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IN THIS ISSUE: ! Managing Your

Running Club Members

! 2014 Membership Renewal Information

! Members Only Section

! Insurance Program Highlights

! 56th Annual Convention Spotlight

! And more

RRCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS David Cotter President

Mitch Garner Vice President

Dan Edwards Treasurer

Mark Grandonico Eastern Region Director

Beth Onines Central Region Director

Lena Hollmann Southern Region Director Bailey Penzotti Western Region Director

Kelly Richards At-Large Director

Jean Arthur At-Large Director

INSIDE TRACK Quarterly Newsletter for the Members of the

Road Runners Club of America

FALL 2013

We Run the Nation!

MANAGING YOUR RUNNING CLUB MEMBERS Most clubs start small with a group of friends, but if the running community is active, the club can quickly grow. We recommend that your club designate or appoint someone as the membership director or coordinator if the position is not included as part of the club’s board of directors. The job of the membership coordinator is to maintain a listing of the members, collect annual membership dues, annual waivers and code of conduct agreements, and report dues income to the Board. The membership coordinator may also assist with communication efforts to the membership by working with a newsletter editor, a webmaster, or social media coordinator for the organization. One important job for the membership coordinator is to ensure that all club members sign an annual waiver of liability for all activities they participate in related to the club. All clubs are required to obtain waivers from their members as part of the RRCA insurance program. You can find our recommended membership waiver on page 10. If guests attend a group training run or social event for the club, have a waiver on hand for them to sign. You should not allow a guest to participate in club training runs without a signed waiver. We recommend printing a page with the waiver at the top and then have guests sign on the same page along with their contact and emergency contact information. This will help cover the club in the event of an incident related to a guest and can help the club follow-up and encourage guests to join. The membership coordinator needs to retain all waivers for three to six years in the event that a member or guest files a claim against the club as result of an incident. As noted above, we recommend members adopt a code of conduct and ask their members to agree to abide by it as part of the joining and renewal process for a club. Even if your club has never had the misfortune to deal with a troublesome member, it is a good idea to consider adopting a Member Code of Conduct to help outline expected behavior within the membership for people participating in your organized club runs, events, business or social functions. A Member Code of Conduct policy does not need to be complex. The following outlines basic points to include in a policy: • Always show respect your fellow club members at all times; • Always show respect and appreciation for the volunteers who give their time to

help the club and/or event(s); • Never yell, taunt, or threaten physical violence upon another member of the

club, a volunteer or event spectator; • Never use abusive or vulgar language, or make racial, ethnic or gender-related

slurs or derogatory comments at club events; • Never make unwanted sexual or physical contact with other members; • Always report violations of the Member Code of Conduct policy to the Board in

writing. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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FROM THE RRCA PRESIDENT

SUPPORT THE RRCA

Financial contributions to the RRCA from you, your club, or your events supports our programs.

Your financial support enables the RRCA to implement and improve programs that benefit runners and the running community.

The RRCA is a BBB Wise Giving Alliance Accredited Charity and a Gold Level Guidestar Exchange Member. This means you can give with confidence that your donation will be used effectively.

Give today! Mail your contribution to: RRCA, 1501 Lee Hwy, Ste 140, Arlington, VA 22209

Give online at: www.RRCA.org/about/support/

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Dear RRCA Members, As 2013 begins to quickly draw to a close, we are busy at the RRCA Board working with Executive Director Jean Knaack on developing the 2014 operating objectives and the 2014 budget for the RRCA. In advance of developing the objectives, the Board has engaged in completing a survey to help identify key priorities based on the 2013 RRCA

Strategic Plan. Working with the national office staff to develop and approve the annual objectives and budget for the RRCA is one of the most important jobs we do as the Board of Directors. Following the approval process of the annual objectives and budget, we evaluate our executive director based on the prior year’s objectives and budget. We are working hard to set a good example for our members, and we encourage all of our members to engage in an organized process to develop annual objectives and a balanced budget as well as a process to assess performance from the previous year. November also marks another important task for the RRCA – membership renewals. As you will read in this issue of Inside Track, the RRCA has been working closely with our insurance company to maintain the insurance program for our nonprofit running clubs. We are also working to assist race directors that are seeking to professionalize their services. As such, we believe that anyone calling himself or herself a race director for hire should have our baseline credential through the RRCA Certified Race Director program and insure their business activities appropriately. We recently learned that our Runner Friendly Community – Salem, MA – has included a question on their permit form asking if the race director is certified. To our understanding, certification is not yet required, but they are at least asking the question. We believe this question will be added to permit applications around the country in the near future as communities look to find ways to manage the popularity of running events in their communities. As a result, clubs with long time race directors should strongly consider becoming RRCA Certified Race Directors to continue to set their club leaders apart from other groups interested in putting on local events. Keep in mind the RRCA has a discount for nonprofit running club race directors. You can take advantage of this discount by contacting Andy Smith at programs@rrca.org. I look forward to seeing everyone in Spokane, WA in May 2014. Run safe and stay healthy,

