[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 43 (Thursday, March 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E397-E398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROAD RUNNERS CLUB OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2008

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 
50th Anniversary of the Road Runners Club of America. The initial 
organizational meeting took place on February 22, 1958, in a small 
hotel room in New York City. Five running clubs emerged from that 
meeting. Today, the RRCA has more than 700 member clubs, representing 
180,000 distance runners nationwide. Included among these are 18 clubs 
from

[[Page E398]]

Tennessee with a total of 5,600 members. The Murfreesboro Pacers and 
the Murfreesboro Half Marathon are among them.
  In the late 1950s, jogging for heath and fitness was practically 
unheard of and there were very few distance racing events in the United 
States. The Long Distance Log, publication with a circulation of 126 
readers, was the chief means of communication with distance runners. In 
the August 1957 issue of the Long Distance Log an editorial by Olympian 
Browning Ross proposed developing an organization for American distance 
runners. The concept was modeled after the Road Runners Club of the UK, 
which was founded in 1952. He suggested that membership include not 
only runners, but also officials, race sponsors, coaches and more. Ross 
envisioned the group would encourage running, meet regularly, raise 
funds, coordinate schedules, recruit sponsors and promote competition 
in long-distance races.
  Response to the concept was positive; meetings were held in December 
1957 and shortly thereafter, the Middle Atlantic Road Runners Club was 
established. And on February 22, 1958, the Road Runners Club of America 
was born.
  Meeting at the Paramount Hotel in New York City, Ross and nine others 
discussed the general direction for the organization and developed the 
basic operating structure. Ross was named acting provisional president. 
The first RRCA National Championship races were awarded, and events 
were held in Chicago, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
  Interest in the RRCA increased and by April 1958, the New York Road 
Runners Club, now the New York Road Runners, was established with 29 
members. In February 1959, the Michigan Road Runners Club was 
established in Detroit by Hugh Jascourt and Frank McBride. Several 
months later, the RRCA held an annual meeting at the Paramount Hotel in 
New York City. The group elected president Dick Donohue, treasurer 
Steve Thomas, and co-secretaries Tom Osler and Browning Ross. They 
served as the first officially elected officers of the RRCA.
  At the 1960 annual meeting Ted Corbitt was elected president. ``Those 
were tough days, days of survival [for the RRCA]'', Corbitt wrote. 
``Instead of recognizing the good work the RRCA was doing to promote 
distance running, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) refused to admit the 
RRCA as a member club and took the position that the RRCA was 
illegal.'' In those days, the AAU was the ruling body of sport; they 
advised the RRCA to function solely as a social or fraternal group and 
not conduct races.
  The early 1960s saw the development of new running clubs around the 
country. By the end of the RRCA's third year, its members had hosted 
over 600 races around the country compared to the previous handful of 
races.
  Over the years, the RRCA has been credited with developing course 
certification programs, establishing the first events for recreational 
joggers, removing age requirements for racing, encouraging competitive 
opportunities for women, creating a Hall of Fame for distance runners, 
and obtaining insurance and IRS tax-exempt status for member clubs.
  Many important publications have been developed by the RRCA including 
fact sheets on cold and hot weather running, safety for runners, 
guidelines for buying a pair of running shoes, tips for helping 
children start running and many more.
  By the 1980s, RRCA membership included 400 clubs and elected its 
first woman president, Henley ``Gibble'' Gabeau. The first edition of 
the RRCA Children's Running Booklet and the Parent & Teacher's 
Curriculum authored by Don Kardong, an Olympic marathoner and future 
RRCA president, and Jim Ferstle were circulated to thousands for clubs, 
teachers, schools and more.
  More recently the RRCA has developed a coaching certification 
program, as well as the Roads Scholar Program to support aspiring 
international caliber American distance runners. In 1997, the RRCA gave 
a grant through the new Roads Scholar Program to Deena Drossin 
(Kastor), a young distance runner who went on to win the bronze medal 
in the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon.
  Over the last 50 years, the RRCA has stayed true to its mission. The 
future of long-distance running and the RRCA's impact on the sport will 
continue to be written for years to come.

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