th Annual Manatee River Run 5 Miler on 12/31. The Bradenton Runners Club did a great job organizing this event.

More youth running programs and events haveshown up in Florida. I have encouraged clubs tokeep entry fees down for youth. This is the way toinsure the growth of our sport in the future.

Georgia State Rep: Mark WardWe had four State Championship events in Georgiain 2011, starting with the Inaugural Publix Marathonin March. My home club, the Peachtree City Running Club, hosted the 15K State Championship for




the second straight year, at the Peachtree City Classic. The remaining two State Championships werethe Sickle Cell 7K and the Carpet City 10 Miler. The latter has been a State Championship for several years.

I sent out two newsletters in 2011 along with emailsto the clubs whenever there were RRCA issues thatwarranted immediate attention. Some topics covered in the newsletters were Championships, Convention, Membership Renewals, the 2012 RRCACalendar, and Run@Work Day. It was a busy yearfor questions from clubs, so I was often in contactwith the RRCA National O ce. I appreciate the assistance I received from the sta there.

I also used Facebook to promote Run@Work Daywhere I managed to gain a number of individualpledges to run at work. I can also store electronicnewsletters and announce club events on Facebook and I see it as an integral tool of the future.

Together with Kansas State Rep Janice Woolery, Iworked with the RRCA National O ce in 2011 to revamp the State Rep Silent Auction. Everything waslooked at, from the donation form to the closingtime of the auction. I think you will see some nicechanges taking place.

I worked very hard at trying to establish a coupleof new clubs in the state and I hope they will all become very successful. They all seem to have theproper leadership to make it happen. I also had thepleasure of assisting a couple of Georgia clubs inexpanding their presence within their local runningcommunities. To support this expansion I developed a brief 10 minute presentation describing theRRCA website as an educational tool for new clubo cers and directors. Most of the clubs are doingne and I don�’t hear from them unless they havean issue.

I�’m honored to serve the clubs and look forward todoing more good things here in 2012. One of mymain goals for 2012 is to establish better communication with my clubs. I plan to get out to some ofthe clubs that don�’t put on races, as they need ourhelp also.

Hawaii State Rep: Joan DavisThis year started out as quiet and uneventful.MPRRC developed a race series for health and tness that culminates with the Great Aloha Run heldannually on Presidents�’ Day. So now, Oahu has ashort distance program in the beginning of theyear and then the long distance program in the fall

with a Marathon Readiness Series.

In September, The Kauai Marathon was held again,and it is still growing in popularity. It was won by2011 RRCA Roads Scholar, Tyler McCandless.

In December, I had wonderful visits from RRCAFriends Lisa Paige (former Western Region Director) and Celia Perkins (former Oregon State Rep).

Idaho/Nevada State Rep: Steve ThornockOur RRCA Vice President, David Cotter, continuesto direct The Tahoe Rim Trail 50K/50M/100M Endurance Races each July. These races included theRRCA's National Ultra Championship which soldout in 2011! In fact, there is already a Waiting Listfor 2012!

Although large in square miles, Nevada and Idaho aresmall in relative population. I called for an RRCA StateMeeting again in 2011 without success. I will continueto plan and host them but communication via emailor telephone is always welcome and encouraged. Icontinue writing our quarterly Nevada/Idaho StateRep Email Newsletter each month.

Our 1,084 member Las Vegas Track Club, of whichI have been the President since 2007, hosts roughly30 RRCA races each year. Our club increased its annual scholarships given to $13,000 in 2011 ($84,000since 2001 inception) with another $23,000 givento local school's cross country teams. We have alsoincreased our donations to other charities such asBig Brothers/Big Sisters, Chef's for Kids, Little People of America, and Spirit Therapies. I was also theRace Director for 2011's National RUN A MILE DayRace at Hyde Park Middle School (home to our LasVegas Jr. Track Club). This 35 week long afterschool running club based on the Kids Run the Nation idea and the National RUN A MILE Day Raceare free to all kids thanks to our Las Vegas TrackClub. Our middle school kids ran 1,153 miles lastschool year and have already run over 1,000 milesin 2011/2012!

Illinois State Rep: Beth OninesGreetings again from the Windy City of Chicago! Iam so proud to say that the RRCA has 44 Illinoisrunning organizations. The Illinois running scenehas quite a busy race calendar. This makes it veryhard to decide which race to run on any givenweekend! If you don�’t feel like racing there is always a group you can join for a run on almost anyday of the week, even in the winter months.



2011 Program Report

This year I designated the Illinois State HalfMarathon Championship to the Alpine HalfMarathon on September 25th in Lake Zurich, theIllinois State 10K Championship to the Route 66 10Kon June 11th in Edwardsville, and the Illinois State5K Championship Miles for Meso in Alton on September 24. I get myself very involved in the arearaces by pacing half marathons and marathons,competing for myself, or volunteering at our AlpineRunners Races and other races in the area. Thisyear I had the pleasure of speaking to a few running clubs and informed them about joining theRRCA and the great benets the RRCA has to o er.

This year I had a great opportunity to secure abooth at the Bank of America Chicago MarathonExpo to represent the RRCA. Over that weekend Iwas able to connect with many Illinois runningclubs and so many others clubs and members fromacross the country. I also organized the rst IllinoisRRCA Club Conference to help educate some ofour running clubs about the RRCA programs.

Indiana State Rep: Sue Brown NickersonGreetings from the Hoosier State �– Indiana �– wherethese RRCA championships were recognized in 2011:

�• 5K Rotary Ramble, Demotte, Indiana (RRCA Central Regional Championship)

�• 26.2 Indianapolis Marathon (RRCA CentralRegional Championship)

�• 10M Valparaiso 10m at Taltree Gardens & Aboretum, (RRCA State Championship)

�• 8K Carmel Championship Weekend, Indiana (RRCA State Championship)

�• 13.1 Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon, Fort Wayne, Indiana (RRCA State Championship)

As State Representative, I attended the 2011 RRCAConvention in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with Indiana delegates where I participated in RRCA meetings and group sessions. A convention report wasprepared by myself and emailed to all Indianaevents members and clubs. I still nd that after veyears as State Rep that the most challenging partof this job is convincing state clubs and events toattend the convention. If they attended just oncethey would see how educational and motivationalthe experience can be. At this convention I received the RRCA Outstanding Youth Program Director Award for 2011. This weekend was amazingand so fun!

The Indiana Distance Running Series had anothersuccessful year bringing together ve RRCA championship event venues throughout the State of In

diana to provide runners new and competitive options. The Calumet Region Striders of NW Indianawas again selected to host an RRCA sponsoredWeight Watcher 5K Walk It event. It was a hugesuccess, drawing 500+ participants.

