2015 RRCA Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT

We Run the Nation!RRCA.ORG

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 RRCA Mission 6 Strategic Plan 8 Letter from the President 10 Financial Report 11 Report from the National Office

RRCA PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS 12 Kids Run the Nation 13 RunPro Camp 14 Roads Scholars 16 Elite Support Grants 17 Championship Event Series 19 RUN@WORK and RUN@School Day 20 Runner Friendly Community Program 21 Coaching Certification Program Race Director Certification 22 Club Running and Inside Track 23 2015 RRCA Convention Recap 24 National Running Awards 30 Road Race of the Year 32 We Run the Nation – Updates from our State Reps 34 Donors and Sponsors

2 • RRCA Annual Report

CONTENTS

RRCA Annual Report • 3

The Road Runners Club of America is the oldest and largest national association of running organizations dedicated to growingthe sport of running since 1958.

The RRCA champions the development of community-based run-ning clubs and events that serve runners of all ages and abilities inpursuit of health and competition.

THE MISSION


To see organized and active running clubs and events inevery community in the U.S.

* 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, fitness walking, race walking, and wheelchair fitness on roads, trails, and tracks.

• All runners and their safety • Diversity in the sport and an enjoyable atmosphere for all • Anti-doping compliance • Positive relations with members, volunteers, donors, and sponsors • Best practices in organizational governance and management

THE VISION


VALUES

RRCA


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

2 To have sufficient financial support from members, sponsors and individuals and to have leaders actively engaged in the solicitation of financial support to ensure organizational stability so the RRCA can be outward-focused in the promotion and support of running in the United States.

3 To be the leading authority and resource for the establishment of new grassroots running organizations and training and education programs for runners, running coaches, race directors, and other special interests that emerge as priorities as the sport evolves.

4 To have a major public profile and major name recognition as the leading voice for running clubs, events, and fitness runners in the United States, with increased use of emerging technologies as a means of communication to reach out to the public.

5 To be a leading force in ensuring that participation in running remains constant or grows over the next decade through community support of event hosting, long term sustainability of local clubs, and maintenance and promotion of running as the most affordable form of regular exercise.

6 To engage in best practices in organizational governance and management and to encourage our members to operate according to our standards of ethical conduct to ensure integrity in the sport of running and with the ability to adapt positively to a changing world, which includes generational leadership changes.

7 To continually invest in and improve existing programs and services, develop new programs and services that are beneficial to the members, and to seek maximum participation in our programs and services by our members.

8 To be a major, collaborative partner with health organizations and other running related organizations, but only as long as the partnerships enable the RRCA to achieve our strategic goals as an organization and for the sport of running.

9 To integrate elite and developing American runners into the RRCA’s promotion of running in the United States in order to provide good role models for American youth runners and to contribute to the ongoing pipeline of potential elite athletes.

10 To work with members to actively engage the next generation of runners to participate in running clubs and events to ensure the long-term stability of the sport and to develop future leaders for the sport.

Read the detailed Strategic Plan at www.rrca.org/about/governance/ …Connecting the dots – we will outline throughout this report how we are working towards the strategies outlined in the RRCA 10 Point Strategic Plan by referencing the numbers noted for each strategy.


10 Point Strategic Plan

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

In the pages of this annual report, you will find informa-tion showcasing another great year for the Road Run-ners Club of America. We continue to see growth at alllevels of the organization from membership growth atthe local level, to event growth in both size and number,to RRCA program growth by engagement from ourmembers.

At the Annual Meeting of the RRCA Membership inMarch 2016, my term as RRCA Board President willcome to a conclusion. It has been my great pleasure toserve on the Board of RRCA for the past eight years. AsI reflect back on my years of service, I am especiallyproud of the work the Board has accomplished in team-work with the RRCA National Office.

During my tenure, two key developments for theorganization stand out for me. In 2007, my wife Sharleeand I provided the RRCA with a permanently restrictedgift for the purpose of developing the Kids Run the Na-tion Fund. Through donations from our supporters, theRRCA has been able to make meaningful investmentsin youth running throughout the U.S. In 2008, at the re-quest of then RRCA President Brent Ayer, one of my firsttasks on the Board was to chair the efforts to develop astrategic plan for the RRCA. This plan was finalized andintroduced to our members at the 2009 Annual Meetingof the Membership. Since that time the RRCA’s 10 PointStrategic Plan has been a fundament guiding documentfor both the Board and the National Office Staff. As president, I have a duty to ensure we appointgreat people to our two standing committees for the or-ganization, the Finance and Nominating Committees.Thank you to the members of the Finance Committeefor their detailed and diligent reviews of RRCA finances:

Dan Edwards – Treasurer, Jean Arthur – At-Large Direc-tor, Craig Minyard, RRCA Member, and Keating Vogel,RRCA Member. Thank you to the Nominating Committeefor their thorough and thoughtful efforts to recommendleaders for the RRCA Board: David Epstein – Chair, ChrisBurch - IA State Rep, Betsy Boudreaux - LA State Rep,and Rachel Tambling – CT State Rep.

I also thank Mark Grandonico for his eight years ofservice on the Board in the role of Eastern Region Di-rector. He has done an outstanding job engaging newState Reps and chairing the annual Performance ReviewCommittee designed to provide feedback to our execu-tive director, Jean Knaack, and to establish annual com-pensation for her. I thank Dan Edwards for his sevenyears of service on the Board in the role of both Secre-tary and Treasurer. Dan’s efforts to form a formal Fi-nance Committee for the Board will have a positive andlong-lasting impact on the organization.

The Board of Directors thanks our members fortheir ongoing support of the RRCA and the sport of run-ning. We will endeavor to continue “Elevating the Futureof the Sport.”


PRESIDENT’S REPORT ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

David CotterPresident

Mitchell GarnerVice President

Dan EdwardsTreasurer

Mark GrandonicoEastern Region Director

Sue Brown-NickersonCentral Region Director

Ron MacksoudSouthern Region Director

George RehmetWestern Region Director

Kelly RichardsAt-Large Director

Jean ArthurAt-Large Director


2015 RRCA BOARDOF DIRECTORS

This report reflects the audited financial information for the RRCA as of December 31, 2015

YEAR ASSETS LIABILITIES NET WORTH2013 $2,255,010 $1,006,618 $1,248,3922014 $2,457,082 $1,069,092 $1,387,9902015 $2,470,700 $1,094,031 $1,376,669*

YEAR REVENUE EXPENSES NET PROFIT2013 $2,594,027 $2,403,595 $190,4322014 $2,975,988 $2,836,390 $139,5982015 $3,050,854 $3,033,270 $17,585

* $406,370 in net worth is restricted by a board designation, $47,002 is temporarily restricted for program use in futureyears, and $10,000 is permanently restricted.

INCOME 2014 ACTUAL 2015 ACTUAL 2016 BUDGETInsurance Program Income $1,589,789 $1,669,862 $1,681,500Membership Income $587,476 $615,645 $617,000Coaching Program Income $412,381 $417,688 $488,000Sponsorships $61,943 $57,308 $69,500Contributions & Other Income $210,289 $275,533 $188,250Investment Income $114,110 $14,818 $61,000

TOTAL INCOME $2,975,988 $3,050,854 $3,105,250

EXPENSES – PROGRAMSChampionships & State Programs $158,426 $194,258 $193,500Coaching Certification Program $335,981 $365,588 $370,500General RRCA Programs* $265,246 $226,295 $231,400Program to Kids Run the Nation $67,253 $75,085 $118,700RunPro - Roads Scholar Program $104,623 $153,002 $105,500Insurance Program $1,675,324 $1,767,481 $1,783,980

SUBTOTAL $2,606,853 $2,781,709 $2,803,580

EXPENSES - ADMINISTRATIVE *National Office Management $110,010 $137,496 $145,000Board Services $44,638 $41,896 $45,000Fundraising $74,889 $72,169 $75,000

SUBTOTAL $229,537 $251,560 $265,000TOTAL EXPENSES $2,836,390 $3,033,270 $3,068,580Net Profit/(Loss) $139,598 $17,585 $36,670

*Functional expenses - The cost of providing various program and supporting services have been summarized on a func-tional basis in the statement of functional expenses on the RRCA’s Audited Financial Statements. Accordingly, certaincosts have been allocated among the programs and supporting services benefited.

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

RRCA FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES REPORT

2015 FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE RRCA


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

YEAR ASSETS LIABILITIES NET WORTH

2013 $2,255,010 $1,006,618 $1,248,392 2014 $2,457,082 $1,069,092 $1,387,990 2015* $2,470,671 $1,103,630 $1,367,041

YEAR INCOME EXPENSES NET PROFIT

2013 $2,594,027 $2,403,595 $190,432

2014 $2,975,988 $2,836,390 $139,598

2015 $3,050,85 $3,033,270 $17,585 * $406,370 in net worth is restricted by Board designation, $47,002 is temporarily restricted for program use in future years, and $10,000 is permanently restricted. The Board approved the use of unrestricted funds to support the Olympic Trials grant project in 2016.