David Cotter RRCA President

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MANAGING YOUR RUNNING CLUB MEMBERS

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Your club might have other points to consider. However, keep in mind the goal of the Code is not to create a draconian behavior policy, but a baseline of behavior expectations so your club leaders can address behavior(s) that “cross the line.” IMPLEMENT AN ONLINE MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

In this day and age, the RRCA highly recommends using an online system for joining, renewing, and managing your members. An online system can assist with collecting and archiving waivers, gathering emergency contacts and important medical information for members, renewing members, and much more. While many clubs want to avoid online processing fees, most runners are accustomed to having the fees included as part of a transaction. Younger runners conduct most of their personal business online. Requiring someone to print and mail a membership form along with a check can be a limiting factor for busy runners. So while you may save some money on processing fees, you are likely losing new members and renewing members and therefore dues revenue by not offering the convenience of online membership processing. When considering an online membership management system look for the following features:

• Ability to embed the membership form on your club’s website • Ability to renew members on an annual basis • Ability to enter members into the system that pay off-line along with the ability to download all members

onto an XLS or CSV report. • Ability to create custom questions for your membership needs • Sell club merchandize • Accept donations or sell special training programs such as a

marathon training program • Ability for at least two people to access the data for internal

controls and efficient management • No selling of your club’s data to a third party or competing

advertising with the club • Ability to integrate the membership system with the club’s

event registration system for tracking times, scoring a grand prix, etc.

Collecting membership data online will also help your club easily meet the reporting requirements with the RRCA. Member clubs are asked to submit rosters with bona fide contact information for members. The RRCA uses these rosters to verify household membership numbers for the purpose of monitoring dues assessments for members. The RRCA also uses the rosters to mail copies of print and digital issues of Club Running magazine. The RRCA provides an easy to use upload feature for roster submission on our website at www.rrca.org/membership/join-renew/rosters/ Keep in mind that fans on Facebook or followers on Twitter are not considered club members for RRCA purposes. ALL running clubs need to have a formal membership procedure, which includes a detailed waiver and collection of contact information. Simply having people “join” a group on Facebook is not adequate for tracking membership for insurance coverage purposes. !

Call for Member Photos Do you have a great group photo of your club? Do you have great photos from some of your group training runs or event? Are you willing to stage some great shots of your club in action? We would love to showcase your club in action on the homepage of the RRCA. We are seeking photos that have: • Landscape orientation, • 1MB in resolution or higher, • Have enough background space

at the top and bottom of the photo so we can drop in text.

Share your photos* with us by emailing them to programs@rrca.org. We may feature your club on the RRCA homepage. *By sending photos, you agree that you own the rights to the photo(s) and grant the RRCA lifetime, royalty-free use of the image.

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2014 RRCA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL PERIOD IS NOW OPEN

Annual membership in the RRCA, including insurance coverage, begins on December 31, 2013 at 12:00 AM and ends at 11:59 PM on December 30, 2014 of the following year. Clubs and events must renew their membership by January 31st. There is NO prorating of dues or insurance for late payments and no refunds. Be sure to review the membership requirements for each member category, which includes dues and insurance rates, at www.RRCA.org/membership/. For the sixth year in a row the RRCA Board of Directors has elected to maintain the membership dues at the current rate for both clubs and events. We are able to do this through prudent financial management of the organization and from generous financial support by our members and corporate supporters for our programs. The liability insurance rates have not increased for organized running clubs for 2014. For event members, dues remain the same, but there is an 8% increase in the liability insurance rates for event members and event management company members for 2014. >>>>HOWEVER, all event members and event management company members whose primary contact is an RRCA Certified Race Director as of December 31, 2013 can receive an 8% discount on 2014 liability insurance rates for $1million of coverage per occurrence through the RRCA Certified Race Director insurance program. Through this program, members may utilize the discounted $1million insurance rate, but they will be required to purchase the day-to-day activities, office premises operations, and non-owned/hired auto policy for $530. We require this additional policy, because you are stating that you are a professional race director with formal business operations. Learn more about this special liability insurance program for RRCA Certified Race Directors only at www.rrca.org/programs/race-director-certification/insurance-program/. To become an RRCA Certified Race Director, you must follow all steps outlined for the program, view all of the required modules (we actively monitor user progress), pass the exam, and submit a notarized copy of the RD Code of Ethics. Sign-up for the program at www.rrca.org/programs/race-director-certification/ >>>REMINDER: As part of our Membership Accountability Process, all members are required to attest to having read the following items posted on our website: • Insurance Program Information • Guidelines for Leading a Group Run • Guidelines for Safe Events • Race Director Code of Ethics