I spent many weekends traveling throughout thestate presenting awards at championship events andvisiting venues for future Indiana RRCA championship events. I project a strong future for RRCAgrowth within Indiana as I continue to journeyaround the state meeting new clubs and event directors and sharing information. I am an absolute believer in building relationships through networking.

I serve on this year�’s RRCA Nominating Committeein addition to the Outstanding Youth Program Director Selection Committee. My goal for 2012 is tocreate an Indiana Facebook page, so... I�’ll be looking you up soon!

Iowa State Rep: Chris BurchGreetings from the Heartland of America! Thereare currently seven RRCA member clubs/events inIowa with more than 2,000 club members.

The Capital Striders of Des Moines was awardedthe State Championship designation in the 5K and10 Mile distance in 2011. More than 7,800 athletescompeted in the various divisions on race day. Finishing rst in the 10 Mile race was Marcus Murphy,age 29, with a time of 53:06. Interesting side note:Marcus was the rst recipient of the Capital Striders�’ Dave Hurd Scholarship back in 2000. Femalewinner was Semehar Tesfaye, age 20, with a timeof 58:52. Eric Cogdill, age 30, won the 5K with atime of 16:06 and Casey Owens, age 28, won thewomen�’s race with a nish time of 17:47.

The IMT Des Moines Marathon Running Clublaunched this year with just under 200 members.The initial goal of the Running Club was to trainmembers for the fall IMT Des Moines Marathonand Half Marathon races, but with so much enthusiasm from club members, the running club has already become an annual January �– Decembermember club in 2012. Club activities include: training clinics, downloadable training guides, weeklylong run support, and fun run group interactions.

The Missouri River Runners club was dealt with ablow from Mother Nature in 2011. Flooding in SiouxCity forced the cancellation of the SiouxlandMarathon, but event organizers do intend for therace to return in 2012.




I look forward to another year of state representation for Iowa and the member clubs of the RRCA.My goal is work with each member club to furthertheir awareness of the benets available to themthrough RRCA.

Kansas State Rep: Michael PfannenstielI was appointed to the Kansas State Representative position in late December of 2011, assumingthe responsibilities from Janice Woolery.

In an e ort to better understand my roles and responsibilities I have been reviewing informationavailable on the website and in RRCA printed materials. I have also been in communication with themain o ce and Mitch, the Central Region Director.

I have reviewed the submissions for the KansasState Championship designations and three eventshave been approved for 2012. The race directors arevery excited and enthusiastic about having theirraces chosen as championship events. I plan on attending and/or participating in each of these events.

During 2012 I am looking forward to meeting all theKansas club presidents and learning more abouttheir groups. I will ask for their input regarding theKansas RRCA and how it can be helpful to their club.

Louisiana State Rep: Betsy Boudreaux (Outstanding State Rep of the Year)2011 was another very busy year for our clubs! Ourstate hosted State Championships including: 5K Runfor Excellence hosted by Bayou Runners Association, 4 Mile Four on Fourth hosted by 15th Street Flyers, 10K Voice of Wetlands hosted by Bayou RunnersAssociation, 10 Mile Middendorf�’s Manchac Runhosted by New Orleans Running Systems, Inc., andMonroe Parks & Recreation Half Marathon hostedby Ouachita Runners Association. We also had aSouthern Region Championship in our state, theCajun Cup 10K hosted by Cajun Runners Club. I wasable to travel quite a bit and run with our clubs allover the state including Houma, Monroe, MorganCity, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.

In addition to being able to run with many of ourclubs across the state I was also able to presentmany of our club members with RRCA award nomination certicates. Our state boasted several nominations including Male Runner of the Year, MattManning (Club South Runners); Male Masters Runner of the Year, Bud Weiss (15th Street Flyers); ClubPresident of the Year, Chris Johnson (Bayou Runners Association); and Road Race of the Year

Award (Cajun Cup 10K hosted by Cajun Road Runners). Chuck George (New Orleans Running Systems, Inc.) was nominated for the Browning RossSpirit of the RRCA Award. It was my pleasure totravel around the state and present the variousawards to such deserving individuals.

The 2011 RRCA Convention was another excitingevent and I�’m really glad I went. The seminars wereeducational and I was able to share many of thetopics with my clubs upon my return. I walkedaway from the convention with tons of ideas formotivating volunteers, answering insurance questions, and how to use social media for your clubs.

2012 is shaping up to be a busy year as well. Ourstate had a record number of RRCA Championshipbids submitted and I�’m pleased to announce thatwe will be hosting races in several distances including 5K, 4 miles, 10K, 10 miles, Half Marathon, 25K,as well as a 3 mile cross country race. My goal is tomake it to as many of these events as possible andlog a few miles in the process!

Maine State Rep: Blaine MooreRunning in Maine in 2011 was quite strong. Maineo ers runners something to do almost every weekend throughout the year with the addition of a newsnowshoe racing series in the winter. Participationcontinues to climb and races continue to sell outearly. This seems to have become an unstoppabletrend for most events that have been around formore than a few years.

There were four championship events in Maine thisyear, hosted by two of our member clubs. TheMaine Track Club hosted the Half Marathon and 5KChampionships, and Crow Athletics hosted theUltra and Marathon Championship events.

As the year came to a close, Maine was awardedtwo Regional Championship events: Mid Winter 10Mile Classic on 2/5 and the 6th Great Cranberry Island 50K Ultra on 7/21.

Maryland State Rep: Phil LangRunning continues to grow in Maryland and theRRCA clubs in continue to work together and withthe new organizations, events, and programs inthe community.

Special programs for RRCA members in Marylandinclude the Grand Prix Series, the WDF Series, andthe 10 Mile Club Challenge race. Two special racesin Maryland were named as Regional Champi



2011 Program Report

onships for 2012 and we would like to invite runners from across the country to consider participating in the Montgomery County Road Runners PikesPeak 10K on 4/29/12 and Bel Air Town Run 5K on6/3/12. We have one of the famous ultra's in thecountry as well, the JFK 50 miler. If you want to runthis one on 11/17/12 you better plan to sign up whenthe registration opens on 5/1/12.

The USATF Track & Field Junior Olympics will be inMaryland in the summer of 2012 as well. ThanksBrent Ayer for representing Maryland and theRRCA so well as the President! Thanks Memphis forhosting the 2012 convention; I know we all are looking forward to it. Have a great Olympic and Leapyear everyone!

Massachusetts State Rep: John ChildsIn 2011 we hosted two State Championship eventswith each involving more than 400 runners. I attended 10 member events during the year. I helpedpromote a Run @ Work Day in Salem, MA. I attended the RRCA convention for the rst time.Wicked Running Club was awarded the �“Outstanding Large Club Website of the Year�” at the convention. We solicited the donation of a GPS watch forthe convention silent auction.

