 |
|
|
History Of The West Texas Running Club |
How
does a 5ft, 4inch, 104 pound woman run 26.2 miles in two hours and
twenty-six minutes? The short answer: one very fast step at a time.
A longer, richer answer comes from Deena Kastor, American
bronze-medalist in the 2004 Olympics women's marathon. Kastor notes
that although the marathon course appears populated by individual
competitors, each one of those competitors relies upon communities
of coaches, friends, family members, and fellow runners. Had Kastor
grown up in West Texas, she might have pointed specifically to the
West Texas Running Club (WTRC) as an organization that fosters the
growth of running as a sport, helps individual runners achieve their
personal best, and contributes to the quality of life in this
region.
Although the membership of WTRC is now located primarily in Lubbock,
the club had its beginnings in Brownfield. In 1972, Gene Adams, a
long-time track runner and an engineer with Amoco, was transferred
from Tulsa, OK, which had a running club, to Brownfield, TX, which
didn't. Determined to maintain his fitness by putting in laps, Gene
started making regular appearances at the Brownfield high school
track. James Morris, then Brownfield High's coach, took note of this
guy toting up miles and the two struck up a friendship. Gene asked
about a running club in the area; James's negative response
propelled them into action. Recognizing that the population of
runners in Brownfield probably wouldn't be adequate to support a
club, Gene and James determined to make an appeal for members
regionally. That summer, during the Brownfield Firecracker race
(which James had organized three years earlier to keep his high
school runners active during the summer) James and Gene pitched the
idea of a club and sparked the interest of a dozen or so runners.
The WTRCs first race, a five-mile course, occurred a month later,
in August, at Coleman Park in Brownfield.
The club didn't hold elections. James and Gene flipped a coin to
determine who would be president, and interested members helped with
race organization. For several years the two founders assumed
responsibility for writing, printing, addressing, and posting a
newsletter to members. They, along with other charter members, also
developed ingenious and innovative ways to ensure the accuracy of
runners' times and to attract more runners to races. Bib numbers
didn't come from a print shop, but instead were stenciled on sheets
of paper that the racers returned at the end of the race. Not having
a computerized timing system, race organizers used a combination of
Popsicle sticks and wristwatches to keep track of which runners
crossed the finish line in what order. Trophies came from a supplier
in Big Spring who offered the largest number at the lowest price and
who usually mailed these much-coveted awards to Brownfield in time
for the race. James and Gene also decided that to generate interest,
races had to be held in different communities throughout West Texas,
thereby dividing up driving time. In the 1970s and early 80s, WTRC
races were organized in Amarillo, Midland-Odessa, San Angelo, and
Lubbock, in addition to Brownfield. Runners hungry for races would
pile into cars and drive four hours to a race, taking advantage of
the only races around.
By the mid-1980s, members of the WTRC started clubs in their own
communities. The Permian Basin Roadrunners, Amarillo Running Club (aka
Lone Star Running Club) and the San Angelo Road Lizards all spun off
from the WTRC. The spin-off clubs provided an indication of the
success of the WTRC, and of a more general interest in running. No
longer did the club host races for twenty or thirty participants;
instead, registration numbers might reach into the 400s. The running
boom was on.
With a current roster of over 250 members, the WTRC puts on a total
of thirteen races a year, all within an hour's drive of Lubbock.
Races are held the second Saturday of each month, with four
exceptions: the 10 and 2-mile Firecracker Run is held in
Brownfield on July 4th; the 5 and 10-kilometer Red Raider Road
Race is held on the Saturday of Texas Tech University's homecoming
weekend; and in November, the club
sponsors a 2-mile and 12-kilometer Turkey Trot at Mackenzie Park
on Thanksgiving morning. The Run For The Arts is now a monthly club
race(revived in 2005) held in April in conjuction with the Lubbock
Arts Festival. Races are open to all interested runners; entry fees
are generally $5.00(pre-registered)for club members at all races except
Run for the Arts, Red Raider RR and Turkey Trot.
While the Brownfield Firecracker can lay claim to being the
longest-running race in Texas (it's 37th running was July 2006),
the Red Raider Road Race (RRRR) is the club's most popular (and
populous) race. Scheduled for this year's TTU homecoming on Saturday, at 8
A.M., the RRRR was the brainchild of Jim Douglass, Assistant Director
of TTU's Alumni Association and self-described "half-fast runner".
In July of 1982, Jim ran the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta, Georgia.
Looking at the tremendous crowds and the helicopters overhead, Jim
decided to host a 10K race to showcase the beauty of Tech's campus;
the RRRR was born. The first year, Jim awarded runners a
short-sleeve T-shirt, but by year two, had moved to long-sleeve
shirts with an image of Raider Red in running shorts on the front.
The number on the running bib of Dirk West's famous cartoon
indicates the year of the race.
After a few years of running the race on his own, Jim turned it over
to the West Texas Running Club. Putting on a race that attracts
between 300 and 400 runners, a race that runs through campus, and a
race that takes place on homecoming weekend, has presented special
challenges to the club. George Jury, local veterinarian and a
five-time Race Director of the RRRR, knows what it takes to organize
a race that is fun for casual participants but also absolutely
accurate for more serious runners. George has secured all required
permits, lined up sponsors (necessary if the race is to show a
profit), lined up volunteers, supervised registration and packet
pick-up, started runners with the command of "go!", clocked them in
as they cross the finish line, and awarded medals to winners.
According to George, particularly rewarding about this race is
seeing alumni return each year to run, and "knowing we've done a
good job and put on a good race."
Another rewarding feature of the Red Raider Road Race is that all
profits go to support scholarships at Texas Tech. In 1989, the
running club was able to award its first such scholarship to
Shiretta Ownbey, who received her B.S. and M.S. in Family and
Consumer Sciences at TTU. Winners of scholarships need not be
runners themselves, but must be nominated by a club member on the
basis of a strong academic record. Since Shiretta, the club has been
able to award up to four scholarships in a given semester.
In the years since 1972, numerous individuals have contributed to
shaping the WTRC into the organization it has become; an organization
committed to fostering running and racing in the West Texas area.
The club relies on a volunteer board, on members who serve as
volunteers at races, on generous sponsors, and on the community. In
exchange for this volunteer effort, the club stages its own races,
assists other non-profit organizations in staging races, and,
overall, nurtures the spirit of runners who may (or may not) follow
the steps of someone like Deena Kastor, coming up slowly from
behind, giving her all as an Olympian representing the United States
in the 2004 Women's Marathon.
Madonne Miner
2004
Internal Vice-President
WTRC |
|
 |
|