INCOME 2014 ACTUAL 2015 ACTUAL 2016 BUDGET Insurance Program Income $1,589,789 $1,669,862 $1,681,500 Membership Income $587,476 $615,645 $617,000 Certification Program Income $412,381 $436,808 $488,000 Sponsorships $61,943 $57,308 $69,500 Contributions & Other Income $210,289 $221,919 $188,250 Investment Income $114,110 $14,818 $61,0000

TOTAL INCOME $2,975,988 $3,016,360 $3,105,250 EXPENSES – PROGRAMS Championships & State Programs $158,426 $199,425 $193,500 Coaching Certification Program $335,981 $371,370 $370,500 General RRCA Programs* $265,246 $234,144 $231,400 Kids Run the Nation $67,253 $76,722 $118,700 RunPro - Roads Scholar Program $104,623 $154,919 $105,500 Insurance Program $1,675,324 $1,779,237 $1,783,980

SUBTOTAL $2,606,853 $2,815,817 $2,803,580 EXPENSES - ADMINISTRATIVE * National Office Management $110,010 $100,922 $145,000 Board Services $44,638 $43,007 $45,000 Fundraising $74,889 $77,563 $75,000

SUBTOTAL $229,537 $221,492 $265,000 TOTAL EXPENSES $2,836,390 $3,037,309 $3,068,580

*Net Profit/(Loss) $139,598 $(20,949) $36,670

*Functional expenses - The cost of providing various program and supporting services have been summarized on a functional basis in the statement of functional expenses on the RRCA’s Audited Financial Statements. Accordingly, certain costs have been allocated among the programs and supporting services benefited. The Board approved the use of unrestricted funds to support the Olympic Trials grant project in 2016.

REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE

Earlier in 2015, the RRCA mascot was intro-duced at the Asics LA Marathon expo. He thenwent on to meet new friends at the BostonMarathon expo, the Chicago Marathon expo,and the Marine Corps Marathon expo. Aftermuch consideration and to avoid confusionwith the popular Marine Corps Marathon mas-cot, Miles the bulldog, we selected the namefor the RRCA mascot, Roadificus Superspeed-icus, “Roadie” for short. When not at expos,Roadie has enjoyed himself, in slightly smallerstature, going to races and industry events andmeeting cool leaders in the sport such asOlympic Marathoner Don Kardong.

Membership Growth 1958–20153000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

2015 RRCA Members–Running Organizations


1 9 5 8 1 9 6 0 1 9 7 0 1 9 8 0 1 9 9 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 2 0 0 7 2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 3 2 0 1 4 2 0 1 5

ROADIFICUS SUPERSPEEDICUS JOINS THE RRCA STAFF

THANK YOU TO THE NATIONALOFFICE STAFF FOR THEIRDEDICATION TO THE RRCA: • David Morgan completed his third year as Membership Manager. • Andy Smith completed his second year as Program Coordinator. • Dorothy Commock, Office Manager, completed her 15th year of service as Office Manager and retired from the RRCA in July. • Maggie Craig joined the RRCA in Septem- ber as Operations Assistance. • Erica Gminski joined the RRCA in Septem- ber as Youth Programs Coordinator, tasked with growing the RRCA’s Kids Run the Na- tion efforts. • Randy Accetta completed his fourth year as Director of Coaching Education. Our three coaching course instructors, Cari Setzler, Bobby Gessler, and Brent Ayer, all completed their third year of service, as well.• The RRCA employs a part-time book- keeper, Lena Young, who has kept our finances in order for the last eight years. • Jean Knaack, Executive Director, completed her tenth year of service to the RRCA and was named by Runner’s World as one of the “50 Most Influential People in Running.” • The RRCA worked with Ryan Lamppa and EventPro on media strategies during the year with success, as the RRCA was men- tioned in many national publications including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Runner’s World, and many other media outlets.

ROAD RUNNERS CLUB OF AMERICAGrowing the Sport of Running Since 1958

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The Kids Run the Nation program, is the RRCA’s gender inclusive, multi-week, turnkey, youth run-ning program designed to meet the physical activity goals outlined by the United States Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The RRCA’s vision is to helpestablish locally managed youth running programs in every school in America.

Trek Around Tazewell – Tremont, ILMaverick Running Club – Austin, TXScott Scorpions Run Club – Chester, VAGastineau Trail Runners – Juneau, AKW.W. Gordon Elementary Jogging Club – North Chesterfield, VAManhattan Cross Country Club – Manhattan, KSTrailblazers Running Club – Stamford, CTSpring Mills Sprinters – Martinsburg, WVKids Run the Nation – George Cromwell Elementary – GlenBurnie, MDKnoxville Youth Runs! – Knoxville, TNMiller Fitness Challenge – Holliston, MAKids Run Flagstaff – Flagstaff, AZRockland Road Runners Kids Program – Congers, NYSRE Mileage Club – St. Rose, LAZucker Middle Running Club – North Charleston, SCRun Away Mustangs – Bluffton, SCSRA Kids – Sacramento, CABlazing Bulldogs Run Club – Tualatin, ORViejo Run Club – Mission Viejo, CAHeliotrope Kids Run the Nation – Maywood, CACrimfit Summer Running Club – Flint, MIMcKinley Running Club – Tulsa, OK

Saint Louis Blazers – Brentwood, MOWaupaca Mighty Milers – Waupaca, WIKids Run for Fun – Bloomington, ILLOW Running Bears – Baudette, MNCountdown to Fitness – Space Coast Final Mile – Melbourne, FLWise Kids In Motion – St. Paul, MN

Congratulations to our Kids Run the Nation Fund Grantees:

Learn more at www.rrca.org/programs/kids-run-the-nation-program/


2015 RRCA PROGRAMS - AN OVERVIEW OF SUCCESSES

$137,000Amount granted since 2007

80,000Kids running in KRN Funded

programs since 2007

53,000Kids Running Guides donated

Since 2007

177Programs receiving a KRN grant since 2007

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Kids Run the Nation®

PROGRAM

Learn more at www.RunPro.com


RUNPRO CAMP

Eleven up-and-coming distance runners, were selected to attend the 4th RunPro Camp held July 10-11, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia. The 2015 RunProCamp sponsored in part by USA Track & Field.

RunPro Camp is designed specifically for athletes interested in pursuing a professional distance running career. Selection to the Camp was basedon an application process, with most athletes being NCAA qualifiers and competing in distances ranging from the 800 meters up through the 10,000meters as well as in Cross Country. The RRCA provides complimentary travel and lodging to all invited athletes.

Brogan Austin – Drake UniversityChristopher Burnett – Wichita State UniversityJohn Crain – North Central CollegeJosh Dedering – University of Wisconsin-La CrosseGrace Graham-Zamudio – Loyola Marymount UniversityKaty Moen – Iowa State University

Mark Parrish – University of FloridaTara Richardson – Western State Colorado UniversityRachel Sorna – Cornell UniversityMegan Wright – University of ToledoBethany Sachtleben – George Mason UniversityRobert Molke – Syracuse University

RunPro Camp Athletes

62Number of athletes that have

attended RunPro Camp since 2011

14Number of RunPro Campers that are also Roads Scholar grantees

since 2011

$70,000Amount of Roads Scholar grants

allocated to RunPro Campers since 2011

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LUKEPUSKEDRAPuskedra found his love for running in the 3rd grade when running themile in P.E. He started competing in Cross Country during middle schoolin his native Ogden, Utah. Running competitively continued at JudgeMemorial High School where he won individual and team titles in CrossCountry and Track. In 2012, while in his junior year at Oregon, Puskedramade his road running debut. He ran a 1:01.36 in the Houston HalfMarathon. From this moment on, he found a new found love for trainingand road racing. That year, he also finished second in the New Haven20K USA Championship with a 58:48, and eighth overall at the OlympicTrials 10K with a 27:56. His road racing career has progressed steadilysince then. In 2015, Puskedra won the Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland HalfMarathon with a time of 1:05:10, and also placed first at the VancouverSun Run 10K with 28:53. Following receipt of his Roads Scholar grant,Puskedra was first American and fifth overall at the 2015 Bank of Amer-ica Chicago Marathon finishing with a time of 2:10:24.

JULIACCURSODiscovering a passion for running on the country roads in Casstown, Ohio,Accurso joined the Ohio University Cross Country and Track & Field teamsin 2010. As a Bobcat, she achieved Cross Country All-American honorsin 2011, 2012 and 2013 finishing 36th, 38th and 19th, respectively. Accurso graduated from Ohio University hungry for faster times, a sup-portive team, and a community in which to grow. She attended the 2014RunPro Camp and shortly thereafter moved across the country to joinTeam Run Eugene. This past spring Accurso ran a PR of 33:16 in the 10Kand gained valuable experience on the road circuit.

The goal of the program is to assist American post-collegiate runners who show great promise todevelop into national and world-class road running athletes.