We hosted the RRCA Runners Expo in conjunctionwith Run Gloucester and established a relationshipwith DMSE Sports. The race and expo attractedabout 1,000 runners. Salem, MA, was designatedan RRCA Runner Friendly Community. I created anRRCA Massachusetts State Rep Facebook pagewith assistance from Tim Short. Local clubs havebeen slow to show interest in RRCA activities butprogress is being made. We also hosted twoWeight Watchers Walk It events in the state.

This will be my last year as state representative dueto my increased involvement in organizing roadraces. I�’m hoping to identify a successor at the endof 2012. I�’m scheduled to address the general membership of The Greater Framingham Running Clubon Jan 8, 2012, to provide an overview of the RRCAand explain how they can become more involved.We (Old Colony Running Events and RRCA MA) arehosting a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials viewingparty on 1/14 at a local social club to bring bothmember clubs and non members together for anetworking opportunity. My goal is to continue topromote RRCA through events like the Expo andthe viewing party so clubs see the local RRCA support and value.

Michigan State Rep: Gary MorganIt was a great year of running in Michigan! Therewere seven RRCA championship races in Michigan.They were the Kal Haven Ultra Run in Kalamazoo(Central Region Championship); Dexter to AnnArbor Half Marathon in Ann Arbor (State Championship); Kalamazoo Classic 5K in Kalamazoo (StateChampionship); Kalamazoo Classic 10K in Kalamazoo (Central Region Championship); Kaly OmaraMemorial 10K in Davison (State Championship);Labor Day 30K in Milford (Central Region Championship); and the Kensington Challenge 15K (StateChampionship).

The Ann Arbor Track Club has a great youth program that has the youth competing in various trackand cross country races around the country. TheKalamazoo Area Runners have a fantasticmarathon training program that keeps growing byleaps and bounds. The City of Allen Park wasawarded the Runner Friendly Community distinction and it�’s the home of the Downriver Runners.The president of the club, Dan Martinez, and Iawarded the plaque to the Mayor of Allen Park inDecember. As you can see Michigan is a runningstate that keeps on moving forward to promoterunning as a healthy way to fun living.

Minnesota State Rep: Lisa DahlI happily accepted the role of Minnesota State Representative in October 2011. I previously served inthis role for the State of Kentucky and am excitedto contribute to the RRCA again.

I have instituted a quarterly email newsletter for allMN RRCA running clubs/events, including prospects.The purpose of the newsletter is to inform members, generate excitement about upcoming events,and foster two way communication. I have been following up individually with key contacts to determine how I can best support them.

For 2012 I have awarded the following MN StateChampionships:

�• Charities Challenge 5K �– 4/21/12�• Get in Gear 10K �– 4/28/12�• Charities Challenge 4 M �– 7/4/12

I will continue to foster additional participation andstart recruiting participants for 2013. I supportedthe activities of the RRCA by serving on the RunnerFriendly Community and Award Committees.

I am scheduled to attend the 2012 RRCA NationalConvention in Memphis. I look forward to recon




necting with previous RRCA friends and makingnew ones!

Mississippi State Rep: Bryan LaggHaving now completed just over one year as StateRep, I am excited to report that the growth of running and tness events as well as overall participation in the Magnolia State have all continued togrow over. Our key clubs throughout Mississippi aremore committed than ever to promote and sustainstronger, healthier, and more supportive runningcommunities. In addition, they promote our sportthrough tness and healthier lifestyles while alsoaddressing health risks in our state such as obesity.

Mississippi again started o the year with the annual Steam Whistle 12K on New Year�’s Day alongthe Longleaf Trace Rails to Trails pathway, sponsored by the Pine Belt Pacers of Hattiesburg. During the second weekend of 2011, the SouthernRegion Marathon Championship and State HalfMarathon Championships for Mississippi kicked oin the capitol city of Jackson as part of the Mississippi Blues Marathon weekend.

With cool, clear conditions, a record registration of2,246 participated in the Fourth Annual MississippiBlues Marathon and Half marathon on January 8,2011. Linked to the event theme of the birth of ElvisPresley, participants received commemorativeElvis swag and celebrated with birthday cake tohonor the occasion. As a Committee Chairman forthe events, it was a pleasure to host runners from44 states, the District of Columbia and 6 foreigncountries to the Magnolia State. Also, nishers inthe state�’s marquee running event were up in thefollowing Mississippi Blues events: marathon up19%; half marathon up 11%; and relay teams up 136%.

A successful 2011 concluded with two more RRCAState Championships: The 3rdnd Annual Have aBlues Christmas 2 and 4 Miler in Ridgeland and theSteam Whistle 12K in Hattiesburg; both during thelast week of the year. For 2011, the total number ofraces held across our state and overall participationwere both at record levels. The number of races increased over 16%, from 160 in 2010 to 177 in 2011.Total participation increased in the largest runningclub in the state, the Mississippi Track Club, by almost 7%, from 19,860 in 2010 to 21,208 in 2011. InMay of 2011 I attended my rst RRCA Conventionin Virginia.

2012 started o on a positive note, with record participation again in the capitol of Jackson, this time

for the Mississippi Marathon and Half marathonState Championships, both as part of the 5th Annual Mississippi Blues Marathon weekend. We willbe hosting periodic conference calls in 2012 amongthe running clubs across our state in an e ort tobrainstorm around promotional opportunities, including the development of new races. We will alsodiscuss e orts to improve existing events, clubs,and community competitions and how to increaseinterest through the forming of the Magnolia Cupcompetition. After attending the Annual RRCAConvention in Memphis my focus in Mississippi for2012 will be to foster greater growth in RRCA clubparticipation, expansion of social media tools, promote the expansion of �“Runner Friendly Communities�” across our state, and encourageparticipation in fun runs leading up to an annual�“kids only�” 1 mile state championship in the fall.

Missouri State Rep: Travis KellerIn October of 2011 I was selected to ll the vacantState Rep position. After the tragic weather we havehad here in Joplin and losing our home, I�’m hopingto put 2011 behind me so that I can focus on 2012 withgreat enthusiasm! Three events were designatedState Championship events: Westport St. Patrick�’sDay 4 Miler in March, Cli Hanger 5K and 8K in November, and Rock the Parkway Half Marathon.

For 2012 I will reach out to the clubs of Missouri byemail and hopefully make some personal visits tothese clubs and their meetings. Locally, our JoplinRoadrunner Club has become a nonprot club.

Montana State Rep: John Devitt2012 will be my twentieth year as an RRCA StateRep. As I write this it looks like Helena, MT, will beadding a second running club to their city, the Helena Ultra Runners League.

