RRCA News

Kicking off Alabama’s RRCA State Championships was the Red Nose Run 10 Mile Championship on January 7, 2012. The event was held in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood, AL.  A record number of participants signed up for the three events; 1,717 in all for the 10 Mile, 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run.  Warm temperatures for January and drizzle rain that subsided about 10 minutes before the start of the 8th Annual Red Nose Run 10 Mile did not dampen the turnout for the Alabama 10 Mile State Championship.  There were 773 registered and 705 finishers in Alabama’s first RRCA Championship of 2012.

There were four new Alabama State 10 Mile Records broken:
Lori Strand - Age 35 Birmingham, AL - Time: 1:02:44 6:17/M Pace from Birmingham, AL;
Theresa Burst - Age 53 - Time: 1:16:12 7:38/M Pace from Birmingham, AL;
DeWayne Morris - Age 80 - Time: 1:36:58 9:42/M Pace from Birmingham, AL; and
Josh Whitehead - Age 33 – Time: 52:03 5:13/M Pace from Madison, AL. Josh also broke the course record by over 3 minutes. Way to go Josh!!

The 10 Mile RRCA State Championship winners are:
Overall Male: Josh Whitehead, Madison, AL Time: 52:03:00.
Masters: Paul Sykes - Birmingham, AL Time: 1:00:24.
Grand Masters: Kirk Mueller, Birmingham, AL Pace: 1:05:39.
Senior Grand Master: Jeff Hawkins , Birmingham, AL, Pace: 1:14:55. 
Overall Female: Lori Strand - Birmingham, AL Time:1:02:44.
Masters: Lori Goldweber Birmingham, AL, Pace: 1:10:58.
Grand Masters: Theresa Burst, Birmingham, AL Pace: 1:16:12.
Senior Grand Master: Linda Allen, Birmingham, AL Pace: 1:38:25.

Thanks, to Championship Racing and Trish Portuese, Race Director, for producing an outstanding and successful event, which, along with Red Nose Run 5K, benefits Ronald McDonald Charities of Alabama.

Richard Benyo, author of Timeless Running Wisdom, and Human Kinetics will present “XI Commandments of Marathoning” on Friday, Feb. 24th at 12:00 PM (Central Standard Time)

In the days of the First Running Boom, newbies were eager to learn the Rules of the Road when it came to running and especially marathoning. There was no Internet in those days, so new runners learned at the smelly feet of veteran runners. Where to line up at the start of a race; how much mileage per week is most effective; what to eat the night before a big race, etc. Today runners are so overloaded with information in all phases of their existence, that it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to running and racing. In this presentation we will review 11 blind alleys down which no marathoner should run. Primarily keyed to new marathoners.

Title: XI Commandments of Marathoning
Date: Friday, February 24, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now

About the Presenter
Richard Benyo is the editor of Marathon & Beyond magazine and is the author of Timeless Running Wisdom. He was editor of Runner’s World between 1977 and 1984. He has written two dozen books, many of them in the areas of fitness, health, and running. He is chairman of the board of the Napa Valley Marathon and along with his running partner, Tom Crawford, was the first runner to run from Badwater in Death Valley (lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and hottest place on Earth) to the peak of Mt. Whitney (at 14,494’ the highest peak in the Lower 48) and back, in the middle of summer; the course is nearly 300 miles, and both ends of it are located in the same county (Inyo) in California. Benyo has recently had three books published on the topic of growing up in the Coal Region of central-eastern region of Pennsylvania.

Lynchburg Mayor Speaks About Winning the 2011 Outstanding RFC Award

Jean Knaack Outlines What Makes a Runner Friendly Community

Bill Gray Introduces Ricky Flynn - 2012 Olympic Trials - Marathon Finisher

ARLINGTON, Virginia – January 24, 2012 – The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States, is pleased to announce that Lynchburg, VA, has been designated the 2011 Outstanding Runner Friendly Community.

Lynchburg has shown that it meets, and exceeds, the program’s criteria, which includes community infrastructure, civic backing, and local business support for the sport of running. Their infrastructure fosters physical activity in a safe environment; a proven track record that organizations and businesses work together to promote running as a healthy exercise and sport; and they create and maintain positive relationships between the running community and local government.

View the ABC News coverage
View the WDBJ coverage

“Lynchburg is a shining example of the positive benefits running can bring to a community when everyone is on the same page,” said RRCA Executive Director Jean Knaack.  “While we are proud of all of
our Runner Friendly Communities, we feel Lynchburg has provided a blueprint for future communities.”

Lynchburg has been home to the Lynchburg Road Runners Club (LRRC) and the “Virginia 10-Miler” since 1974.  “The Festival of Races” offers a youth one mile fun run, a four mile race, and a four mile walk, in addition to the 10-Miler.  The LRRC offers several informational clinics and seminars related to running and wellness.  These clinics and seminars resulted from partnering with YMCA of Central Virginia, Centra Health, The Orthopedic Center of Central Virginia, and Pilates to Breathe.

Lynchburg has two fantastic park systems: Blackwater Creek Natural Area and Peaks View Park.  The city currently supports eight miles of paved trails and 15 miles of natural trails for running, walking, biking, roller blading, etc.  Residents even use these trails to commute from residential areas to the downtown business and government area.

In October 2010, the Mayor’s Youth Council created the first ever “Lighten Up Lynchburg Walk for Childhood Obesity” event.  The youth running initiatives aim to engage the youth of the city and include the Lynchburg Road Runners Summer Track Series, Peaks View Pacers running club, and YMCA Achieve youth running program. 

Community leaders who provided support and letters of recommendation include Joan Foster, Mayor; Jonathan Perrotto, President of Lynchburg Road Runners Club; Elena Edwards, COO of Genworth Financial; Catherine Mosley, External Communications & PR, AREVA; Susan Brandt, Communications/Marketing, Centra Health; and R. Sackett Wood, President & CEO, Moore & Giles.

Learn more about the program, including detailed information about Lynchburg and all of the 2011 Runner Friendly Communities at http://www.rrca.org/programs/runner-friendly-community/official/.

About RRCA: The mission of the RRCA is to promote the development and growth of running clubs and running events throughout the country and to support the common interests of runners of all abilities during all stages in life. Through the RRCA, we provide a national infrastructure for the development of adult and youth running clubs and events that have boomed into a robust sporting activity.

For more information contact William Dyson, program coordinator, at .

The RRCA is pleased to announce the 4th Annual RRCA National Race Shirt Contest. This is an opportunity to showcase your event from a little different angle. The RRCA is seeking shirts (long or short sleeve, cotton or performance) from 2011 events hosted by RRCA members. Only one shirt per event is needed, size does not matter. A club hosting multiple events can submit entries for multiple races.

**The race shirt must have the RRCA logo on it to be considered for judging**

All entries should be mailed to the RRCA National Office at 1501 Lee Hwy, Ste 140, Arlington, VA, 22209 by February 15, 2012. Please include the name of the event, event date, location, host club, contact name, contact email, and contact phone number with the shirt. The 2012 RRCA Convention attendees will vote on the finalists to select the 2011 RRCA National Race Shirt Winner, and the winning shirt will be announced at the 2012 RRCA National Running Awards Banquet.  The contest is sponsored by Sport Science, and the winning event will receive a prize pack from our sponsor.