Since 1996, the RRCA has awarded grants totaling over $500,000through the Roads Scholar® program.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE2015-2016 ROADS SCHOLAR CLASS


ROADS SCHOLAR® PROGRAM

ERICFERNANDEZGrowing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Fernandez enjoyed running so muchthat his parents had him join an AAU/USATF Youth Track team, the St.Louis Blazers. He was recruited by Coach McDonnell of the ArkansasRazorbacks for college, and ended up running for Chris Bucknamupon Coach McDonnell’s retirement. Highlights of Fernandez’s colle-giate career include a Freshman 10,000m PR of 28:37, a Sophomore5,000m PR of 13:52 and a 3,000m PR of 7:59. During his Junior sea-son, he was the SEC Cross Country Individual Champion, All-Americanat the NCAA Cross Country Championships, and was the SEC OutdoorTrack 10,000m Champion. He also competed for the Junior USA CrossCountry team, and contributed to nine SEC Team Titles, and the 2013NCAA Indoor Track National Title. Following college and a return frominjury, Fernandez moved to Flagstaff, AZ to become one of the originalmembers of Northern Arizona Elite. Professional running highlightsso far include 15th place at the 2014 USRC Bix 7 Mile Road Champi-onships in 35:35, fourth place at the 2014 Great Harbor 10K in 29:39and second place at the 2015 Newport, NJ Road 10K in 29:38.

LAURENJIMISONJimison grew up in Northern California and discovered a love for run-ning in middle school P.E. Attending Azusa Pacific University, Jimisongrew in her athletics where she was an 11-time All-American, a five-time individual National Champion in the 5/10K. She won three TeamNational Championships in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and OutdoorTrack. Her senior year, she set the APU record for Cross Country inthe 5K, running 16:53. In the spring, she set a school record in the10K with a time of 33:58; hitting the Olympic “B” mark for the 2012trials. After graduation, Jimison realized she couldn’t give up runningyet, and made her professional debut at the Carlsbad Half Marathonin 1:15.47. Running her first half marathon in a close-to-trials quali-fying mark gave Jimison a spark to continue running at a high level.That May, she took 10th at the US 25K in Grand Rapids, MI, running1:30.46. One month later, she moved to Mammoth Lakes, CA, andjoined the Mammoth Track Club. In her first half marathon after train-ing in Mammoth Lakes, Jimison ran 1:14.29, securing her spot forthe 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials.

GRIFFITHGRAVESGraves started running at a very young age. He completed his first5K when he was five years old. He attended Syracuse University aftera successful high school career. At the end of his sophomore year atSyracuse he suffered a torn labrum, snapped ligament and bone spurin his left hip. For two years, he could not compete, and had hip sur-gery during his junior year. Because of his injury, Graves was granteda fifth year and sixth Cross Country season at Syracuse. As a fifthyear, Graves was a part of the Syracuse team’s third Big East Cham-pionship. As a sixth year, Graves was a part of the first team ACCChampionship in Syracuse history where the men won the CrossCountry title in the fall of 2013. Graduating from Syracuse in the fallof 2013, Graves moved to Blowing Rock, NC where he now runs forZAP Fitness/Reebok with coaches Pete Rea and Ryan Warrenburg. In2015, he qualified for the 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials at theUSATF Half Marathon Championships. Graves finished third at thenon-team race at the 2015 Peachtree Road Race and was the topAmerican finisher at the 2015 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, plac-ing eighth with a time of 2:20.51.

KATYMOEN Growing up in a small town in Iowa, Moen fell into running throughher father’s and brothers’ influence. Her eldest brother, Josh Moen,saw success at a local DIII program, and as her brother became aprofessional, Katy Moen began to see herself as a future road raceras well. After success in high school, Moen ran for Iowa State Uni-versity. Throughout her collegiate experience, she consistently im-proved times and championship performances. However, it was notuntil her redshirt junior year that Moen began to perform at the topof the conference. Since then, she has won two Big 12 Champi-onships, two All-American honors, and was awarded the U.S. Track& Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Midwest Women’sRegional Track Athlete of the Year. Race highlights included first placeat the 2014 Big 12 Outdoor Championships 5K in 17:01, and secondplace at the 2015 Big 12 Outdoor Championships 10K in 34:23.

Learn more at www.rrca.org/programs/roads-scholars/


ROAD SCHOLAR® PROGRAM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


ELITE GRAND PROJECT

The RRCA has a long history of supporting elite U.S. distance runners going back to the early 1960s. At that time, the RRCA began providing somefinancial support for runners to travel to major marathons in the U.S. and road races abroad. To build on this history and the success of the RoadsScholar program, the RRCA developed a one-time funding opportunity for distance runners training to race in the 2016 Olympic Trials – Marathonand training centers that support elite athlete development.

Five grants in the amount of $5000 each, for a total of $25,000, were awarded to the following U.S. Distance Training Centers, supporting U.S.athletes focusing on either the upcoming marathon trials or the 10,000m track trials.

In addition, the RRCA awarded grants to support the following 12 athletes that have qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathonand have not previously competed at an Olympic Games. Each grant winner will receive $2,500 plus any Roads Scholar grantee from the 2014-15class or earlier was awarded an additional $500.

• ZAP Fitness, Blowing Rock, NC • Greenville Track Club-ELITE, Greenville, SC • Team USA Minnesota, Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN • HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite, Flagstaff, AZ • Team Run Eugene, Eugene, OR

6MEN/WOMEN

• Josphat Boit, Mammoth Lakes, CA• Aaron Braun, Alamosa, CO• Jeffrey Eggleston, Boulder, CO – RRCA Roads Scholar 2010• Craig Leon, Eugene, OR• Mike Morgan, Rochester Hills, MI – RRCA Roads Scholar 2005• Sean Quigley, Lafayette, CO• Annie Bersagel, Victoria, MN• Esther Erb, Lambertville, NJ – RRCA Roads Scholar 2014 • Lauren Kleppin, Flagstaff, AZ – RRCA Roads Scholar 2012• Heather Lieberg, Helena, MT• Wendy Thomas, Windsor, CO• Rebecca Wade, Dallas, TX

To round out the financial support for the project, the RRCA will also award a bonus to the male and femaleathletes that earn spots on Team USA for the 2016 Olympic Marathon.

RRCA Funding Impact for Athletes Entered in 2016 Olympic Trials - Marathon • 34 athletes have received direct financial support through Roads Scholars or the Elite project. • 16 athletes have attended RunPro Camp. • 18 athletes have received in-direct support via RRCA grants to U.S. Distance Training Centers.


CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT SERIES

The RRCA Championship Event Series is one of the oldest traditions in distance running in the U.S., dating back to1958 when the RRCA awarded their first championship designation. The goal of the RRCA Championship Event Seriesis to shine a spotlight on well-run events, and to promote the sport of running by recognizing the top performingrunners in the Open, Masters (40+), Grand Masters (50+), and Senior Grand Masters (60+) age categories for bothmen and women as RRCA Champions.

In 2015, the RRCA Championship Event Series saw continued growth and included 215 races at the State, Regionaland National level that attracted over 366,000 runners nationwide, making it the largest grassroots-organized, runningevent series in the U.S.

RRCA Championship Events receive sponsorship support from the RRCA, Gatorade as the Official Beverage of theseries; Sports Authority as the Presenting Sponsor of the Series; Ashworth Awards as the Official Award Provider forthe series; and CoolMax as a supporting sponsor. The RRCA supplied over 100,000 championship-branded race num-bers to events using Rainbow Racing. Ashworth Awards developed our wildly popular RRCA Championship medals,which are given to all RRCA Champions. Over 1,720 medals were awarded during the year to celebrate distancerunning performances from elites to senior grand masters in the sport.