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES We clearly define each membership category on our website including requirements of membership, insurance information, and membership dues and insurance fees. Each membership category has its own page under the “Membership” tab of our website, as follows: • Running Club Member • Running Event Member - One time event per year • Event Management Company Membership - Owning multiple events during the year

Members need to review all of the information on the appropriate membership page. Once you have reviewed the information you will find the button to access the online membership portal and renew your membership. The button is at the bottom of the information, because it is important to actually read everything on the page to be an informed primary contact for your running club or event. Running clubs should upload their roster through our website. This helps us verify your membership numbers and ensures your members receive their copy of Club Running magazine. Members need to list all events they OWN on the calendar for insurance purposes. Yes, we do cross-reference our calendar during the course of the year when certificates are requested and claims are submitted! Failure to list your events may result in non-coverage for the event.

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PLEASE PAY BY CHECK!!!! RRCA members are encouraged to pay by check. Your check allows the RRCA to invest our resources into programs, not credit card processing fees. Members with dues and insurance fees over $5,000 MUST mail a check. We will no longer break payments into multiple batches for credit card payments above the $5,000 threshold. Our system won’t accept payments over $5,000. Paying by check is an important way to financially support RRCA programs. ! AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PRIMARY CONTACTS Each running club, event member, and event management company is assigned ONE Primary Contact person in our database who is the authorized representative to renew a running club or event membership. RRCA requires nonprofit members to hold annual elections, which means your primary contact may change with the RRCA between now and January 2014. To help us ensure an efficient renewal process for our 2,200+ members, please follow these important tips: • If you were the Primary Contact for your running club or event in 2013, log on to the online system using

your current username and password and ensure all information is still correct. • If you are the NEW Primary Contact for your running club or event in 2014, please create a personal profile

in the “Manage Profile” section of the website. You can find the link in the header of our website. Select the “Create Profile” option. Once you have created a profile, send an email to membership@rrca.org. In the subject line of the e-mail, write – Primary Contact Update. In the email be sure to include your full name and running club or event name. We will notify you when the primary contact update is complete. Then you can proceed with the renewal process.!!

!IMPORTANT REMINDERS ABOUT THE INSURANCE PROGRAM!The RRCA group liability policy does not cover high risk events that include overnight relay races run on open roads (no police support, no road closures, or separate lanes for participants), and high risk events commonly referred to as mud-runs, “warrior dashes”, and urbanathons that include man-made obstacles such as man-made mud pits, man-made slippery slopes, wall climbs, tunnel crawls, or other similar man-made obstacles. Events run on man-made trails or cross country courses that do not include man-made obstacles ARE included in coverage, but the course cannot be altered to create man-made obstacles such as watering-down a dry trail or cross country course with a hose to make it muddy. Star Insurance can write a policy specifically for your event if the RRCA insurance program cannot cover the event due to exclusions to our policy. The RRCA reserves the right to deny access to the insurance program for activities it deems beyond the scope of the covered activities of policy. RRCA Insurance is non-transferable. RRCA clubs and race directing companies that assist other organizations with putting on an event may NOT extend insurance coverage to these organizations. If the club or race director does not own the race or manage all aspects of the event, it is not an insured event of the club or race directing company. In this case, the organization receiving the assistance must join the RRCA as an event member to obtain insurance for their event. Race Directing companies may insure an event through the RRCA if they OWN the race and direct all aspects of the race. If the race directing company is hired by another organization to manage all elements of an event, this event is not owned by the race directing company and not insured. Transferring or selling of the RRCA insurance by race directing companies and running clubs for non-owned events is FRAUD. !!!