RRCA has continued to grow in Montana beyondjust the clubs and joining to get the insurance. Thispast year we had ve State Championship eventsrepresenting some of the top races in the state.

Run Wild Missoula held ve Run@Work eventsaround Missoula. Missoula, also received the Runner Friendly Community designation this year.

Three years ago in Billings, using the Kids Run theNation materials, a couple of runners started an elementary school cross country meet with about 70kids participating. This year the meet was called theYellowstone Valley Elementary Cross Country meetand has grown to over 600 kids. The event fea



2011 Program Report

tured grade and gender specic races, a team atmosphere, individual and team awards, and educational information about healthy lifestyles forstudents and parents. From this, a group from anearby community named Laurel Running Thunderapplied for and received a Kids Run the Nation grant.

I have been communicating with the RRCA andnon RRCA clubs through email with both RRCAnews and other running news. This is a good wayto get the word out regarding the benets of belonging to the RRCA. I�’m using Facebook more andmore. I also have been promoting the RunnerFriendly business designations, approaching thoseI know directly and those that I can�’t by email.

2012 looks to be a pretty exciting year for the RRCAin Montana. The Missoula Marathon will be a Montana State Championship event this year. The Missoula Marathon was designated the best marathonin the United States by Runner�’s World a couple ofyears ago. In Billings, the Heart & Sole race will bethe Western Region 5K Championship this year.RRCA will have a booth at the Health Fair. The eventwill nish on the track to a packed house footballstadium for the opening ceremonies of the Big SkyState games. They will also host the Montana HalfMarathon Championship the next day. Big Sky WindDrinkers will host the RRCA 10K State Championship.

I will be attending the RRCA Convention in Memphis as this is the best way to get red up for theNew Year, along with discovering new ways to helpmy clubs and their members get more involvedwith the RRCA. I also will try to get the clubs tosend representatives. Montana is a big place witha sparse population. I look forward to attending allof my Championship events!

Nebraska State Rep: Tom WhitakerGreetings from America�’s Heartland, home of theCornhuskers and a lot of good running. This hasbeen a very active and productive year for runningin Nebraska. Our ve RRCA groups, the LincolnTrack Club, the Omaha Running Club, AdmiralJenny�’s Fun Runners (the local Girls on the Runchapter), the Homestead Running Club and theWellness Council of the Midlands, have been veryactive and productive in presenting events andsupporting their respective running communities.All are looking forward to continuing their supportin 2012 with such events as the Trek up the Towerin February, the State Farm 10 miler in Lincoln inMarch, the 33rd Annual Lincoln National GuardMarathon 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 Omahain June, and the Omaha Marathon, Half Marathon,and 10K in September. The Lincoln and Omahaclubs support a number of charity events and provide much useful running information throughtheir websites and newsletters.

Specic RRCA activities undertaken for 2011 include:�• Contact directly with the Omaha Running

Club and contact by phone and e mail withthe Lincoln Track Club and other clubs to promote RRCA programs and activities.

�• Maintenance of RRCA sections on Lincolnand Omaha websites for posting RRCA publications and other items.

�• Run@Work programs promoted at several companies in Omaha. Several companies have tness centers and activeexercise and running opportunities for employees.

�• Approval has already been given to designate the Lincoln Marathon, the NE5

5 Mile Race, the Papillion 10K, the Peak 2 Peak 10Mile Race and the Omaha Half Marathon as StateChampionship events.

New Jersey State Rep: Chuck SchneeklothThis will be my rst year as the New Jersey representative. Consequently, I am both excited to buildthe RRCA organization here and aware that it takescareful, extensive planning to build anything in asuccessful, sustainable fashion.

That said, it is my goal to collect as much data aspossible over the next few months. I will be attending the RRCA National Convention with hopes tofully understand the mission of the organizationand my role within it. I want to learn about the successful and productive models that currently existbefore moving forward with a plan of my own.

Thus far in November and December of 2011, I haveresponded to several inquiries regarding the benets of becoming an RRCA club. There are currently only two RRCA Championship races in NJ:the Fred D�’elia Ridgewood Run on 5/28 and theRun the Reservoir Half Marathon on 9/2. This is certainly an area of growth.

In November, I started a Facebook page for theRRCA NJ chapter. Following the national meeting, Iwill proceed with using this as a useful tool towardpromoting the organization and sport accordingly.




New Mexico State Rep: John FarrowThis past year there has been a whirlwind of activity in New Mexico as the Albuquerque Road Runners prepared and submitted a successful bid forthe 2013 RRCA National Convention. This will be thesecond time that the convention will come to NewMexico and be hosted by the Albuquerque RoadRunners Club.

The 2013 Annual Convention will be held at theHotel de Albuquerque May 2 5, with the Run forthe Zoo 10K to be the National Championship 10K.The Run for the Zoo is one of the area�’s most popular spring races and regularly attracts many of theelite runners that train in Albuquerque for the benets of its mile high elevation. However, whilemany elite athletes have tried, no runner has everbroken the 30 minute barrier for the 10K in NewMexico. Let that be your challenge for 2013!

2011 saw a rst for New Mexico as the Duke CityMarathon Festival of Races hosted the Western Region 5K Championship on October 23rd. The racewas won by James Senior of Albuquerque with atime of 16:19; while Lia Stefanovich, also of Albuquerque, was the women�’s winner with a time of20:08. Thomas Vigil of Dulce, NM, won the men�’sMasters with a time of 18:56; while Colleen Burns,of McIntosh, NM, won the women�’s Masters titlewith a time of 22:01. The event had 1,367 nishers.

I also continue to write a column for ARR News,the award winning newsletter of the AlbuquerqueRoad Runners, while volunteering at club events.

One shortcoming that I have been able to correctis the fact that for the past few years I have beenunable to attend the RRCA convention due to various conicts. This was remedied in 2011 when I attended my twelfth convention in Fredericksburg,Virginia. In 2012, I will be part of the contingentfrom the Albuquerque Road Runners at the Memphis convention to promote the 2013 convention inAlbuquerque.

New York State Rep: Bob BeattieCommunication with our state clubs continues tobe my goal for New York. I started an e newsletterearly in 2011 with some success. My goal in 2012 isto improve on that and make it a monthly edition.Our own club has had success with social media, soI have followed the lead of some other state repsin starting a Facebook page for our state. In 2011I�’ve personally attended races and meetings run bymost of our Long Island Clubs. I�’ve reached out to

several non member clubs and have encouragedthem to join. I�’ll be the guest speaker at one ofthose clubs next month. I�’m encouraging all clubs(including my own) to reach out to their communities with the Runner Friendly Community Program,which I think is brilliant.

