FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RRCA ANNOUNCES FIRST EVER RUNNER FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES
The Road Runners Club of America is pleased to announce the first
communities to receive the Runner Friendly Community designation,
especially our 2011 Outstanding Runner Friendly Community award going to
the Monterey Peninsula in California.
The goal of the Runner Friendly Community program is to shine a national
spotlight on communities that standout as runner friendly and to provide
incentives and ideas for communities to work towards becoming Runner
Friendly Communities. Runner friendly communities can increase the quality
of life, can improve physical activity for residents as outlined in the
National Physical Activity Plan, and can provide for increased economic
impact for the community.
"Each organization that completed our detailed application, on behalf of
their community, clearly outlined how their community is meeting and in
many ways exceeding our criteria," explained Jean Knaack, RRCA Executive
Director. "While all are deserving of the designation, Monterey Peninsula
was a clear standout for our Outstanding Runner Friendly Community award
for 2011."
RRCA RUNNER FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES:
Monterey Peninsula, CA - Outstanding Runner Friendly Community
Application submitted by Big Sur International Marathon
View their Runner Friendly Community video spotlight at
www.rrca.org/programs/runner-friendly-community/official
The Monterey Peninsula is one of the nation's top visitor destinations
offering an abundance of outdoor activities -- the numerous trails are well
suited for walking, running and biking. The abundance of great running
routes make the Monterey Peninsula a perfect spot for foot races, which
serve as fundraising events for local charities. A few of note are the Big
Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay, the Together with Love Run, the
Stevenson School Run, the SPCA's Wag n Walk, the Juvenile Diabetes Coastal
Walk, and the Triathlon at Pacific Grove, to name only a few.
The Monterey Peninsula is a devoted running community. Not only do
thousands of local residents participate in all the local races, but many
in the community volunteer as well. The Big Sur International Marathon
counts nearly 2,500 volunteers for its spring race. The area is also home
to the nonprofit running club, Wednesday Night Laundry Runners (WNLR) with
over 250 members.
In addition to the strong support of elected officials and city staff
members, the local Chambers of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau
promotes outdoor activities such as running in their promotional materials
and outreach to visitors and the travel media. The Monterey County Visitors
Guide and award-winning website features running events and the abundance
of outdoor trails in the community. The cities' website also lists the
variety of races that are held on the Monterey Peninsula. The Community
Recreation Department organizes summer track meets, and the local college,
Cal State University Monterey Bay, offers its track for kids' races
throughout the year.
The City of Monterey has given a significant cash grant to bolster the JUST
RUN youth fitness program and to support two annual JUST RUN! Just Kids 3K
goal races. The JUST RUN youth fitness program is held in 30 elementary
schools on the Monterey Peninsula, reaching nearly 4,000 students
With Monterey County being such a popular running destination, the local
media provides coverage for local races, high school Cross Country and
Track & Field, and running in general. The Monterey Herald has two standing
running columns, The Running Life, penned by local distance runners Mike
Dove and Donald Buraglio, and Marathon Mom, written by Olympic Marathoner
Blake Russell. The local television stations regularly sponsor local races
as well as provide race day coverage. KSBW Television, the local NBC
affiliate, runs live morning shows from the Big Sur races and features
nearly a week of pre-race coverage. Another local newspaper columnist,
John Devine, has a weekly webcast, which often features current high school
runners on his in-studio show. All local media enthusiastically cover kids
running events and programs throughout the year.
Community leaders that provided support and letters of recommendation
included Chuck Della Sala, Mayor of the City of Monterey, John Reyes,
President & CEO of the Monterey Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dana M.
Jones, Monterey Sector Superintendent, Monterey District - California State
Parks and many more.
Dallas, TX - Application submitted by the Dallas Running Club
Dallas offers many trails and sidewalk options for runners, and there
continues to be more and longer options developed. The most common trails
include the Dallas White Rock Lake covering 9.3 miles and very little car
traffic. Many areas are well lit with water fountains aplenty. There are
permanent restroom structures as well as porta-poties available for
runners' use. The Katy Trail is 3.5 miles with a separate asphalt trail
for runners. Water fountains are located on the route and clearly marked
warning signs for automobiles to yield to the runner traffic. The Santa Fe
Trail, which is approximately 4 miles, connects Deep Ellum and Downtown to
the White Rock Lake. Dallas is home to the Dallas Running Club, one of the
top three largest RRCA running clubs in the country. The city also boasts
over 30 running events held annually. Debbie Fetterman writes a weekly
column in the Dallas Morning News with information about upcoming races,
interesting stories of runners, and race results are posted in the sports
section. Through the Community Council of Greater Dallas, the organization
has a collaborative local physical activity plan to promote healthy
lifestyles for Dallas area children through physical activity and
nutrition.
