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RRCA Awards Spotlight
National Award Winners By George Rehmet and Mitchell Garner
George Rehmet
Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA Award—LEN GOLDMAN
The Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA Award was created to honor the memory of the RRCA’s founding member Browning Ross, who died unexpectedly in April 1998. The award honors an unsung hero who champions the RRCA tirelessly and enthusiastically, but prefers to stay in the background just as Browning did, letting others bask in the spotlight. This award recognizes volunteer service over a period of many years to the running community. A native of Oakland, CA, Goldman has made numerous contributions to the running community in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was instrumental in setting up Students Run Oakland, which has become a successful program in getting inner city youth to train and run in a marathon, with the purpose of teaching them to set and achieve goals. This program is being replicated around the country. Moreover, Goldman has helped his and other running clubs by providing support to them, whether it be lending equipment or providing advice. He is a strong RRCA supporter who embodies the spirit of Browning Ross. Goldman has attended the RRCA convention for 10 years. Working with several other local running clubs, Tom Fleming (l) and Allan Steinfeld receive their Hall of Fame Awards.
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he was an essential component of the 2009 RRCA national convention in San Francisco. First, he was instrumental in helping San Francisco secure the opportunity to act as convention host city. Through his efforts, considerable time, and own expense, Goldman obtained a variety of sponsors to help fund the convention. Moreover, he was instrumental in negotiating with the host hotel to provide an excellent room rate. As a result, the San Francisco RRCA convention has been viewed as the standard for other conventions to meet. During his tenure as president of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders, Goldman made sure that the RRCA was mentioned in all of his club’s communications. Under his leadership, club membership and club races’ participation increased. In 2006, Goldman received the award for the RRCA Outstanding Club President of the Year. Goldman is also an RRCA certified coach and uses his coaching skills to inspire younger runners to achieve their goals. “I have known Len [Goldman] since I first became an RRCA state representative in 1999,” noted RRCA state rep and 2009 RRCA national convention director George Rehmet. “Len was very helpful to me when I first started and has been supportive of me throughout my tenure. Len is someone who acknowledges others rather than himself. I find him a humble person, and his reward is for him to see others achieve their goals in running.”
1975 Boston Marathon, when he finished in 3rd place, another of his six Boston Marathon top-10 finishes. Fleming raced a strong 5th place at the 1976 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. He finished 4th at Fukuoka, Japan in 1977, which was then the unofficial world marathon championship. Flemming’s marathon victories include the 1978 Cleveland Marathon, the 1978 Toronto Marathon, the 1981 Los Angeles Marathon, and three Jersey Shore Marathons. He broke 2:20 in the marathon 27 times. At one point, he held American records at 15 miles, 20 miles, 25K, 30K, and 50K distance events. Fleming didn’t start competitive running until track season of his junior year in high school, but still ran a 4:21 mile and 9:22 twomile as a high school runner. While at William Paterson State College, he won four straight New Jersey Athletic Conference cross country titles and was a multiple-time NCAA All-American. Fleming has been inducted into the Distance Running Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame at William Paterson State College. For 12 years he was meet director for the famous Sunset Classic 5-Mile Road Race in his hometown of Bloomfield, NJ. This race raises money for special-needs children in the Bloomfield school system. He founded the Running Room and currently teaches and coaches at Montclair Kimberley Academy. He resides in Bloomfield.
RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame Inductees, Class of 2012 TOM FLEMING Fleming won the 1973 and 1975 New York City Marathon when it was a hilly, loop course in Central Park. He finished in 2nd place at the Boston Marathon in both 1973 and 1974, each time less than a minute behind the winner. His personal best marathon of 2:12:05 was set at the George Rehmet
In 1971, the RRCA developed the RRCA National Running Awards to acknowledge the service and dedication of outstanding volunteers to the running community. Each year club and event leaders around the U.S. are encouraged to nominate exceptional individuals for an RRCA National Running Award. The following outstanding contributors to our sport were recognized at the RRCA National Running Awards ceremony held in Albuquerque in May.
ALLAN STEINFELD Allan Steinfeld earned a Master’s degree in electrical engineering and radio astronomy from Cornell University in 1971, following a Bachelor’s degree from City College of New York in 1969. Steinfeld has had a long and decorated career in running. He won the New York Road Runners Club Eight-Mile Handicap Race in 1966 and completed his first and only marathon, the 1979 Honolulu Marathon, in 3:27.43. Steinfeld established himself as one of the nation’s leading authorities on the technical aspects of road racing. He developed methods that have become standard for marathons and races of various distances. He became the technical director of the New York City Marathon in 1981, and served as the chief referee of the men’s and women’s marathons at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Steinfeld has been the technical advisor for the network television broadcasts of several Olympic Games, and consults for television broadcasts of the NYC Marathon and other NYRRC races. He was the meet director for the New York Games from 1989–95, the Goodwill Games in 1998, and the 2002 Indoor National USATF Championships. He took over as the race director of the New York City Marathon in 1994 and directed the
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