2014 RRCA MEMBER RENEWAL INFORMATION

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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2014 RRCA MEMBER RENEWAL INFORMATION – OPTIONAL INSURANCE COVERAGE

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The RRCA insurance programs allows for several optional insurance plans to meet the needs of your club and events beyond the general participant liability insurance. Volunteer Medical Personnel Endorsement Coverage for volunteer medical personnel can be purchased by RRCA members covered under the general liability insurance program. The Volunteer Medical Personnel Endorsement covers emergency first aid and/or on-course medical treatment by properly licensed medical personnel working on a voluntary basis. Paid medical staff are not covered under this endorsement. Medical volunteers who provide service at running events typically have professional liability coverage already in place to protect themselves against malpractice claims. The RRCA Volunteer Medical Personnel Endorsement is considered insurance over and above any other insurance held by the medical professional. It does, however, provide coverage when a professional liability policy does not extend coverage to emergency medical professionals volunteering at events held outside of a workplace facility. Coverage limits for medical volunteers are the same as the RRCA’s General Liability policy, either $1 million or $2 million per occurance in coverage. The cost of this optional endorsement is either $250 if you insure your organization with the $1 million liability policy or $300 if you insure your organization with the $2 million liability policy. Operations Package Program - $750* The insurance program also offers the optional Operations Package, which provides for basic business type insurance coverages for your club or event management companies. This insurance covers for items such as timing clocks, club or event owned computers, etc. It also helps cover clubs in the event that a volunteer or employee embezzles funds from the club or event through theft, forgery, or alterations of documents. Clubs and events MUST have documented evidence that RRCA recommended financial policies and procedures are in place in advance of a claim.

• $25,000 business income loss • $5,000 miscellaneous equipment coverage (in-land marine policy for off-site/out of office equipment) • $75,000 business personal property coverage (in-office equipment and property) • $10,000 hardware/software coverage • $25,000 employee/volunteer dishonesty coverage – must have RRCA recommended financial policies

and procedures in place for your club or event management company. • $25,000 forgery and alterations • $10,000 theft, disappearance, and destruction

*Exclusions include wind, hail, earthquake, and flooding as a peril. To include coverage for these perils, contact Star Insurance for a quote. Excess Insurance Coverage Over $2million From time to time, RRCA members are required to purchase excess insurance over $2million per occurance. For 2014, the RRCA has been able to lower the rates for the additional coverage from $1,500 to $1,250 per additional million. Members needing this insurance must contact Judy Weaver at Star Insurance at (260) 467-5697 or RRCAinsurance@starfinancial.com for underwriting the additional coverage. Equipment Insurance The RRCA offers the Inland Marine Equipment Policy, which is written directly by Star Insurance. This policy covers equipment not already covered in the operations package. The policy period runs from March 1st to March 31st of the next year, and the premium is $2.30 per $100.00 of the equipment’s replacement cost. Details can be found at www.rrca.org/services/insurance/

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MEMBERS ONLY SECTION FOR PRIMARY CONTACTS ON RRCA.ORG

The RRCA has built a “members only” section into the RRCA website. You can find the page under the “Membership” tab or at www.RRCA.org/members-only/. Only the primary contact for clubs, events, and event management companies will be authorized to access this page. Primary contacts must use their RRCA.org login information to see information in this section.

For 2014, the RRCA will post copies of the insurance program policies for members to download to keep on record for their clubs and events. We will no longer snail mail or email the policy copies to members. In this section, members can also complete a brief form to access the incident report form for reporting claims to the insurance policy. We will also post items of interest to club leaders that only dues paying members will have access to, such as best practices webinars.

The video of the 2013 Insurance and Risk Management Session from the 55th Annual RRCA National Convention is available for viewing in the members-only section for a nominal fee of $25. This video highlights the important information shared at the RRCA annual convention that our members need to know.

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The Bloomsday Road Runners Club invites you to the 56th Annual RRCA National Convention that will be held May 1-4, 2014 in Spokane, WA. The RRCA Convention starts with the welcome reception on Thursday May 1 at 5:00 PM and concludes on Sunday May 4 with the 37th running of the Lilac Bloomsday Race, the 2014 RRCA National 12K Championship (registration for the event is separate from the convention registration. A special code will be sent to attendees when race registration opens in January). RRCA Convention attendees registered for the race get preferred seeding in this 50,000 person event.

Register Today! The Convention registration fee of $375 includes all educational seminars, coaches’ continuing education, attendee goodie bag including commemorative gifts, event shirt, ALL social events, and meals including:

• Thursday Welcome Reception • Friday breakfast sponsored by K&K

and Star Insurance • Friday Luncheon • Friday night social • Saturday Luncheon • Saturday evening National Running

Awards Reception and Banquet

Registration is open at www.RRCA.org/Convention/

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Convention Central: The Davenport Hotel

The Davenport Hotel opened in 1914. The hotel has served as a beacon of culture and refinement throughout the region for the better part of a century. The original historic hotel was fully restored to its early splendor between 2000 and 2002 and is widely regarded as one of the grandest hotels in North America. All education session, luncheons, and the RRCA National Awards Banquet will take place here.

Host Hotel: The Davenport Tower

The Davenport Tower will provide the sleeping rooms for all RRCA Convention attendees.