North Carolina State Rep: Elaine BixbyIn 2011 I had the opportunity to take over the roleof the NC State Rep. It has been a slow turnoverprocess as I got acclimated to the role, mainly addressing membership questions and remainingchampionship issues from 2010.

Once the running season kicked in, I had the greatpleasure of attending several state championships.The NC Road Runners had a record setting showingat the American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler with Race Director Brad Boyles providing a seamless and well runevent. The Carrboro Track Club is well versed at running a great event and their rst showing as the 10KState Championship was no exception. One of theirgreatest feats is the sheer speed at which theyprocess and award all of the winners!

Other 2011 Championships in NC included the OBXMarathon, Run the Valley Half Marathon in Albemarle, the Winter Flight 8K, the Sunset 5K in Salisbury, and the Frosty 50 (Ultra) from the Twin CitiesTrack Club in Winston Salem.

In the Fall I released a comprehensive newsletterdetailing the events of the summer, including thestate championships that had already occurred andfeaturing many of the photos submitted of winners. There was also a focus on the RRCA�’sRun@Work Day, Kids Run the Nation, and RunnerFriendly Communities. My plan is to release quarterly newsletters in 2012.

For 2012, we have three championships conrmed:�• Winter Flight 8K �– Salisbury Rowan

Runners �– 2/4�• Sunset 5K �– Salisbury Rowan Runners �– 9/1�• American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler �– NC Road

Runners �– 10/27�• OBX Marathon �– 11/11

I will be looking for events to submit for the crosscountry, half marathon, and the ultra distance in2012. In 2012, I hope to attend more State Championships in addition to the 2012 National Championship 10K �– the NC Road Runners Invitational inCary, NC, on 5/20.



2011 Program Report

Ohio State Rep: Matt FolkOn Sunday April 17th The Glass City Half Marathonhosted the Central Region Half Marathon Championship. There were 1,713 nishers on a mild, butwindy day. The race takes place in conjunction withthe Glass City Marathon and Marathon Relay,where all three events run together until about theseven mile mark. The course is mostly at startingand nishing at the University of Toledo headingout to Wildwood Metropark for a loop and backalong a bike trail. The 2011 Overall Winners wereJulius Kiptoo with a time of 1:05:49 and JenniferBingham in 1:18:34. The Masters Winners were DonLeck in 1:21:44 and Michelle Brooks 1:33:14.

On Wednesday August 3rd the Sole to Soul 5K wasthe host of the Ohio State 5K Championship. It wasa warm night as 451 participants completed the 5Kloop course through the Town Center of Levis Commons in Perrysburg, OH. The warm temperaturesdidn�’t have too much of an e ect on the front runners as the top 30 all broke 18 minutes. The 2011Overall Winners were Ridge Robinson in 14:59 andRachel White in 18:07. The Masters winners wereKeith Madaras in 17:18 and Michelle Brooks in 20:16.Don Leck, 17:50, and Joan Mathews, 21:55, won theGrand Masters. The participants were excited tosee the 5K State Championships come to theToledo Area.

Oregon State Rep: Mark BarrettI attended my rst RRCA Convention in May. I leftwith a real appreciation for all that the RRCA does;and with a feeling of being overwhelmed abouthow the clubs in Oregon could best be served.

A good rst step was to get to know the clubs better. I wrote a report about the convention and sentit to all clubs. I got on most of their mailing lists(some by US Mail, some by email). I sent a surveyvia email. The response was disappointing, as I gotreplies from only 3 of 15 club members (no responses from our eight event members). Still, thesurvey served as a �“push poll�”, asking questions toget the clubs thinking about the programs thatRRCA o ers. Further, between the survey and thenewsletters I gathered valuable information.

Most clubs are busy promoting their races and aregrateful for the insurance RRCA o ers. They havean online presence �– e mail blasts, websites and/ora Facebook page. There is interest in having theircities declared Runner Friendly Communities. Thereis interest in a state wide RRCA club meeting.

I resolved to lead by example. My host club, theOregon Road Runners Club, is quite active. We areworking on having Portland designated as a Runner Friendly Community. Although we don�’t useKids Run the Nation we are sponsoring severallocal middle and high schools with programs thatget kids running. We have a 10K series for clubmembers. The ORRC Vernonia Marathon and HalfMarathon have been declared Oregon State Championships races for 2012.

Throughout the year I have been a resource forRRCA members and potential members, answeringquestions by phone and email in regards to insurance issues, non prot status, etc. I have either hadthe answers, or been able to refer people to thegreat sta at the RRCA.

In 2012 I will continue to keep the lines of communication open with the Oregon clubs, spreading theword and participating in their events as time allows.

Pennsylvania State Rep: Rick MoyerThe highlight of 2011 was attending my rst RRCAconvention in Virginia. It was great to meet Jean,Mark, and many of the other state reps.

The various presentations were interesting and Iespecially enjoyed the leadership speech given bythe director of the Marine Corps Marathon. He alsogave us some fascinating information on whatgoes on behind the scenes of a 35,000 runnermarathon, which is held in the nations�’ capital. Thisis a major undertaking!

For the second year the PA RRCA joined the Virginia Happy Trail Runners Club (VHTRC) to host a50K run in Cowan�’s Gap State Park and BuchananState Forest, a 45 minute drive west of Harrisburg,PA. The course is marked similar to a gure eightwith the start/nish in the middle; this allows forshorter distance runs. The trails are rugged andquite steep at places, and lead to scenic views ofthe Cumberland valley Well stocked aid stationsare located every few miles and post run refreshments and barbeque allow RRCA members to socialize and compare notes on the e ort. Membersof RRCA clubs from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey attended. We willonce again hold this event over Memorial Dayweekend in 2012 and provide two days of freecamping for all at the group site, as well as aid andfood, all at no cost to runners and their families.

The Oil Creek 100 mile race in Titusville, PA, was




held for the third year in 2011. This well organizedand community supported event was named theRRCA Eastern Regional Ultra Championship for theyear. It is directed by Tom Jennings and also includes a 50K and 100K race. All three races sold outquickly last year, a testament to the beautiful trailsand great support for the runners. The Oil Creek100 was named the RRCA National Ultra Championship for 2012 and will surely continue to growand impress!

Rhode Island State Rep: Chuck PeabodyIntroductory letters were sent by mail to knownclubs in Rhode Island to introduce the RRCA andmyself in December. I plan to follow up in 2012 withface to face contact with the clubs. I assisted withthe RRCA booth at the Run Gloucester race expoin Gloucester, Massachusetts, in August. I gave assistance at the Massachusetts 5 Mile State Championship event at the End of Summer Classic inHingham, MA, in August.