Thank you to the following events and congratulations to the 2015 RRCA National Champions:

Go Mile in North Little Rock, AR on June 20 Male Overall: Daniel Kirwa, age 28, of Searcy, ARK, with a time of 4:22:2 Female Overall: Lauren Paquette, age 28, of Memphis, TN, with a time of 4:41.2

Male Master: Mark Ferguson, age 42, of Little Rock, AR, with a time of 4:46.7 Female Master: Kem Thomas, age 41, of Searcy, AR, with a time of 5:37.9

Male Grand Master: Ron Mitchell, age 51, of Little Rock, AR, with a time of 5:00.2 Female Grand Master: Lynn O’Neal, age 51, of Bryant, AR, with a time of 6:16.3

Male Senior Grand Master: David McCormick, age 60, of Dardanelle, AR, with a time of 6:14.6 Female Senior Grand Master: Debbie Hill, age 64, of Hot Springs, AR, with a time of 7:20.4

Hy-Vee Road Race 5K in Des Moines, IA on April 26 Male Overall: Sammy Rotich, 14:51 Female Overall: Genet Beyene, 15:51

Male Master: Paxton Bennet, 17:52 Female Master: Erin Block, 18:36

Male Grand Master: Brett Daugherty, 18:21 Female Grand Master: Janean Griffith, 24:11

Male Senior Grand Master: Tim Murphy, 20:12 Female Senior Grand Master: Lena Hollmann, 25:29



Marine Corps Marathon 10K in Arlington, VA on October 25 Male Overall: Jack Dasilva, age 30, of Arlington, VA, with a time of 34:01 Female Overall: Leonora Petrina, age 33, of Bayport, NY, with a time of 35:51

Male Master: Joseph Galvin, age 49, of Holly Ridge, NC, with a time of 36:01 Female Master: Debra Rudisill, age 46, of Vienna, VA, with a time of 41:12

Male Grand Master: Clint Dowd, age 51, Goffstown, NH, with a time of 39:22 Female Grand Master: Michelle Allen, age 52, Fleming Island, FL, with a time of 44:32

Male Senior Grand Master: Wayne Heckler, age 65, of Madison, AL, with a time of 43:39 Female Senior Grand Master: Rhonda Fosser, age 64, of Lakeland, FL, with a time of 50:18

Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg, WV on August 16 Male Overall: Kimutai Cheruiyot from Kenya, with a time of 1:02:42 Female Overall: Buze Diriba from Ethiopia, with a time of 1:12:56

Male Master: Richard Kessio from Kenya, with a time of 1:10:28 Female Master: Amy Eddy from Williamstown, WV, with a time of 1:39:34

Male Grand Master: John Piggot from Williamsburg, VA, with a time of 1:22:45 Female Grand Master: Sherri Martin from W. Alexander, PA, with a time of 1:27:43

Male Senior Grand Master: Bill Long from Berea, OH with a time of 1:26:36 Female Senior Grand Master: Janalee Stock from Athens, OH, with a time of 1:45:19 Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS on January 10 Open Male: Jay List, age 37, of Holland, New York, with a time of 2:41:34 Open Female: Kari Elliott, age 34, of Calgary, Canada, with a time of 2:57:39

Masters Male: Thomas Smith, age 47, of Wethersfield, CT, with a time of 2:49:33 Masters Female: Nadine Hamilton, age 47, of Allentown, PA, with a time of 3:31:11 Grand Masters Male: Peter Beauvais, age 53, of DeSoto, TX with a time of 3:07:40 Grand Masters Female: Vicki Bentley-Condit, age 57, of Grinnell, IA, with a time of 3:53:42 Senior Grand Masters Male: Larry Unger, age 63, of Lincoln, MA, with a time of 3:38:59 Senior Grand Masters Female: Dorothy Lupariello, age 60, of Shelton, CT with a time of 5:01:04

Nashville Ultra Marathon in Nashville, TN on November 7 Male Open: Isaac Richardson, 6:32:32, age 18, Columbus, IN Female Open: Emily Bello, 7:20:52, age 30, Louisville, KY

Male Master: Todd Bello, 7:20:52, age 42, Louisville, KY Female Master: Patty Jansen, 9:18:34, age 50, Mason, IL

Male Grandmaster: Jeff Spodnik 7:55:14, age 51, Nashville, TN Female Grandmaster: No one completed the 50 Mile distance

Male Senior Grandmaster: Richard Westbrook, 9:48:10, age 68, Jonesboro, GA Female Senior Grandmaster: No finisher

RUN@WORK AND RUN@SCHOOL DAY


SAVE THE DATE:SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

On September 18, RRCA supporters hosted RUN@WORK and RUN@School Day events around the country. We thank our members and supportersfor promoting our goal of encouraging adults and children to get 30 minutes of exercise each day, either in the morning, during lunch, or immediatelyfollowing work or school, in accordance with the Physical Activity Guidelinesfor Americans.

Throughout RUN@WORK and RUN@School Day, participants shared theirpictures, observations, and videos on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram usingthe hashtag #runatwork, which was used over 750 times by a variety of peo-ple, groups, and companies including Brooks Running, Dallas Police Depart-ment Youth Outreach Unit, General Dynamic’s (with 1,500 employeesrunning), Saucony, Cornell University Transportation Services, the AtlantaTrack Club, Pittsburgh’s UPMC Health Plan (a major health insurance com-pany), and many other schools and organizations nationwide.


11th Annual RUN@WORK Day and 4th Annual RUN@School Day

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Levi’s Presidio 10 in San Francisco, CA on April 12 Male Overall: Volta Ripa, of Turlock, CA, with a time of 59:18 Female Overall: Angela Strange of San Francisco with a time of 1:03:51

Male Master: Scott Dunlap of Woodside, CA with a time of 1:01:19 Female Master: Kari Rust of Portaloa Valley, CA with a time of 1:10:43

Male Grand Master: Steven Butler of Roseville, CA with a time of 1:06:25 Female Grand Master: Polly St Geme of San Francisco, CA with a time of 1:12:45

Male Senior Grand Master: Bruce Kirschner with a time of 1:08:35 (no city or state included in results) Female Senior Grand Master: Virginia Gjedsted of San Francisco, CA with a time of 1:40:43

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGANAnn Arbor is the sixth largest city in the state of Michigan, with a populationof more than 113,000 within the city limits, and close to 345,000 withinthe metro area as of the 2010 census. While just over 40 miles from De-troit, the presence of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor gives thecommunity its own unique identity. Over 15% of Ann Arbor residents walk to work, more than six times thenational average. As such, the city has created tremendous infrastructureto support the residents’ desire to lead a healthy lifestyle. There are over475 miles of sidewalks in Ann Arbor, and over 57 miles of shared-usepaths. The Border Trail Project aims to create a contiguous, 35 mile-longpath along the Huron River, and almost the entire length of the river withincity limits can be walked or run. Included in this stretch along the Huronis the 69-acre Gallup Park. Looped trails in the park allow for runs up toten miles along flat terrain and some sections are posted with markersevery quarter mile for speed training. Park facilities include drinking foun-tains and benches for taking a break or enjoying the scenery. Ann Arbor Track Club (AATC), an RRCA member club who submitted theapplication, has been in existence for over 50 years. AATC is an importantpillar of the local running community; organizing training groups; providingscholarships for high school runners; hosting fundraisers; and using thesport to build partnerships with the city and local businesses. The AATC’ssignature event is the annual Dexter to Ann Arbor Run, which served asthe 2014 RRCA National Half Marathon Championship.

MILFORD, MICHIGANLocated in Michigan’s Huron Valley, approximately 40 miles from Detroit,Milford has a population of 6,280, but also serves as the central business

district for approximately 25,000 people in the surrounding areas. Thisdowntown district is a National Historic Landmark, established just beforethe turn of the century. Featuring many national retailers, along with localbusinesses, the downtown is busy yet still manages to retain its smalltown charm. In May 2009, the Milford Trail officially opened. At 3.6 miles long, thetrail connects the downtown YMCA to the entrance of spacious KensingtonPark. Kensington Park itself covers 4,481 acres of both hilly and flat scenicterrain. The park also contains multiple trails, including a 3 mile loop in itscenter, which crosses the Huron River. Another trail splits off from there,heading south for 4.75 miles, traversing wooded areas, wetlands, andprairie along the river. In addition to Kensington Park, Milford has beautifulrolling hills and extensive natural areas that make for ideal conditions forboth beginning and more experienced runners. Milford government is a strong ally to runners and the running commu-nity. Milford helps sponsor the Labor Day 30K festival of races, the town’sbiggest running event that has served many times as the RRCA MichiganState Championship. Additionally, the government has made sure there isa rich stable of pedestrian networks throughout the town, complete withwater fountains, streetlights, accessible bathrooms, and ample parking.The town has also made efforts to place signs demonstrating how localtrails connect to one another. The Huron Valley Athletic Club (HVAC), the RRCA member who submittedthe application, is the largest running club in Milford. They put on 13-24events per year, highlighted by the Labor Day 30K festival. The HVAC alsopromote running through healthy living by donating money to various or-ganizations.

Richmond, VA

Learn more at www.rrca.org/programs/runner-friendly-community/


RUNNER FRIENDLY COMMUNITY® PROGRAM

The goal of the RRCA’s Runner Friendly Community program is to shine a national spotlight on communities that standout as runner-friendly andprovide incentives and ideas for communities to work towards becoming runner friendly communities. Runner Friendly Communities can also increasethe quality of life, improve physical activity for residents as outlined in the National Physical Activity Plan, and provide for increased economic impactfor the community.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Lakeland, FL


The goal of the RRCA Coaching Certification Program is to create anational community of knowledgeable and ethical distance runningcoaches to work with runners at all levels of ability. RRCA Certified Coaches volunteer with their local RRCAmember running clubs, coach clients one-on-one, and coach train-ing programs for groups of individuals working towards a commongoal. RRCA Certified Coaches work with runners by using intelligenttraining plans, based on a scientific body of knowledge, and de-signed to help a runner achieve their goals, while minimizing the risksof overuse and over-training injuries. For the second year, the 2015 RRCA Convention included a CoachingCertification Cohort. Course registrants were able to receive the full re-quirement of classroom instruction, while also being able to network andengage socially with other Convention attendees. RRCA Coaching Certification courses are scheduled almost everyother weekend throughout the year at locations all over the country fromMaine to California from Washington to Florida. During 2015, 38 courseswere held with nearly a 1,000 new coaches completing the require-ments for certification. We thank our Director of Coaching Education Randy Accetta, Ph.Dalong with his team of course instructors Cari Setzler, Bobby Gessler, andBrent Ayer for another successful program year. We also thank the RRCAmembers and supporters that hosted a coaching certification course onbehalf of the RRCA.

