What is RRCA?

After our recent club Thanksgiving Day 5K, a couple age group winners expressed surprise at receiving an impressive RRCA State Champion medal in addition to the regular awards.  Turns out they did not know what RRCA stood for or anything about the organization.

I explained that the Road Runners Club of America is the oldest  and largest national association of runners and running organizations.  In addition to a myriad of other services, clubs and events can apply to be designated a state championship event.  If the event meets RRCA's rigorous standards, then they are eligible to win that designation.  For 2021, the runLawrence Thanksgiving Day 5K was designated the RRCA 5K Kansas State Championship event; hence the additional awards.

RRCA publishes a thorough guide to putting on a successful race from the ideal number of porta-potties to recommendations for emergency medical services.

There are various categories of RRCA membership from non-profit running clubs to single event memberships.  runLawrence is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity AND has been an RRCA member since its inception.  Benefits range from insurance coverage for events as well as individual club officers to a vast amount of resources for race directors, coaches and runners in general.  

Our club has sent members to many of the RRCA national conventions which provide workshops on every single aspect of forming and operating a club and all the best practices in staging an event of any size.  These gatherings always feature a national or world known running champion or two who offer great insights.

Also available are training programs for coaches and one for race directors.  Several club members have acquired these certifications through the assistance of runLawrence.

I hope this brief peek into RRCA has piqued your interest in joining runLawrence and perhaps going to a national convention or getting involved in one of their training programs.

Dee Boeck