Road Runners Club of America

Road Runners Club of America

Have you ever wanted to join a running club or start a club of your own?  There are some very active running clubs across the country, who even put on major events. These clubs help thousands prepare for 5k’s and Marathons.  When I lived in Chicago I had the opportunity to run with CARA, the Chicago Area Runners Association.  CARA starts helping people who just want to learn the basics, how to run 15 straight and takes their program to help people of Chicago run the Chicago Marathon.

With the number of people who are apart of running clubs, the organizers need advocacy and support. There are a number of associations that support running clubs and running event directors.  The largest is the organization Road Runners Club of America.  This organization offers the services needed to promote and support local running clubs and events.  The mission of Road Runners Club of America is to promote a healthy lifestyle through competitive running events and clubs. The organization is the oldest and the largest organization, supporting running.

Road Runners of America offer a number of programs to promote running and to help area running clubs and event directors.  The Road Runners of America does not discriminate about ability and looks to help those just starting out to those winning races.  On September 16, 2011, Road Runners of America sponsored Run@Work Day.  The goal of this day was to promote at least 30 minutes of running during their day.  This event encouraged corporations across the country to help employees schedule time for fitting in physical fitness in the form of running. Road Runners of America provided a kit to anyone wanting to plan an event as well as posters to promote the events. 

Road Runners of America offers running clubs tools to help run their clubs, including membership, insurance, and even funding.  What it really takes is a group of people or one advocate to start a running club in your area.  If you have the will, Road Runners of America is your source.  This isn’t the end all be all location for event directors, but it really is a great source of information and provides the running community with the resources and advocacy they need.  The website www.rrca.org provides a wealth of information, and I highly recommend you visit it more than once. 

Remember membership is free for the average running and $75 per participant in a running club or event.  If there isn’t a running club available in your area join as an individual and think about starting a running club yourself.