RRCA Annual Report_Layout 1 3/5/12 12:40 PM Page 41
2011 Program Report
tured gradeH and genderHspecic races, a team atH mosphere, individual and team awards, and educaH tional information about healthy lifestyles for students and parents. From this, a group from a nearby community named Laurel Running Thunder applied for and received a Kids Run the Nation grant. I have been communicating with the RRCA and nonHRRCA clubs through email with both RRCA news and other running news. This is a good way to get the word out regarding the benets of beH longing to the RRCA. I ’m using Facebook more and more. I also have been promoting the Runner Friendly business designations, approaching those I know directly and those that I can ’t by email. 2012 looks to be a pretty exciting year for the RRCA in Montana. The Missoula Marathon will be a MonH tana State Championship event this year. The MisH soula Marathon was designated the best marathon in the United States by Runner ’s World a couple of years ago. In Billings, the Heart & Sole race will be the Western Region 5K Championship this year. RRCA will have a booth at the Health Fair. The event will nish on the track to a packed house football stadium for the opening ceremonies of the Big Sky State games. They will also host the Montana Half Marathon Championship the next day. Big Sky Wind Drinkers will host the RRCA 10K State Championship. I will be attending the RRCA Convention in MemH phis as this is the best way to get red up for the New Year, along with discovering new ways to help my clubs and their members get more involved with the RRCA. I also will try to get the clubs to send representatives. Montana is a big place with a sparse population. I look forward to attending all of my Championship events! Nebraska State Rep: Tom Whitaker Greetings from America ’s Heartland, home of the Cornhuskers and a lot of good running. This has been a very active and productive year for running in Nebraska. Our ve RRCA groups, the Lincoln Track Club, the Omaha Running Club, Admiral Jenny ’s Fun Runners (the local Girls on the Run chapter), the Homestead Running Club and the Wellness Council of the Midlands, have been very active and productive in presenting events and supporting their respective running communities. All are looking forward to continuing their support in 2012 with such events as the Trek up the Tower in February, the State Farm 10Hmiler in Lincoln in March, the 33rd Annual Lincoln National Guard Marathon and Half Marathon in May, the Boys and
Girls Town 5HMile Race in Omaha on Memorial Day, the NE5 RRCA State 5HMile Championship in Omaha in June, and the Omaha Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K in September. The Lincoln and Omaha clubs support a number of charity events and proH vide much useful running information through their websites and newsletters. Specic RRCA activities undertaken for 2011 include: • Contact directly with the Omaha Running Club and contact by phone and eHmail with the Lincoln Track Club and other clubs to promote RRCA programs and activities. • Maintenance of RRCA sections on Lincoln and Omaha websites for posting RRCA publications and other items. • Run@Work programs promoted at several companies in Omaha. Several companies have tness centers and active exercise and running opportunities for employees. • Approval has already been given to designate the Lincoln Marathon, the NE5 5HMile Race, the Papillion 10K, the Peak 2 Peak 10H Mile Race and the Omaha Half Marathon as State Championship events. New Jersey State Rep: Chuck Schneekloth This will be my rst year as the New Jersey repreH sentative. Consequently, I am both excited to build the RRCA organization here and aware that it takes careful, extensive planning to build anything in a successful, sustainable fashion. That said, it is my goal to collect as much data as possible over the next few months. I will be attendH ing the RRCA National Convention with hopes to fully understand the mission of the organization and my role within it. I want to learn about the sucH cessful and productive models that currently exist before moving forward with a plan of my own. Thus far in November and December of 2011, I have responded to several inquiries regarding the benH ets of becoming an RRCA club. There are curH rently only two RRCA Championship races in NJ: the Fred D ’elia Ridgewood Run on 5/28 and the Run the Reservoir Half Marathon on 9/2. This is cerH tainly an area of growth. In November, I started a Facebook page for the RRCAHNJ chapter. Following the national meeting, I will proceed with using this as a useful tool toward promoting the organization and sport accordingly.
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