South Dakota State Rep: Tom WhitakerOur three clubs in South Dakota, the Sioux FallsArea Running Club, the Black Hills Runners Club,and the Pierre Area Running Club provide a gooddeal of useful information on running in the western and southeastern South Dakota, northwesternIowa, and southwestern Minnesota areas. The calendars on their web ites reveal a very active raceschedule and their many club activities serve theirrunning communities well.

Although South Dakota covers a large area with awidely scattered population, it hosts a very activerunning program and some great races. TheLongest Day Marathon and Half Marathon inBrookings, the Mickelson Trail Marathon and HalfMarathon in historic Deadwood, the Crazy HorseMarathon and Half Marathon in Hill City, and theLeading Ladies Women�’s Marathon and HalfMarathon in Spearsh are good examples. Thesegreat events along with the many small, local races,especially in the summer in connection with community celebrations, provide an ample amount ofrunning opportunities in the state.

I was in contact with the three clubs in SouthDakota during the year and established the Mickelson Train Marathon and Half Marathon as 2012State Championships.

A running vacation in South Dakota would be agreat way to see some prominent historic and geographic sites, while taking in a great race at the

same time. How many folks have a South Dakotarace number? This year would be a great time to�“run one down�”.

Tennessee State Rep: Sherilyn JohnsonTennessee had many great races and events in 2011,including six State Championship events. The outlook for 2012 is even more exciting! We have one National (Germantown Half Marathon, 3/18, inGermantown) and two Regional Championshipevents (PigeonForge.com Midnight 8K, 8/4, in Pigeon Forge and the Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K,10/6, in Chattanooga) lined up in our state, plus a twoState Championship events (Scenic City HalfMarathon, 2/25, in Chattanooga and the UPS Ultimate 10K, 6/23, in Bartlett). The National Championship race coincides with the Annual Convention,which is hosted by the Memphis Track Club. They aredoing an excellent job and I know everyone has a lotto look forward to at a great convention in Memphis!

The RRCA Tennessee State Championships in 2011were: Germantown Half Marathon hosted by theMTC, 3/20, in Germantown (1,269 nishers); HaitiRun for Health hosted by the oak Ridge Track Club,5/7; UPS Ultimate 10K hosted by the MTC; 6/25, inBartlett (Over $21,500 was raised for Youth Villagesfrom corporate sponsors and race registrationsand 79 Youth Villages children participated in therace with their mentors); the Pigeon Forge Midnight 8K hosted by the Knoxville Track Club, 8/6, inPigeon Forge; and the Rock/Creek Stump Jumphosted by Wild Trails, 10/1, in Chattanooga (raisedover $35,000 for trail work in the Chattanoogaarea); and the St. Jude Memphis Marathon produced in partnership with the MTC, 12/3, in Memphis (Over $2.8 million was raised for St. JudeChildren�’s Research Hospital).

E newsletters were sent out in March, July, and October to all the clubs and registered RRCA eventrace directors. These newsletters covered severaltopics including recent and upcoming RRCA Championship events, approaching deadlines for Championship bids, and encouragement to participatein the 2012 RRCA National Convention in Memphis.

Texas �– North State Rep: Libby Jones (outgoing)In 2011, Texas played host to six RRCA State Championship races, from the 5K distance all the way upto the marathon. Two of these championships, theSan Angelo Road Lizards Run in the Sun 8K and theLake Grapevine Runners and Walkers Double Trouble 10K, were in North Texas. For the second year



2011 Program Report

in a row, North Texas also hosted the 2011 SouthernRegion 15K Championship in September with theLabor Day 15K Run produced by the Fort WorthRunners Club. The majority of championships inTexas experienced growth in their participationnumbers as a championship race this year! Aftergreat discussion in late 2011 with my South Texascounterpart, Lee Greb, we are happy to announcethat 2012 will be an expanded year of RRCA championships in Texas, with eight State Championshipevents and one Regional Championship event �–and two of these events are in North Texas!

Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers hosted agreat Run@Work Day event, an annual occurrencefor that club. Early 2011 brought the announcementof 2010�’s National RRCA Awards, and Texas washome to the winners of the RRCA Jerry Little Memorial Club Writer Award (Mark Miller) and theOutstanding Electronic Newsletter (LakeGrapevine Runners and Walkers �“The Footprint�”with editors Lorraine and Kevin Wessels).

North Texans continue to spread the word aboutthe health and social benets of running runningclubs are growing and existing events throughoutthe region keep getting bigger and bigger, even asnew races are created and ourish.

Texas �– South State Rep: Lee GrebA friendly hello from your RRCA State Rep fromSouth Texas! The 36 clubs and events with morethan 3,000 members in south Texas stretches fromBeaumont to Brownsville and includes Houston,San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi and manyother smaller towns in between.

Working with Libby Jones, the North Texas StateRepresentative, we selected and promoted sixTexas State Championship events in 2011. SouthTexas had four of these events: Seabrook LuckyTrails Marathon in Seabrook in March, the BeneezyPurple Monkey 5K in Alvin in September, the Houston Half Marathon in October, and Run for theWater 10 Miler in Austin in October.

Libby Jones and I secured a record eight StateChampionship events for 2012, with four racescoming from south Texas. The selected eventsfrom south Texas are the Bayou City Classic 10K inHouston on 3/10, Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathonon 3/18, Bellaire Trolley 5K on 3/31, and the BudHeat Wave 5 Miler in Baytown on 7/4. South Texasis also very blessed to have been chosen to hosttwo Southern Region Championships in 2012: The

Run for the Water 10 Miler in Austin 10/28 and theHouston Half Marathon 10/28.

My wife Cheryl and I attended the 2011 Conventionin Fredericksburg, Virginia.This was the sixthstraight convention that I have attended (my second as a state rep).These conventions are alwaysrewarding with State Rep training, running seminars (I am an RRCA Certied Coach), and an opportunity to meet and share ideas with runners fromall over the country.

Promotion of the RRCA programs and benets insouth Texas are very important. Quarterly enewsletters are sent to all the south Texas clubsand events as I try to keep them informed aboutnew and ongoing RRCA programs and events.There was the 3rd Annual Tour de Art Walk on Sunday 5/1 and the 6th Annual Tour de Art Run on Sunday 9/18, which coincided with the RRCA NationalRun@Work Day (9/16). This walk in the spring andrun in the fall are a tour of the artwork and sculptures around downtown Houston.

I am the HARRA (Houston Area Road RunnerAssoc.) liaison for my running club the HoustonStriders and try to attend as many HARRA meetings as possible. HARRA is the umbrella organization for all the RRCA running clubs in theHouston area and this has allowed me to meet several members of our RRCA running clubs and promote the RRCA. Two HARRA Spring Series races(the Bayou City Classic 10K and the Bellaire Trolley5K) are Texas State Championship events for therst time in 2012.