RACE DIRECTOR CERTIFICATION

The RRCA Race Director Certification Course pro-vides event directors with a baseline of knowledgein order to conduct safe events for runners, walkers,volunteers, and spectators. The RRCA partnered withRoad Race Management and leading event directorsfrom around the country to provide an affordable ed-ucational opportunity for anyone interested in puttingon a safe distance running event.

The program is extremely valuable to both newand seasoned event directors. Completing the RaceDirector Certification course shows that an event di-rector is mindful of best practices, and in turn,should produce quality events. While this course isnot required for all race directors, event participantsshould expect a safe, quality event from an RRCACertified Race Director.

Learn more at www.rrca.org/programs/coaching-program-overview/

COACHING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

RRCA has certified over 180 race directors from around the world by the end of 2015 with an additional 175 people enrolled in the course as ofDecember 31, 2015.

Learn more at www.rrca.org/programs/race-director-certification/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


CLUB RUNNING AND INSIDE TRACK

57TH ANNUAL RRCA NATIONAL CONVENTION

The RRCA is very fortunate to be able to commu-nicate to our members about our programsthrough Club Running magazine. This publica-tion is made possible through our partnershipwith Fortius Media Group, LLC. We are verythankful for the support we are receiving from ouradvertisers and members in the form of qualitycontent submissions. We could not produce ClubRunning magazine without the support of LarryEder, Christine Johnson, and Alex Larsen.

ClubRunning

RRCA.org

��

��

®

2016 Olympic

Marathon Trials

Big Data: Can It

Revolutionize

Running?

Roads Scholar®

Class of 2015–16

Marathonphoto

2015 RRCA National 10K Champion �� stretch of the Marine Corps 10K

Winter 2016WE RUN THE NATION!

Read current and past issues at www.rrca.org/publications/club-running/

Read current and past issues at www.rrca.org/publications/inside-track/

Inside Track, our membership newsletter outlines best practices in gov-erning and managing running clubs and events. Inside Track is the print

newsletter that is mailed to the primary contacts for the RRCA member run-ning clubs and events.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The 2015 RRCA Convention kicked-off on Thursday April 23, with a receptionat the Embassy Club located on the top floor of one of downtown Des Moines’highest buildings and was sponsored by the Des Moines CVB. The settingoffered spectacular views of the city and its landscape. Convention Chairand IMT Des Moines Marathon Race Director, Chris Burch, welcomed every-one to Des Moines before introducing USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel.Siegel spoke about the camaraderie and kinship in the running community,a theme that would be touched on frequently throughout the weekend. Net-working, education, and information sharing remained a focus during theRRCA Convention. The opening welcome session featured Iowa’s Governor,Terry Branstad, who outlined the importance of Iowa’s Healthiest State Ini-tiative with the goal to become the fittest state in the nation. As the Convention coincided with the 106th Drake Relays, our host madesure to include opportunities for attendees to take advantage of this presti-gious event by providing tickets to the Friday night session. Friday’s luncheonfeatured an elite athlete panel including 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist LeoManzano and two-time USA One Mile Road Champion Heather Kampf, bothin Des Moines to compete at the Relays. The two also took time to mingleand pose for photos with attendees following the luncheon and both con-tributed items to the RRCA’s Live and Silent Auctions with proceeds support-ing the Roads Scholar Fund, RunPro Camp, and the RRCA State Reps. Documentary filmmaker Jon Dunham, director of “The Spirit of theMarathon” and upcoming film “BOSTON” about the Boston Marathon, spokeat Saturday’s luncheon. Dunham outlined how making his films show thepower of running, which cuts across cultural boundaries, and that the pas-sion for the sport is a universal language. During the National Running Awards Banquet on Saturday, the RRCA in-ducted Hall of Fame Members Sara Mae Berman, Phil Stewart, and JackDaniels. The RRCA also honored all of the 2014 National Running Award win-ners and celebrated their contributions to the running community.

GOLDSILVERBRONZE

LEVEL

LEVEL

LEVEL

Marathon Printing, K&K Insurance, Star Insurance,RunSignUp.com, Leslie Jordan, HD on the Go,

Ashworth Awards, The Driven Race & Club Solutions

Catch Des Moines, Eventbrite, Marathonfoto.com,Haku.com, USA Track & Field, Champion Systems

2015 THANK YOU TO OUR

SPONSORS

A4, MyLaps, FitFul, ChronoTrack, Active.com, Emedia Group, GetMeRegistered.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


RRCA CONVENTION RECAP


NATIONAL RUNNING AWARD WINNERS

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEESSHALANEFLANAGAN (born July 1981)Is a distinguished American runner who grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts. She currently holds sixAmerican records: 3000 meters (indoor), 5000 meters (indoor), 10,000 meters, 10K, 15K and 25K. She at-tended Marblehead High School, where she excelled in Cross Country and Track. She attended the Universityof North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she won national cross country titles in 2002 and 2003 — becomingthe first individual champion in the sport in Tar Heel history. Flanagan ran the 10,000 meters for the first timeat the 2008 Stanford Payton Jordan invite, finishing in a time of 30:34.49 to break Deena Kastor’s Americanrecord of 30:50.32. At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Oregon, Flanagan competed in both the 5000 meters and10,000 meters, winning the 10,000 meters in 31:34.81. This guaranteed her a spot on Team USA for the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. On August 16, 2008, Flanagan finished third in the Olympic 10,000 meterfinal, capturing the bronze medal. In that race, she also set an American record of 30:22.22, bettering herown mark from earlier that year. She is only the second American woman to win an Olympic medal in the10,000 meters. On January 14, 2012, Flanagan won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Texas, set-ting the event record, clocking 2:25:38. Later, the 2011 World Cross Country Championships bronze medalistrepresented Team USA at the 2012 London Olympic Marathon, finishing 10th in 2:25:51. In 2014, Flanagan had another banner year. On March 15 in Jacksonville, Florida, Flanagan won the USA15K road title at the Gate River Run, setting an American record of 47:00, besting Deena Kastor’s record of47:15 set in 2003. On April 21, Flanagan led the Boston Marathon women’s race through 19 miles, ultimatelyfinishing seventh in a personal best of 2:22:02, making her the third fastest female American marathonerever. On September 28, Flanagan placed third in the Berlin Marathon, with a personal record of 2:21:14. Itwas the second fastest time ever by an American woman for 26.2 miles, only 98 seconds behind Kastor’s2006 London Marathon time of 2:19:36. Flanagan also holds a unique distinction: being part of the only mother-daughter combination in the RRCAHall of Fame. Her mother Cheryl Treworgy was inducted into the RRCA Hall of Fame in 1988. The 18-timeUSA champion, who is married to Steven Edwards and currently resides in Portland, Oregon, is training todefend her title at the upcoming U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles.

JONANDERSON (born October 1949)Is a lifelong resident of Eugene, Oregon, where he was coached by the legendary Bill Bowerman. Andersonis credited with contributing to the establishment of Eugene as a “mecca” for running. He is best known forhis remarkable 1973 Boston Marathon win on a hot, sunny day. Anderson, just 23, passed Finland’s defendingchampion Olavi Suomalainen after 20 miles to take the lead and win by nearly two minutes with a time of2:16:03. That race also made him the first runner to win any major international sporting event in Nike shoes. Anderson did not start competitive running until his senior year in high school, but still ran a 9:34 two-mileas a prep. While competing collegiately at Cornell University, he won the Ivy League Cross Country title hissenior year. His third place in the six-mile at the NCAA Track & Field Championships his junior year earnedhim All-American status. Anderson won his first marathon title at the 1972 Petaluma Marathon (CA). Upon graduating from CornellUniversity in 1971, he finished third at the Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters qualifying for the 1972 U.S.Olympic Track & Field Team. At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, he placed eighth in his 10,000 meter heat,not qualifying for the finals, but still setting a personal record (28:34.2). In 1973, following his Boston win, Anderson placed fourth in the international and highly competitiveFukuoka Marathon, which at the time was the unofficial world championship. Later, he won the 1975 NikeOTC Marathon in Eugene, and he represented the United States at the 1977 World Cross Country Champi-onships. He set his personal best marathon at the 1980 Nike OTC Marathon, placing fourth and recording a2:12:08. In 1981 he also won both the Antwerp Marathon in Belgium and the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii.