111 South Post St Spokane, WA 99201 800-899-1482

Across the street from the historic Davenport Hotel is the Davenport Tower where the Convention has a block of rooms. The Convention room rate is $129 per night for single/double occupancy. Use the booking code “RRCA” when calling the hotel to make your reservation.!

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DON KARDONG Kardong has been a runner since 1964. He ran four years of cross country and three years of track at Stanford University, missing one season of eligibility (1969) while attending Stanford-in-Britain. After graduating, he ran his first marathon in 1972 finishing in 2:18:06. He competed in the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon and 10,000 meters and finished 6th in both events. On May 22, 1976, he finished 3rd in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon (2:13:54), and was 4th in the U.S. Olympic Trials 5000 meters a month later. He finished 4th in the Olympic Marathon in Montreal (7/31/76), running a personal best of 2:11:16, missing the bronze medal by 3 seconds. In 1977, he helped launch the Lilac Bloomsday Run, which now attracts 50,000 participants a year.

BERNARD LAGAT Lagat was born December 12, 1974 in Kaptel near Kapsabet in Kenya. He graduated from Washington State University with BA in MIS and Decision Science in 2001. He is a twelve time track and field medalist in World Championships and Olympics including five gold medals. Lagat has competed in four Olympic Games, winning medals at 1500 meters in Sydney 2000 (bronze) and Athens 2004 (silver) while representing his native Kenya and then competing for USA in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. He is the American record holder in the 1500m, Mile, and 2 mile indoors, as well as the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m outdoors, and is the Kenyan record holder at 1500m outdoors. He remains the second fastest ever at 1500 meters with a time of 3:26.34 in 2001. At the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Lagat became the first athlete to become world champion in both the 1,500 m and 5,000 m at the same IAAF World Championships.

DEENA KASTOR Kastor started running competitively at the age of 11. After winning five California state titles, Deena attended the University of Arkansas, where she won seven SEC titles. In 1997, she was awarded an RRCA Roads Scholar grant during the second year of the program. Deena blossomed in 2000 as she prepared for the Olympic Games. On March 26, Kastor broke the American road record in the 5K with a time of 15:08; it was also the fastest time in the world that year. In April 2003, she finished third at the Flora London Marathon, breaking the 18-year U.S. record with a time of 2:21:16. She qualified for the 2004 Olympics in both the 10,000-meter race and marathon. She gave up her spot in the 10K, however, to focus in the marathon. The decision proved to be a wise one as she won the bronze medal, the first medal for an American marathoner in 20 years. In 2005 she won the Chicago Marathon, and in 2006, Deena won the Berlin Half Marathon and broke her American record in a time of 1:07.34. Deena has also given back to the sport by serving on both RRCA and USATF program committees. She currently serves on the USATF Board of Directors.

TRIO OF INSPIRING OLYMPIANS TO SPEAKTRIO OF INSPIRING OLYMPIANS TO SPEAK

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SAMPLE MEMBERSHIP WAIVER FOR CLUBS

Club Membership Sample Waiver of Participation I agree that I am a member of _______________________ (Name of Club), and willing participant in their organized activities. I know that running in and volunteering for organized group runs, social events, and races with this club are potentially hazardous activities, which could cause injury or death. I will not participate in any club organized events, group training runs or social events, unless I am medically able and properly trained to do so, and by my signature, I certify that I am medically able to perform all activities associated with the club and am in good health and properly trained. I agree to abide by all rules, policies, and guidelines established by the club, including the right of any club official to deny or suspend my participation for any reason whatsoever. I attest that I have read the rules of the club agree to abide by them. [recommended inclusion: By signing this waiver, I agree to follow the club’s member code of conduct as well.] I assume all risks associated with being a member of this club and participating in club activities which may include: falls, contact with other participants, the effects of the weather, including high heat and/or humidity, traffic and the conditions of the road, track, or trails, all such risks being known and appreciated by me. I understand that bicycles, skateboards, jogging strollers, roller skates or in-line skates, animals, and personal music players are not allowed to be used in club organized activities, and I agree to abide by this rule. Having read this waiver and knowing these facts and inconsideration of your accepting my membership, I, for myself and anyone entitled to act on my behalf, waive and release the __________________ [Name of Club], the city of ______________________, and the Road Runners Club of America, all club sponsors, their representatives and successors from all claims or liabilities of any kind arising out of my participation with the club, even though that liability may arise out of negligence or carelessness on the part of the persons named in this waiver. I grant permission to all of the foregoing to use my photographs, motion pictures, recordings or any other record for any legitimate promotional purposes for the club. Signature: Parent’s Signature if under 18 years: Date: Date:

Helpful tips for managing guests to club runs:

Q. What do we do about waivers when a guest shows up for a group run? We recommend in our Guidelines for Leading a Group Run to have a clipboard with a printed waiver that ALL guests should sign and include emergency contact information. They can all sign on the same waiver as opposed to having multiple copies of the wavier for each person. Keep in mind if you have a large number of guest, and you exceed signatures on a page, you need to make the waiver is printed on any additional pages that people sign.