E orts to meet RRCA south Texas clubs and eventrace directors has led to road trips to New Braunfels to run the Gruene 10K on 9/10 and Victoria torun the Living in the Light 5K on 11/5. The actual running of races helps encourage and secure new bidseach year for State Championship events.

Utah State Rep: Dave Moore2011 was a great year for RRCA activities in Utah.We continue to add event members and continueour e orts to create more club memberships. Efforts continue to expand the RRCA presence beyond the Salt Lake Valley and Park City areas inorder to encompass more events around the state.

Presentations regarding the benets of joining theRRCA were made to race directors of six otherevents in Utah. The Salt Lake City Track Club hostedthe 5K and 10K Utah State Championship Races as




part of their Winter Series Races in January and February, respectively. Although everyone appreciatedthe RRCA Championship awards, the older runnersreally appreciated the recognition a orded by theGrand Masters awards. The club produced a wonderful video of the 5K state championship race,which was posted on the national RRCA web site.

A National Run@Work Day fun run was hosted byone of the local running stores. E orts to promotethe RRCA and running in general through the localTV, radio, and print media were made by myselfand resulted in some publicity for running in all ofthose areas. Telephone, email, and/or personalmeetings were held between myself and leadership of every RRCA member organization withinthe state.

State Championship bids for 2012 were receivedfrom the Salt Lake City Track Club, Utah�’s largestRRCA member organization, to continue with thetradition of making the rst two Winter SeriesState Championship events.

Virginia State Rep: Goody TylerThis past October I had the honor of being namedRRCA�’s Virginia State Rep and I have been busyever since learning my new role and responsibilities. I began by reaching out to all state clubs andevents through email. My goal is to send a communication monthly or more frequently. I am usingthis communication channel to introduce myself,inform members of RRCA benets, and remindmembers of key dates such as membership renewal deadlines and championship applicationdeadlines. With the help of the RRCA o ce I havecreated a Virginia RRCA Facebook page and am actively searching for and �“liking�” Facebook pages ofclubs and events in Virginia. I was able to have veevents become state championship events for 2012(Elizabeth River Run, 5/26, in Portsmouth; The Virginia 10 Miler, 9/29, in Lynchburg; Woodrow WilsonBridge Half Marathon, 10/7, in Mount Vernon; Governor�’s Land 5K, 11/17, in Williamsburg; and theSeashore 50K Trail Run, 12/15, in Virginia Beach) andhope to have six events in 2013. I have visited twoclubs outside of my local area and plan to visit asmany clubs as I can in 2012. By the end of 2014, Ihope to have visited all the clubs in Virginia. In 2011I attended my eighth RRCA convention and I haveeither participated in or volunteered at nine RRCAconventions across the country. This is anotherarea where I want to increase Virginia club participation: convention attendance.

My goal is to put a personal �“face�” to the RRCA atthe club and event level. I intend to let all Virginiaclubs and events know they have their own RRCAState Representative and that my job is to act as aliaison between them and the RRCA national o ce.I will encourage all clubs to send members to StateChampionship events as well as Regional and National Championship events. I believe it is important for our members to see the RRCA brandingthat happens all across the country. It�’s a way forthem to see they are a part of a national e ort tosupport our sport.As well, I will encourage my statemembers to travel to races hosted by other clubs.I am hoping this will be a way to increase the dialogbetween all clubs and encourage them to shareideas with each other on race management, membership growth, youth running, etc. I look forwardto my rst full year as the Virginia State Rep and Ithank my 38 clubs and 39 events for their supportof the RRCA. I hope to add more clubs and eventsto the ranks of the RRCA during my tenure.

West Virginia State Rep: Tom KramerThe State of West Virginia, with its six RRCA runningclubs, had the distinction of hosting three Championship events in 2011. The Chick Fil A 10K (Parkersburg) and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel HalfMarathon were both State Championships. TheFreedom Run Marathon, in Shepardstown, was theEastern Region Marathon Championship.

It has always been a challenge to communicatewith the West Virginia clubs. We started a Facebook page after last year�’s convention and it is stilla work in progress.

At the 2011 RRCA National Convention in Fredericksburg, Chip Allman, from The River City Runnersand Walkers Club, received the Outstanding ClubPresident of the Year award. Five years ago westarted an award to honor a West Virginia RRCAclub member who has promoted running withinthe state in an exceptional way. The 2011 recipientwas Chip Allman.

Wisconsin State Rep: Barbara JewellThere are 12 RRCA member clubs in Wisconsin, witha total of over 2,900 members. The Green Bay Running Club, initially formed in 2006, joined the RRCAin 2011.

The Badgerland Striders Milwaukee LakefrontMarathon was the RRCA National Marathon Championship race for the second consecutive year.RRCA Program Director William Dyson made the



2011 Program Report

trip to Milwaukee the rst weekend in October tosupport the race and to help out with the RRCAbooth at the expo. Nick Szczech won the race in2:22:17 and the top female nisher was AmberDruien in a time of 2:54:16. Masters championswere Kim Lasecki and Mary Bolich and the GrandMasters winners were Richard Dodd and CherylNeumann. There was also a kid�’s run, with over 120youth �“marathoners�” completing the nal 1.2 milesof the event on the marathon course.

An exciting Guinness World Record was achieved atthe event when 62 runners joined together to runthe marathon, completing it in 6 hours 20 minutes.The �“Jennipede�” as they called themselves weretethered together by a long rope and karabinersthat were attached to race belts. The team wascaptained by Runner�’s World�’s Bart Yasso and included Wisconsin�’s ultra running legend Roy Pirrung. The team raised over $108,000 for therehabilitation care of Jenny Crain, a world class runner who was severely injured in August 2007 whenhit by a car while training for the trials prior to theBeijing Olympics. Crain was in her wheel chairalongside the group for the last .2 of the mile andwas at the nish line to receive a check for themoney raised.

I communicated regularly with all of the WI member clubs, both with the club o cers and with theclub members. Some examples:

�• I wrote an article for club newsletters on the RRCA convention in Fredericksburg.

�• I wrote an article for club newsletters to promote the RRCA National Run@Work Day.

�• I emailed club o cers to encourage themto submit nominations for RRCA awards.

Wyoming State Rep: Dave MooreRRCA clubs in Wyoming continue to put on manytop notch races, fun runs, and related activities.Wyoming held two RRCA State Championshipevents in 2011, the Silent Trails Memorial 10 Mileand the Adam Towler Memorial 10K. Wyoming hasmember organizations stretched from one end ofthis high, wide, and windy state to the other. Unfortunately, the great distances involved madeholding a state wide RRCA meeting impossible in2011. E orts to accomplish this in 2012 are currentlyunderway. 2012 looks to be an even better year forthe RRCA in Wyoming with more races, more RRCAparticipation and, hopefully, a submission for national recognition.



