RRCA’s RunPro Camp to go on Hiatus for 2020

May 1, 2020

Annual interactive camp to assist pre-professional runners plans to return in July 2021

Arlington, VA – Due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) has postponed RunPro Camp, scheduled for July 16-18, to a July date for 2021.

RunPro Camp is designed to educate and inform distance runners who are interested in pursuing a professional running career after collegiate eligibility expires. Many of the camp’s annual attendees are immediate college graduates who competed in Track and Cross Country at the collegiate level. The NCAA recently granted athletes graduating in 2020 an extra year of competition eligibility, meaning most applicants for 2020 would not be able to participate due to the extra year of eligibility.

“This was a difficult decision, but really the only one we could make given the circumstances,” explained Andy Smith, RRCA program manager. “We are pleased the NCAA has granted these athletes who missed out on a season the extra year of eligibility. With two classes of elite post-collegiate runners graduating at the same time, we look forward to welcoming more athletes than ever at RunPro Camp  in 2021.”

RunPro Camp provides opportunities for runners to meet coaches and athletes from professional training centers; learn about shoe company requirements for sponsorship; determine what type of representation (agents) would be best; find out about elite athlete recruitment for races; and how to seek both financial and health support.  RunPro Camp also outlines USATF rules governing professional running including anti-doping compliance. The camp is a companion to www.RunPro.com, an information resource for runners wanting to learn more about the transition from college to professional running.

The impact of RunPro Camp was evident at the 2020 Olympic Trials – Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia in February. Twenty-five (13 women, 12 men) RunPro Camp alumni qualified for the event, with top RunPro Camp finishers being Colin Bennie (9th), Bethany Sachtleben (18^th) and Jaci Smith (19^th). Aliphine Tuliamuk, winner of the race and Olympic Team qualifier, was the keynote speaker for RunPro Camp in 2019 and received a training grant in 2019 and a winner’s bonus in 2020 from RRCA.

About the RRCA:The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest national association of running organizations and runners dedicated to growing the sport since 1958. The RRCA champions the development of community-based running clubs and events that serve runners of all ages and abilities in pursuit of health and competition. The RRCA’s vision is to see an organized running club established in every community in the U.S. To learn more, visit: www.RRCA.org

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