Q. What should we do with guest waivers after a run? We recommend that you scan them and save them to a dated file on your computer or a file share like DropBox or Google Drive to save for the duration of your state’s statute of limitation.

Q. What do we do if a guest shows up for a group run with a dog, stroller, or headphones and we don’t allow these? Simple, they don’t get to run with the group. If you have established policies against these, it is important from a risk management standpoint not to violate your own written policies and procedures for group runs.

Q. What if a guest refuses to sign the waiver? You kindly inform them they will not be allowed to run with the group. If they refuse to sign the waiver and try to tag along with the group and use the “its public property” argument for running with the group, document the issue and file it with your waivers in case any claims arise from the person. This way you have written evidence about the waiver refusal and unwelcome participation in the run.

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Follow us on: www.facebook.com/RoadRunnersClubofAmerica

www.twitter.com/RRCANational

Road Runners Club of America 2014 National Championship Event Series

The RRCA Championship Event Series boasts over 190 races that attract over 330,000 runners nationwide at the state, regional and national level. We invite you to join us for the 2014 RRCA National Championship Event Series.

MMM aaa rrr ccc hhh 222 ,,, 222 000 111 444 RRCA Marathon Championship – Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon – Napa, CA www.napavalleymarathon.org

MMM aaa yyy 444 ,,, 222 000 111 444 RRCA 12 K Championship – Lilac Bloomsday Run – Spokane, WA – Preferred seeding for RRCA Convention attendees! www.bloomsdayrun.org

MMM aaa yyy 333 111 ,,, 222 000 111 444 RRCA 5 K Championship – TMC Meet Me Downtown 5K Night Run – Tucson, AZ www.azroadrunners.org/races/detail/mmd

JJJ uuu nnn eee 111 ,,, 222 000 111 444 RRCA Half Marathon Championship – The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run – Dexter, MI www.DxA2.com

JJJ uuu nnn eee 111 555 ,,, 222 000 111 444 RRCA 1 Mile Championship – Go Mile – North Little Rock, AR - Bring Back the Mile www.gorunning.com/gomile/

SSS eee ppp ttt eee mmm bbb eee rrr 222 777 ,,, 222 000 111 444 RRCA 10 Mile Championship – The Genworth Virginia 10 Miler – Lynchburg, VA www.virginia10miler.com

OOO ccc ttt ooo bbb eee rrr 444 ,,, 222 000 111 444

RRCA Ultra Championship – Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump

NNN ooo vvv eee mmm bbb eee rrr 888 ,,, 222 000 111 444

RRCA 10 K Championship – Cajun Cup – Lafayette, LA www.cajuncup.net

RRCA Championship Series Sponsors

Gatorade Endurance

Sports Authority

Ashworth Awards

Running Network LLC

Combined, RRCA National Championship Events will

award over $93,000 in prize money.

Chances are you do, and now is your chance to prove that your city is worthy of being designated as an official

RRCA: Runner Friendly Community

We invite member running clubs and events in every city in the United States, regardless of size, to prove that their city is worthy of the Runner Friendly Community designation.

Work with your community to prove that your city meets our criteria in three important areas:

• Community infrastructure for running, • Community support for running, • Government support for running, • And an Outstanding Community will also meet our bonus criteria.

Nominate your city for the next round of designations at www.RRCA.org/programs/runner-friendly-community/

Do you live in a Runner Friendly Community?

RRCA: PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT !

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RRCA Leadership Development Scholarship

To further the goal of supporting the growth of local clubs RRCA has developed the Leadership Development Scholarship for the RRCA Convention.

The purpose of the Leadership Development Scholarship is to provide annual funding for up to 4 individuals per year (one per region) to attend the RRCA Convention on behalf of their running club. By attending the RRCA Convention, new club leaders will gain a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities, which will help them lead their club to greatness or maintain excellence already achieved through previous leaders efforts.

The Leadership Development Scholarship package will include: • One complementary registration to the RRCA National Convention for 2014 including all convention meals and social events

• Complementary hotel accommodations at the host hotel for Thursday (check-in) through Sunday (check-out) • Airfare or ground transportation to the RRCA Convention (Not to exceed $500 round trip) • One year membership to BoardSource.org to learn more about best practices in governing a nonprofit

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Nominate an emerging leader at www.rrca.org/services/leadership-development/

RRCA: PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT Continued !