HALL OF FAME INDUCTEESHe retired from competition in 1984, after running his second and third best marathon times, placing fifth in a marathonin Japan and fourth in one in Seoul, Korea. He currently serves on the University of Oregon Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He resides in Eugene with his wife,Terri, and youngest son, Drew. He has two older children, Clark and Erica.

BOBLARSEN (born January 1939)Is a multiple Hall of Fame distance and Track & Field coach, known mainly for coaching distance runners, althoughhe has had success coaching across a full range of events. Larsen is arguably the most highly decorated distanceand track & field coach in the United States. Overall, he has achieved extraordinary success as a coach at every level,high school, community college, university and Open divisions, as portrayed in a recent documentary film about hiscareer, “City Slickers Can’t Stay with Me: The Bob Larsen Story.” The film can be accessed at the following link:www.boblarsenfilm.com At Monte Vista High School, his teams went undefeated for three years. At Grossmont College, he was inducted intothe California Community College Cross County and Track & Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 1976. In the same year, hisoff-campus club, Jamul Toads, which included his current and alumni athletes, won the National Cross Country Cham-pionships in a huge upset. In 1979, Larsen was the head distance coach overseeing the UCLA Cross Country program. By 1984, he succeededJim Bush as Head Track & Field coach. He enjoyed 21 seasons of cross country and 16 seasons of track & field atUCLA, winning two NCAA Outdoor team titles (1987-88). The Minnesota native was National Coach of the Year threetimes (1987-88, 1995) and PAC-10 Coach of the Year nine times. In 1980 he was NCAA National Cross Country Coachof the Year. His remarkable dual meet record was 118-3-1. His teams also scored twelve unbeaten seasons, andnever lost to UCLA’s crosstown rival, USC. In 1995, Larsen was named the Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association. In 1999, heretired from UCLA and co-founded Team Running USA (now Mammoth Track Club) in 2001. Over the years, the Mam-moth Track Club has been the training base for many elite American distance runners and is widely regarded as oneof the premier distance training centers in the United States. For the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Larsen was selectedas Team USA’s distance coach. In 2003, Larsen was elevated to the United States Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and in 2005, the UnitedStates Track Coaches Association bestowed upon Larsen yet another award, the Bill Bowerman Award, for his lifelongcontributions to the sport of distance running. On December 5, 2009, USA Track & Field presented Larsen with theRobert Giegengack Award, which annually recognizes the person who has “made an outstanding contribution to thedevelopment and success of USA Track & Field and the larger community of the sport.” Larsen, a 2005 Running USA Hall of Champions inductee, has coached his most notable athlete, Meb Keflezighi,since Keflezighi’s UCLA freshman days. Keflezighi’s accomplishments include four NCAA titles, an American record at10,000 meters, silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon, fourth at the 2012 London Olympic Marathon,winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon, and winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon, the first American male to winBoston in 32 years. Keflezighi’s victory at Boston further solidified Larsen’s stature as one of America’s greatestdistance coaches ever. Beyond his achievements as a coach, Larsen is widely recognized for his integrity, his ethics and his selfless andhumble nature, all of which have earned him the respect of his peers.



LENAHOLLMANN Immediate Past Southern Region DirectorLena Hollmann served with distinction for four years as the RRCA State Rep for North Carolina and was namedthe Outstanding State Rep of the Year in 2007. Additionally, she served six years as RRCA Southern Region Di-rector and continues to actively promote RRCA programs at every opportunity. Hollmann’s nearly half centuryas an active athlete has given her a deep appreciation for the sport of running from international and local per-spectives. She distinguished herself by winning the 1971 Swedish 1500m National Championship and finishedas the 10th overall woman at the 1984 Boston Marathon. She is a three time RRCA National ChampionshipSenior Grand Masters winner as well. She has served on the board of her North Carolina running club and vol-unteered to lead a beginning runner course. Upon moving to Florida she immediately became involved in thelocal running community, and has recently been appointed as the North Florida State Rep. She has writtenseveral articles for Club Running and writes a monthly column for Running Journal. Hollmann continues to qui-etly devote many hours of volunteer service to her community, the sport of running, and avidly champions theRRCA mission expecting nothing in return, embodying the ideals of the Browning Ross Spirt of the RRCA Award.

BROWNING ROSS SPIRIT OF THE RRCA

RONALFORD HawaiiDespite the constraints of having RRCA member clubs spread out by several different islands, Ron Alford hasmade a huge impact in promoting the RRCA as the Hawaii State Representative. Alford has been in regularcommunications with member clubs and events in the state, and he has helped connect members with im-portant RRCA information regarding insurance, coaching courses, waivers, and RRCA benefits. During the year,he has attended all RRCA Championships in the state, no small accomplishment. Alford coordinates with therace directors for the Championship awards ceremonies. He ensures races receive their requested sponsorshipitems, and in return follow proper RRCA branding protocols. He makes an effort to send congratulatory per-sonalized emails to all Hawaii State Championship race winners. Alford has secured highly prized items forthe RRCA silent auction with entries for three of the most popular races in Hawaii. In December, he secured anRRCA booth at the Honolulu Marathon expo, which draws over 34,000 participants. He manned the table fora full four days, working tirelessly to help make RRCA visibility in Hawaii a success.

OUTSTANDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR

MICHAELMULDOWNEY Richmond Road Runners – Richmond, VAMuldowney brought to the table a blend of business acumen and leadership skills that proved of great benefitto the 2,000 member Richmond Road Runners Club (RRRC) during his service as president for the 2014-15term. When elected to the RRRC Board initially in 2008, Muldowney set out to learn all facets of club operation:from scheduling, race timing, race management, club finances, and more. His proven expertise in strategicplanning positioned him to be a strong club president. His achievements in the role include drafting new bylawsto improve club operations and structure, and developing a partnership with the local Sports Authority to providemore than $7,000 annually for youth running programs. Muldowney made it a priority to encourage memberswho showed a willingness and aptitude to assume leadership roles within the club. Four of the five club officersfor the 2016-17 term are first-time officers for the club recruited through Muldowney’s efforts. His recruitmentefforts have also produced new race directors for several of the RRRC’s long-standing races.

OUTSTANDING CLUB PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR



JEFFWEISS Badgerland Striders – Milwaukee, WIJeff Weiss is the newsletter editor for the Badgerland Striders, one of the largest RRCA member clubs, a positionhe has held for 10 years. While editor is a big job, Weiss does so much more for the club to promote running.He is the director of the build-up program for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. In this capacity, he organizesthe 12-week build-up program, securing sponsors for hydration supplies, allowing the club to offer the programfree of charge to anyone wishing to participate. In 2015, Weiss assisted with finish-line set up and tear downfor at least fifteen of the twenty races hosted by the Badgerland Striders. Weiss also has excellent attendanceand participation at board meetings. He is a tireless volunteer, committed to the Badgerland Striders and tothe sport of running.

TYLERPENNEL Zap Fitness – Blowing Rock, NCAn RRCA Roads Scholar from 2013, had another outstanding year in 2015 to solidify his position as theRRCA’s Road Runner of the Year in a highly competitive field of fellow runners on the roads. On March 1he was 15th overall at the World’s Best 10K (a PRRO race) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 2nd placeoverall at the Nike Festival of Miles, in St. Louis, MO, earning a PR in the Mile of 3:58.99. He was the 2ndplace finisher at the July 4 Peachtree Road Race/Peachtree Cup with a 10K time of 28:45. He was 5thoverall at the USA 20km Championships in New Haven, CT with a time of 59:35. Returning to the US Na-tional 12km Championships in Alexandria, VA, he earned 2nd overall with a time of 34:35. In October,Pennel won the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Mile with the time of 46:50. He followed that up immediately with the2nd place finish at the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile, the USA 10 Mile Championship, with a PR time of46:48. Pennel finished 3rd in USATF Running Circuit in 2015.

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

ROAD RUNNER OF THE YEAR - MALE

MOLLYHUDDLE Saucony – Providence, RIHuddle had an impressive year on the roads, which saw her as the top earner of U.S. female road runnersin 2015, winning an impressive $150,000 in prize money in 2015. She was the clear winner in the USATFRunning Circuit in 2015 with wins in five separate races. She won the USA 20km Championships in NewHaven, CT with a time of 1:06:26. She won the USATF 5km Championships in Providence, Rhode Island,hosted by the CVS Downtown 5K, with a time of 15:12. She followed that up with yet another 1st placeplace finish at the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile, the USA 10 Mile Championship, with a time of 51:44.With her fourth straight win at the USATF Women’s 10km Championship, hosted by the Tufts Health Plan10K for Women in Boston, Huddle’s winning mark of 31:21 was a course record and personal best. Huddlewon the US National 12k for the third consecutive time, capping off her clear lead in the USATF RunningCircuit. In addition, she became the first U.S. female champion in race history to win the United AirlinesNYC Half Marathon, breaking the tape in a personal best of 1:08:31.