2011 Contributors to the RRCA

Annua l P r ogr a m F undThank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed over $20,000 to theAnnual Program Fund. Annual contributions to the RRCA by our supporters help fund the Kids Run theNation program materials, Runner Friendly Community program, RUN@WORK Day promotional e orts,RRCA National Running Awards Ceremony including award winner travel stipends, Championship EventsSeries, 2000 Hour Volunteer Recognition program, Join a Club marketing e orts, RRCA history preservation e orts, and much more.

Alaska Salmon Runs Alpine Runners of Lake Zurich Alta Vista Sports Association of Running Event Directors Atomic City Roadrunners Bernice RobertsBirmingham Marathon Chicago United Runners Dan Edwards*Dennis LindenbergFredericksburg Area Running Club*** Jack GorelickJanie DelioJe Darman

Joe HannonJudith ShankmanMarilyn SwimmerOil Creek 100 Trail Run Orlando Runners Club Palouse Roadrunners Prairie State Road Runners RRCA Turkey Trot Run4Youth Seashore Striders Suzanne PrestonTerry ArcherVirgin Island Pace RunnersWhatcom Tesseract

WR5K4DPD, IncTitle 1X Girls Running ClubBank of AmericaKaiser PermanenteAltria Client Services, IncBNY MellonFossil PartnersThe Glenmede Trust CoThe Ironman Foundation, IncFidelity Charitable FundMicrosoft, Inc.Crowell & Moring

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

Kids R un t he N a t ion F undThank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed over $20,000 to theKids Run the Nation Fund in 2011.

Alaska Salmon Runs AMPM Running Athletic Equation, Inc. Atomic City Roadrunners Birmingham Marathon David HallFort Worth Runners Club Frederick Steeplechasers Freehold Area Running Club Fulmont Road Runners Club Gail RudermanHeather's Hope Foundations Inc Joseph O�’Conor Jr.In Memory of Karen Dubin Kelly Marzano

Kelly RichardsLake Grapevine Runners & Walkers *Lisa CaruccioLori BeveridgeMaine Marathon*Maine Track Club *Maria Watkins PhippenDavid and Sharlee CotterMichele BiagioniNorth Carolina Roadrunners Club *Oil Creek 100 Trail Run Orlando Runners Club Patrick HoganPeggy MayoPensacola Race Management

Petit Jean Runners Run at Borderfest RunSignUp.com**Run4Youth Runner's Edge FoundationSaline County Striders Club Santa Barbara Ultra Trail Runners AssociationSeashore Striders St John Land SharksTeam Footworks *The Guam Running Club The Virgin Islands Pace RunnersTidewater Striders Whatcom Tesseract

* $1,000 and above donations from race proceeds ** $5,000 and above contribution



2011 Contributors to the RRCA

R oa ds S chola r F und Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed $30,000 to the RoadsScholar Fund in 2011.

Alaska Salmon Runs Atlanta Track Club **Atomic City Roadrunners Avenue of the Giants MarathonBee McLeod *Blue Cross Broad Street RunBrent AyerCarl Sni enCentral Maine Striders Credit Union Cherry Blossom ***Cumberland Valley Athletic Club *Dan EdwardsFrederick Steeplechasers Glenn W. StewartLisa and Jim Paige

Je DarmanJim and Janice StasaitisJon HughesLeonard M. GoldmanLilac Bloomsday Assocation*Lori BeveridgeMitchell E. GarnerMontgomery County Road Runners *NAPA Valley Marathon *Nashville Striders Oil Creek 100 Trail Run Orlando Runners Club Palouse Roadrunners Pensacola Race Management Petit Jean Runners

River City Runners & Walkers Club Saline County Striders Club Seashore Striders St John Land SharksSubaru 4 Mile ChaseSyracuse Chargers Track Club The Boilermaker Road Race, Inc.The Virgin Islands Pace RunnersTravis Eliot Landreth Memorial Scholarship Fund*Utica Road Runners Virgin Island Pace RunnersWhatcom Tesseract Willamette Valley Road Runners

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

S t a t e R eps F und Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that contributed to the State RepsFund in 2011.

15th Street Flyers Alaska Salmon Runs Arlington Turkey Trot Atomic City Roadrunners Birmingham Marathon Bradley RhodenCalumet Region StridersCilongo Foundation Dave BooneDavid HallFrederick Steeplechasers Gary HenryGermantown Half Marathon & Mayor'sCup 5K

Janice WooleryKelly RichardsLena HollmannMaine Track Club North Carolina Ultra Running North Coast Road Runners ClubOil Creek 100 Trail Run Old Colony Running Events Orlando Runners Club Palouse Roadrunners Pensacola Race Management Petit Jean Runners Roni Davis WatsonRosskc LLC

Run4Youth Saline County Striders Club Santa Barbara Ultra Trail and Road Runners AssociationSeashore Striders South Florida RacewalkersSouthern Arizona Roadrunners The Virgin Islands Pace RunnersTidewater Striders Topeka Community FoundationVirgin Island Pace RunnersWhatcom Tesseract

* $1,000 and above contribution from race proceedsto the Kids Run the Nation Fund** $5,000 and above contribution



O cial Sponsors

WE RUNTHE NATION!

WE RUNTHE NATION!

WE RUNTHE NATION!

WE RUNTHE NATION!

Gatorade • Running Network LLC • Sports AuthorityAshworth Awards • Fuelbelt, Inc • RunSignUp.com

Leslie Jordan • Runners World/Running TimesWeight Watchers International

*Official Sponsors of the RRCA provide $10,000 and above to support the RRCA mission

WE RUN THE NATION! • RRCA.ORG

Star Insurance

K&K Insurance

Road Race Management

Sport Science

Human Kinetics

TheraPearl

Marathon Guide

Insight Cuba

Britten Banners

Rainbow Racing

Ultimate Direction

BigSigns.com

Boulder Blimp Company

La Foot,Inc

Louis Garneau

Pacifica Racewear

Promo Partners, Inc.

Drink More Water

National Physical Activity Plan

Greater BinghamtonChamber of Commerce

Icespike

Fitness Magazine

Watertown Family YMCA

Lilac Bloomsday Race

Gold Level Corporate Members

($1,000 and up)

Silver Level Corporate Members

($500 and up)

Bronze Level Corporate Member and

Associate Members




We Run The Nation!


2011 RRCA Annual Report

Documents

rrca members

rrca president

rrca memberraces

rrca nonprotorganizations

rrca championship eventswere

competitive running

running communities

aau wasnot