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GREAT WAYS TO SUPPORT THE RRCA !

! Make the RRCA your charity of choice o Annual contributions to the RRCA by our supporters help fund the Kids Run the Nation program

materials, Runner Friendly Community program, RUN@WORK Day promotional efforts, RRCA National Running Awards Ceremony including award winner travel stipends, Championship Events Series, 2000 Hour Volunteer Recognition program, Join a Club marketing efforts, RRCA history preservation efforts, and much more

o Individual contributions to the RRCA are tax deductable and we happily recognize all of our donors o Select the RRCA to receive matching gift funds from your employer o Donate to the RRCA during the membership renewal process

! Develop a fundraising team for the Kids Run the Nation Fund o Better yet, donate a portion of your race proceeds to the Kids Run the Nation Fund o Our goal is to raise over $20,000 annually. o We invite you to be part of this important program’s success becoming a grant funder at the $500

and above level.

! Host an RRCA Expo Booth at Events o Provide the RRCA with complementary expo space. Recruit local running club members to

volunteer to staff the booth. We will ship you an RRCA display and promotional materials. ! Donate a race entry

o Contribute hard to get race entries to the silent or live auction held in conjunction with the RRCA Convention

o Donate a hard to get race entry that the RRCA can auction off online to support the Kids Run the Nation Fund

o Sponsor an RRCA Roads Scholar to your event. ! Support Club Running magazine by advertising your event

o Club Running magazine is 100% funded by advertisers, by placing an ad you are supporting the RRCA in our efforts to promote our mission.

! Support our Sponsors and Corporate Supporters

o Most of our sponsors provide financial support to the RRCA based on your purchases o Most of our sponsors also offer discounts to your club members to share

! Actively Participate in RRCA Programs & Services o Post your event on the RRCA calendar (membership requirement) o Advertise your event by purchasing a banner ad on the RRCA website o Nominate someone for an RRCA National Volunteer Certificate or RRCA National Running Award o Start a Kids Run the Nation program in your community o Become a Certified Coach and/or Certified Race Director

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Dear RRCA Members,

Its renewal time, its renewal time! That means we will be really busy at the national office over the next few months. To help us ensure the process goes smoothly, please closely review the information provided in this issue of Inside Track. We have a small administrative staff at the national office. We depend on our members to read the information we provide and follow our instructions, so you can easily renew your club or event membership through our automated system on our website. We understand many clubs will be conducting elections, as required by RRCA bylaws, to select new board members. Through that process, it is very important for our member running clubs to update their primary contacts with the RRCA as soon as you finalize any annual elections. Keeping your club or event mailing address up to date with the RRCA saves us money when we mail the print issue of this newsletter. As a reminder and as outlined in the last issue of Inside Track, the RRCA Board passed a policy, at the request of the IRS, requiring all nonprofit members in our group exemption to pass a conflict of interest policy. Clubs must send a PDF copy of the approved policy to membership@rrca.org so we can post it to your permanent record with the RRCA. As you pass this policy, we also strongly encourage our members to pass sound financial management policies, especially if your club holds significant cash assets in your bank account ($2000+). If your club elects to purchase the operations package, which protects the club in the event of embezzlement, you will need to have proof if these policies on record.

Happy running,

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Find back issues of Inside Track online at www.rrca.org/publications/inside-track/

INSIDE TRACK Page 14

NOMINATION PROCEDURE FOR 2014 RRCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Nominating Committee of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is advising membership that the following director positions are up for election in 2014:

• President • Vice President • Treasurer • Central Director • Eastern Director

Elections will be held at the RRCA Annual Meeting of the Membership on May 2, 2014 at 3:15 PM (MT) at the Davenport Hotel, 10 S. Post St., Spokane, WA 99201. Nominating Procedure Details about officer and director nominations are covered in the RRCA Bylaws and the 2014 Nomination Procedures document posted on our website at www.rrca.org/about/governance/. The deadline for submitting nominations is 5:00 PM Eastern on February 16, 2014. The Nominating Committee, appointed by President Cotter, will review all nominations and may review other candidates as allowed in the Bylaws. A report from the nominating committee with a recommended slate of board member nominees will be shared with the members and posted with the notice of the annual business meeting in accordance with the Bylaws. After such time, additional candidates my express interest in running for the RRCA Board of Directors.