ROAD RUNNER OF THE YEAR - FEMALE



DOUGFERNANDEZ Richmond Road Runners Club – Richmond, VAIn 2015 Doug Fernandez, 54/55 years old during the competition year, again demonstrated that he isone of the top masters runners in the nation. For the second straight year, he placed first in his age groupin the Berlin (Germany) Marathon. Nationally and internationally, he was 3rd best in his age group in theNew York City Marathon, 9th best in his age group at the Boston Marathon, and finished 7th among mas-ters runners in the Marrakeck Marathon in Morocco. Closer to home, he finished first in his age groupin the Richmond Half Marathon, the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K (for the fifth straight year), and theRichmond Road Runners 5K Championship Race. He was 1st place masters finisher in the Amazing Raise5K in Richmond, finished 3rd place overall in the Patrick Henry Half Marathon, and had a 3rd place mas-ters finish in the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. Active in the Richmond Road Runners community, Dougvolunteered for race duties at several local races and gave a seminar on focus techniques to membersof the club’s advanced 10K training team.

MAGDALENALEWY-BOULET Bay Area Track Club – San Francisco, CAMagdalena Boulet, 2008 Olympic Marathoner, made her 100-mile debut a memorable one at the mostfamous ultra-marathons, Western States Endurance Run, an RRCA event member, on June 27, winningin 19 hours, 5 minutes and 21 seconds, 15 minutes ahead of the runner-up. This was despite going offcourse for 40 minutes. Prior to this breakthrough win, she won the Sean O’Brien 100K in February toqualify for the event, and also took 20th overall at the Canyons 100K in May, running 11:32. Her 2015resume also includes first place at the Chuckanut 50K, second place at the Diablo Trails Challenge -50K, and fifth overall at the Ultra Race of Champions100K in a time of 10 hours and 3 minutes. An articlein Running Times quoted outside observers that her success in ultras was due to "her experience inpushing through pain.” While Western States 100 Board President John Trent stated that Boulet has"the speed, the ability, and tactical sense. UltraRunning Magazine voted her as women’s Ultra Runnerof the Year for 2015. Lewy-Boulet works as distance coach for the Bay Area Track Club and is Vice Pres-ident of Innovation at GU Energy.

MASTERS RUNNER OF THE YEAR – MALE

MASTERS RUNNER OF THE YEAR – FEMALE

STEVENTOYOJISteven Toyoji is an outstanding wheelchair track athlete. He has overcome a rare disability, transversemyelitis, which paralyzed him at nine months old. While in high school, he spent all four years competingin both wheelchair basketball and track and field. Sticking with track and field, in 2008 he qualified forthe Paralympic Games in Beijing. A very dedicated athlete, Toyoji trains 11 months a year, 6 days a week.Additionally, he plays on a wheelchair rugby team with team trainings once a week. This hard works haspaid off. At the end of 2015, he had the second best World Ranking for the 1500M, with a season besttime of 3:48.25, and is in strong position to represent the USA at this year’s Paralympic Games in Rio. Inhis spare time, Steve volunteers to coach a youth wheelchair racing team. He is working hard to assistthese young athletes to learn a lifetime sport as well as integrate them onto their respective school-based sports programs. The goal is to have them be a part of their school’s sports teams just like allother young athletes.

CHALLENGED ATHLETE OF THE YEAR


JOURNALISM AWARDS

UTICAROADRUNNERS Utica, NY“The SpliTimes” Editor Michelle Truett

BOBDALTON Peachtree City Running ClubBob Dalton exemplifies excellence in running journalism through his long-term commitment to creatingquality articles for various publications. In the mid-1990’s, Bob started writing profiles of runners for Run& See Georgia magazine and has contributed to the Peachtree City Running Club newsletter by writingnew and current member profiles. These profiles show up well in advance of the planned publication ofthe newsletter and require little to no editing. Excellence is more than just good writing; it is also aboutmeeting deadlines, coming up with compelling story ideas, and consistently churning out the quality contentneeded to support a club newsletter. Dalton shines in all these areas. In addition to runner profiles, he alsowrites race reviews that highlight the overall event, conditions, and individual club member results, veryimportant facets of club communication.

OUTSTANDING CLUB NEWSLETTER OF THE YEAR

BIRMINGHAMTRACKCLUB Birmingham, ALhttp://www.birminghamtrackclub.com/

OUTSTANDING CLUB WEBSITE

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM

BUDDYGREEN Wabash Valley Road Runners – Terre Haute, INTrained in Terre Haute (TNT), a program of the Wabash Valley Road Runners led by Buddy Green, is begin-ning its 16th year of serving the Wabash Valley. Over that period they have trained almost 5,000 athletes.The focus of the program is to train runners and walkers of all levels to compete in the Indianapolis MiniMarathon in May. The largest group is the beginning running group, followed by the walking group. Theprogram coordinates with most of the local fitness clubs including the YMCA, Union Hospital, and IndianaState University for the purpose of introducing participants to a healthier and more active lifestyle. Athletesare provided with a training manual with information ranging from injury prevention to individual trainingschedules and training theory. The first Saturday of training, new participants are often timid and appre-hensive. Sixteen weeks later they are at the finish line hugging, meeting families and planning the nextevent together. TNT has introduced hundreds of people to a healthy and active lifestyle and has allowedthe club to grow and serve its community in multiple ways.

OUTSTANDING BEGINNING RUNNING PROGRAM

TERRYDALTON Team Kids Café - Lubbock, TXKids Café is an afterschool-feeding program provided by the South Plains Food Bank in Lubbock, TX. It isdesigned to provide children from low-income families a healthy and nutritious meal and a safe place togo after school. Team Kids Café is their afterschool running program, a Kids Run the Nation Fund grantee,designed to encourage healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise and focuses on the benefits of running.The program serves a diverse population of 200 area children using a curriculum that presents runningas a fun activity. The program emphasizes the importance of combining a healthy diet and physical activityas the critical steps to fight childhood obesity in the South Plains of Texas. The six-week running program,which follows the Kids Run the Nation Program Guide, begins the first week of March and culminates withthe opportunity for the children to participate in the Kids Café Fun Run held in mid-April. Volunteer coachesfrom local RRCA running clubs meet a minimum of two days per week for at least one hour at all of theKids Café locations.

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR



NEWS AND SENTINEL HALF MARATHONParkersburg, West Virginia


The News and Sentinel Half Marathon, hosted bythe River City Runners and Walkers, is the prod-uct of both a highly committed race director alongwith the devoted committee of 28-members thattake pride in putting on this first class event. Therace is aided by countless volunteers whose solemotivation is to put on a race that they can beproud of being a part of. The News and SentinelHalf Marathon has been the RRCA National HalfMarathon Championship Event several times inthe past, including 2015, and will be the 2016National Championship. The race provides a totalof $20,000 in prize money to overall winners,masters, local winner, U.S. winner, and more. Therace includes an official race walking division andawards are provided for official walking partici-pants. The race is one of the most affordable halfmarathon races in the country, especially whenfactoring in that it includes a ticket to the pastadinner, pizza luncheon, tech shirt, finisher’smedal, and race goody bag. With this race takingplace in the heat of August, all seventeen waterstops on the course include Gatorade as well asa medical personnel and radio operators to reportany problems pertaining to the race and partici-pants. The race also includes a 2-mile fun runand kids runs for all family members that wish toparticipate in the weekend festivities.

Thank you to the following peoplethat assisted with selection processfor the National Running Awardsprogram.

Simone Adair, Ron Alford, Kathryn Gleghorn, JeanArthur, Brent Ayer, Betsy Boudreaux, Sue Brown-Nickerson, David Cotter, Mark Grandonico, JeffHills, Sherilyn Johnson, Bee McLeod, DavidMeroney, Dwight Mikulis, Blaine Moore, Alex Mor-row, Nicoletta Nerangis, Erica Phillips Doug Pitch-ford, Rogelio Quintanar, George Rehmet, KellyRichards, Lisa Rippe, Rose Scovel, Andy Smith,Rachel Tambling, Goody Tyler, Michelle Wim-berly, Mitch Garner, Creigh Kelley, Don Kardong,Doug Kurtis, Frank Shorter, Jacqueline Hansen, JimOaks, Joan Samuelson, Kim Jones, Lisa Rains-berger, and Steve Sence. Thank you to RRCA’s pro-gram coordinator Andy Smith for managing theNational Running Awards program.

NEWS AND SENTINELHALF MARATHONParkersburg, West Virginia

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


RRCA RUNNING AROUND THE NATION – STATE REPS OVERVIEW


For over three decades, the RRCA State Representatives(State Reps) have served as ambassadors for the organi-zation by providing a physical presence in each state forthe RRCA. State Reps promote our programs and servicesto clubs and events in their home state. They assist theNational Office and the RRCA Board of Directors in carryingout the mission, vision, and values of the organization.State Reps monitor trends and issues at the state and locallevel and report them to the National Office. Learn moreabout the State Reps, including their contact informationand bios, at www.RRCA.org/about/state-reps/

A detailed report for each State Rep can befound online at http://immersive.sh/smithandy/jyI2DvJoNYor scan the code to see the report.