Community leaders that provided support and letters of recommendation
included Dallas Running Club President, Peggy Munroe, Dallas White Rock
Marathon Race Director, Marcus Grunewald, Friends of the Katy Trail
Executive Director, Robin Baldock, Former Dallas Police Chief, David
Kunkle, and many more.
Wichita Falls, TX - Application submitted by the Wichita Falls Runners Club
Wichita Falls has a Metropolitan Planning Committee composed of city
leaders (Government, Police, Fire, and Streets and Parks), businesses,
community advocates - both cyclists and runners, that meet quarterly and
discuss, plan, apply for grant funds and continually update their 10-year
trail access plan. The Committee has a projected 26-mile concrete loop
trail circling the city with many spurs; so all areas of the city are
accessible by the trail. The committee also makes provisions for trail
lighting, bathrooms, water fountains, and safety. The trail includes an
additional dirt system that has been voted as the best urban trail in
Texas. The concrete trail currently has over 11-miles of finished trail,
and a two-mile connecter is currently under construction. The community
is home to the Wichita Falls Runners Club and home to the largest Air Force
training base, Sheppard Air Force Base. The running community receives a
great deal of support from the Air Force who hosts runs, provides
volunteers, and supports local events.
Community leaders that provided support and letters of recommendation
included Glenn Barham, Mayor of Wichita Falls, TX, Harry Patterson,
President of Patterson Auto Center, Inc., Jarvis Polvado, Owner of Texoma
Cycling Center, Richard and Susan Koch, Owners of EAT Ventures dba as
Quiznos, and more.
Fredericksburg, VA - Application submitted by the Marine Corps Marathon and
the Fredericksburg Area Running Club
Fredericksburg area has sidewalks, multi-use trails, and paths that are
runner-friendly. This includes the historic downtown area, Lee Drive, Civil
War battleground trails, and the Rappahannock River Heritage Trail that
runners share. Within the next few months, the Riverside Drive Trail
project will connect with the Canal path allowing for a 5k loop. The
University of Mary Washington (UMW) and local high schools allow public use
of their state-of-the art tracks, which are well lit and maintained. Local
trails and parks offer drinking fountains; public restrooms are provided in
the downtown district; and UMW has emergency phones posted. The majority
of the running areas are maintained to include snow removal in the winter.
Fredericksburg Area Trail Maintenance Group involvement ensures upkeep of
the trails. Most streets and major intersections in the city utilize well
marked stop signs, traffic/cross walk lights and well marked cross walks.
The Fredericksburg Pathways Committee and Fredericksburg Office of Planning
and Community Development are committed to expanding trails and paths for
running and pedestrian use. They ensure upkeep, safety and public
awareness and have a master plan developed. City office and council
members support race organizers by approving permits, promoting races and
showing commitment by supporting the running community. Fredericksburg
FD/PD is actively involved in race planning and execution.
Community leaders that provided support and letters of recommendation
included Rick Nealis, Director Marine Corps Marathon Jack Morrison,
President, Fredericksburg Area Running Club (FARC), Tom Tomzak, Mayor City
of Fredericksburg, and George Solley, Councilmember Ward 2, City of
Fredericksburg.
Learn more about the RRCA Runner Friendly Community program at
http://www.rrca.org/programs/runner-friendly-community
About the RRCA;
Founded in 1958, the RRCA is the oldest and largest distance running
organization in the United States with over 1500 running club and event
members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running
communities. The RRCA is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization with the IRS,
and a nine-person volunteer board of directors that is elected by our
membership governs the organization.
The mission and vision of the RRCA is to promote the development and growth
of running clubs, running events, and supporting the common interests of
recreational runners throughout the country at all stages in life. Through
the RRCA, we provide a national infrastructure for the development of
recreational adult and youth running clubs and events that have boomed into
a robust sporting activity. The RRCA actively promotes running as a healthy
lifestyle and positive social activity. We strive to provide quality
programming that can be replicated throughout the country, such as our
highly successful Start a Running Club program has been the cornerstone of
our organization for over fifty years.
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