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Since 1971, the RRCA has been honoring dedicated individuals for their service to the running community through the RRCA Hall of Fame and the National Running Awards. Detailed information about the award categories along with selection criteria and the online nomination form can be found at www.rrca.org/services/national-running-awards/. To nominate a deserving individual simply follow the instructions on the online nomination form, print a copy for your records, and click the submit button. Upload or mail newsletter copies as instructed in the online form. The RRCA will provide a $400 travel stipend and one complementary ticket for each award winner to the 2014 RRCA National Running Awards Banquet that will be held in Spokane, WA, Mai 1-4, 2014.

The nomination deadline is 5:00 PM Eastern January 15, 2014. The period of performance for the individual being nominated is January 1 through December 31, 2013 for all awards except the Hall of Fame and Browning Ross awards, which are lifetime achievement awards. All nominations are forwarded to the appropriate selection panels tasked with selecting the final award recipients. Individuals interested in serving on one of the award selection panels should email Andy Smith at programs@rrca.org.

RRCA NATIONAL RUNNING AWARDS CATEGORIES: RRCA DISTANCE RUNNING HALL OF FAME: Inducts individuals that have dedicated themselves to the sport of distance running.

SPIRIT OF THE RRCA IN HONOR OF BROWNING ROSS: Honors a club member who is an unsung hero and champions the RRCA at the local and/or national level.

OUTSTANDING CLUB PRESIDENT IN HONOR OF SCOTT HAMILTON: Honors an outstanding RRCA club president for the year.

ROAD RUNNERS OF THE YEAR AWARD: Honors top male and female open, masters U.S. runners with outstanding records of distance racing performance during the year. Honors one outstanding Physically Challenged Athlete of the Year (male or female).

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM IN HONOR OF JERRY LITTLE: 1. Club Newsletter Award honors two club newsletters that demonstrate a variety of content, good presentation, informative and creative, and inclusive of the RRCA logo. One award will be given for a print newsletter and is open to any size club. 2. Club Writer award honors a top club writer that is an unpaid running journalist. 3. Club/Event E-Newsletter recognizes the use of technology when communicating with members. It is open to any size club or event. The e-newsletter can be emailed to members or clearly posted on a website and should be in PDF, HTML, or another similar format. The e-newsletter should look like a newsletter and not simply be a page on a club website or a text email. 4. Journalistic Excellence honors a professional writer who has made a notable contribution to the literature of distance running.

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR IN HONOR OF ROD STEELE: Honors an outstanding volunteer (excluding the president) of a local club or event.

OUTSTANDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE IN HONOR OF AL BECKEN: Honors the outstanding service of an RRCA State Representative.

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR IN HONOR OF KURT STEINER: Honors a club member who is dedicated to promoting children’s running and/or coordinating an outstanding children’s running program.

OUTSTANDING BEGINNING RUNNING PROGRAM: Honors beginning running programs hosted by nonprofit clubs that engage new or returning runners to the sport, regardless of their gender.

RRCA ROAD RACE OF THE YEAR: Honors a nonprofit race that is safe, well organized, promotes grassroots running, and the mission of the RRCA.

OUTSTANDING WEBSITE AWARD: Honors a club with an outstanding website design and content. One website will be chosen from the nominations.

Learn about all of the RRCA National Award Winners at www.rrca.org/about/history/award-winners/.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR RRCA NATIONAL RUNNING AWARDS

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!ROAD RUNNERS CLUB OF AMERICA 1501 Lee Hwy, Ste 140 Arlington, VA 22209 703-525-3890 www.RRCA.org

WE RUN THE NATION!

INSIDE TRACK

facebook.com/Roadrunnersclubofamerica twitter.com/RRCANational

ORDER RRCA RUNNER FRIENDLY BUSINESS DECALS RRCA members are encouraged to purchase RRCA Runner Friendly Business static window decals (image to right is the decal graphic that is 5”x5”) to give to local businesses that club leaders designate as runner friendly. To help clubs promote and recruit businesses into this promotional effort, we have created a fact sheet that can be given to a runner friendly business owner at the time a window decal is presented. The fact sheet outlines that runner friendly businesses are engaged with the running community, and they:

• Host group runs and offer discounts to local running club members; • Are willing to serve as a pre or post run meeting spot; • Share their parking lots during non-business hours; • Allow runners to use their bathroom facilities as needed; • Serve as safe places that runners can stop at if they need to use the phone or get out of unsafe weather,

or fill a water bottle to prevent dehydration; and • Support clubs through race sponsorships including in-kind donations, publicity, etc.

Learn more about this opportunity at www.rrca.org/programs/runner-friendly-community/ or purchase decals today at www.rrca.org/publications/.!