Your Definition of a Running Club? {WEEKEND THOUGHTS}

Time for another Weekend Thought. Quick overview: make things more standardized on my blog, keep posts on the weekend more open and not so focused like a review, or race report. I will be typing this piece up in fifteen minutes.

DEFINITION

What is your definition of a running club? We all have our own opinions on what a running club should be, how it should treat its member, how it should recruit new members, and what its main goal should be.

I live in a small town in Southern Arizona where we have no local running store. There are only two options for a membership in a running “group”: the local RRCA running club or a Hash Group. The thought of defining what a running club came to mind because our local Club only does a race once a month. They don’t hold training runs, they don’t hold weekly, bi-monthly, or any group runs, just races.

My Idea

In my opinion a running club should host or at least allow for weekly group runs. They could offer a variety of runs; like a training run for a bigger regional race, they could have track days, they could offer trail runs and family runs. I think that they should have some kind of hub where their member can post runs that they would like others to join them.

My local club is failing. With only a meeting once a month they aren’t recruiting new members. People want to be social not just see each other once a month.

RRCA INSURANCE

Since making contact with them, they have used the excuse that they are only allowed so many events or runs under the RCAA insurance. They use all these events for races (which would mean they’re only allowed to host about 12 runs every year). They are allowed to do group runs but they count against the total. I believe this is illogical and that the RCAA wouldn’t put such requirements out there.

This is the main reason I bought a bike in the beginning of the summer last year. The cycling community is so much more prevalent here. They are more active and just flat easier to reach. I could post a ride to our hub for monday and other riders would show up. There is a way to fix this and I hope that as I get involved in the local running club I’m able to affect some new change.

Call For Comments:
What is your definition of a running club?
Any thoughts on my situation?
What would you do? 

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