Alabama: Ron Macksoud (Outgoing)Alex Morrow (Incoming)

Alaska: VacantArizona: Randy AccettaArkansas: David Meroney California - East: Simone AdairCalifornia - Coastal: George Rehmet (Outgoing)

Jenny Kirk Sorrow (Incoming)California - South: Jackie BrittonColorado: Will DillardConnecticut: Rachel Tamblin Delaware: Ray ChristensenDistrict of Columbia: Goody TylerFlorida - North: Bryan GraydonFlorida - South: Don Nelson Georgia: Rogelio Quintanar Hawaii: Ron AlfordIdaho & Nevada: Steve Thornock Illinois: Doug PitchfordIndiana: Rose Scovel Iowa: Chris BurchKansas: Trevor DarmstetterKentucky: Sherilyn JohnsonLouisiana: Betsy Boudreaux Maine: Blaine MooreMaryland: Dwight Mikulis Massachusetts: Steve Viegas Michigan: Gary MorganMinnesota: Lisa RippeMississippi: Bryan LaggMissouri: Michelle WimberlyMontana: John Devitt Nebraska: Tom WhitakerNew Hampshire: Mike DavisNew Jersey: Erica PhillipsNew Mexico: John FarrowNew York - City: Nicoletta NerangisNew York - Up-State: Jane ConstantineNevada: North Carolina: Brad BroylesNorth Dakota: VacantOhio: Jim LathamOregon: Mark BarrettPennsylvania: Jeff HillsRhode Island: Chuck PeabodySouth Carolina: Tim Arthurs (Outgoing)South Dakota: Tom WhitakerTennessee: Sherilyn JohnsonTexas - North: Marcus Grunewald Texas - South: Lee GrebUtah: Dave MooreVirginia: Goody TylerWest Virginia: Tom Kramer Wisconsin: Barbara JewellWyoming: Marlene Short

The RRCA would like to thank the following individuals for vol-unteering their time to serve as RRCA State Reps, promotingthe mission of the organization and the sport of running:


THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS TO THE RRCA

Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that have contributed to the Annual Program Fund in 2015.Annual contributions to the RRCA help fund Kids Run the Nation program materials, RRCA Championship Events Series awardsand materials, RRCA National Running Awards including award winner travel stipends, Runner Friendly Community program,RUN@WORK Day promotional efforts, State Reps Program, Join a Club marketing efforts, and much more.

ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND

15th Street FlyersAlaska Salmon Runs Albert C. Becken, IIIAlta Vista Sports Amanda PiatteAmazon Smile FoundationAnnapolis Half Marathon Arkansas Traveller 100Assurant FoundationBiogen IncBirmingham Marathon Birmingham Track Club Brent AyerBrevard County Dental Society Colin MoeDaniel D. EdwardsDarryl NevilleDashing Whippets Running Team David CotterDavid MeroneyDelray Beach Running Co Fidelity Charitable FundFriends of Steven Creek Trail Front Runners Tampa Bay George RehmetGreenburagh Road Runners Hartford Marathon FoundationIMT Des Moines Marathon***Jean ArthurJean KnaackJeff Hill

Jennifer MorsellJim DowJoseph DibartolomeoKansas City Track Club Keith SanfaconKohl’sLisa RippeMarcie MatthewsMark GrandonicoMercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend ofEventsMicrosoftMission ConnectMitchell E. GarnerMurfreesboro Half MarathonNashville Striders Network for GoodNewRo Runners Oil Creek 100 Trail Run Old Colony Running Events Onalaska Wildcats Athletic BoosterClubPaul GillPepsicoPrairie State Road Runners Regal FoundationRiver City Run Inc Riverbend Striders Road Race ManagementRocky Mountain Endurance ClubRonald Macksoud

Run Lawrence Kansas Run TucsonRunner’s High ClubRunner’s High Timing and Race MgmtRunning Zone Foundation IncRyan LamppaSavannah Striders Track Club Seashore Striders Soldier Marathon Inc Sue Brown-NickersonThe Benevity Community Impact FundThe Craig and Paula Harper FundThe Sheehan Classic, Inc Tidewater StridersTom WhitakerUSA Track & FieldVarsity Running Vendurance Tribe VerizonWashburn Area Running Club William PosingWilliam SycalikRunning Times Magazine***(In-kind)Bank of America ChicagoMarathon**(In-Kind)The Marine Corps Marathon**(In-Kind)Crowell & Moring (In-Kind)

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

*500 and above



Thank you to the following individuals, events, and organizations that helped us exceed our fundraising goal for the Kids Run theNation Fund.

KIDS RUN THE NATION FUND

15th Street Flyers AK 5K Alan Walsh*Alaska Salmon Runs Alta Vista Sports Ann Arbor Track Club **Annapolis Half Marathon Athletic Equation, Inc. Avenue of the Giants Marathon*Big Sky Wind Drinkers Birmingham Track Club Blaine MooreBoston Police Runners Club Brevard County Dental Society Cardinal Track Club* Chicago Road Runners Darryl NevilleDavid Cotter**David MeroneyDeborah MckennaDwight & Diane Mikilus**Fort Worth Runners Club**Freedom’s Run**Friends of Steven Creek Trail Gail FullerGeorge RehmetGina Misch CreteHammond Track Club of NW Indiana*Hogeye Marathon and RelaysHouston Striders***Ivie Kumura

Jason Altman*Jean KnaackJennifer MorsellJersey Shore Running Club** Jim DowJoe GigasJoseph DibartolomeoJoy MillsJS Endurance Kansas City Track Club Kathy HenningKelly Richards**Kent Island Running Group Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers ***Lena HollmannLucy HurlbutMaine Marathon**Marcie MatthewsMaria CaroMark GrandonicoMicrosoft - Gavin Tucker**Montana Amateur Sports IncMontgomery County Road Runners Murfreesboro Half MarathonNashville Striders Nashville Striders North Carolina Roadrunners** Philip LangRiver City Run Inc Rocky Mountain Endurance ClubRonald Macksoud

Run 4 FunRun TucsonRunner’s High ClubRunner’s High Timing and Race MgmtSavannah Striders Track Club Seashore Striders Soldier Marathon Inc Stephen SmallingStephen ViegasSue Brown-NickersonThe Sheehan Classic, Inc Tidewater Striders Tony StenslandVarsity Running Vendurance Tribe West Florida Y Runners Club

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

*500 and above



The following clubs, events, individuals, and corporate supporters have supported the Roads Scholar Fund in 2015.

ROADS SCHOLAR FUND

Alaska Salmon Runs Alta Vista Sports Ann Arbor Track Club* Annapolis Half Marathon Bee McLeod and John G Tyler*Birmingham Track Club Lilac Bloomsday Race* Brent AyerBrevard County Dental Society Central Mass Striders Cherry Blossom Inc***Chris Tatreau Race Cons LtdCity of Phila Sports & Athletics Cumberland Valley Athletic Club* Daniel D. EdwardsDarryl NevilleDeena and Andrew KastorIMT Des Moines MarathonFriends of Steven Creek Trail Front Runners Tampa Bay Henley Fant Gabeau Living TrustHuntsville Track Club In Memory of Steve MatherJames G. StasaitisJean ArthurJennifer MorsellJim DowJohn DevittJorge BlancoKansas City Track Club Kelly Richards*

Leonard M. GoldmanLilac Bloomsday Assn* Lisa PaigeLeonard GoldmanMitchell E. GarnerPaul GillRiver City Run Inc River City Runners and Walkers ClubRocky Mountain Endurance ClubRonald MacksoudRun TucsonRunner’s High ClubRunner’s High Timing and Race MgmtSacramento Running AssociationSavannah Striders Track Club Seashore Striders Soldier Marathon Inc South Florida RacewalkersThe Boilermaker Road Race IncThe Sheehan Classic, Inc Tidewater StridersTravis Eliot Landreth Memorial Schol-arship FundUtica Road Runners Varsity Running Vendurance Tribe Willamette Valley Road Runners William Orr

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



OFFICIAL SPONSORS

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

GatoradeSports AuthorityRunSignUp.com

Fortius Media Group, LLCAshworth Awards

HD on the Go

A4 Active Network, Inc

Brainshark.comChampion Systems

Constant ContactChronoTrack

Emedia GroupEventbrite

Expert Brand Final Surge, LLC

GetMeRegistered.comGreenLayer Sports, LLC

Haku.com

Human KineticsK&K Insurance

Leslie JordanMarathonfoto.comMarathon Printing

Medal BlocksMy Custom Event

My Laps Sports Timing National Rentals

Rainbow Racing Systems Inc.Sport Science

Star Insurance Agency Inc.The Driven Race & Club Solutions


THANK YOU TO ALEX LARSEN FOR DESIGN AND LAYOUT AND KATHRYN GLEGHORN FOR EDITORIAL REVIEW.

We Run the Nation!RRCA.ORG

2015 RRCA Annual Report

Documents

Transcript of 2015 RRCA Annual Report