RRCA Acquires RunPro Camp, Website

The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) announced today it has acquired the RunPro.com web site (www.RunPro.com) and the RunPro Camp and will operate the two entities as official RRCA programs.

RunPro.com and the RunPro Camp were developed by Team USA Minnesota with the support of a 2010 Excellence Challenge Grant from USATF.  The purpose of the RunPro effort is to be the go-to source that assists promising young distance runners make the transition from collegiate to professional running.

“We are very excited to take the reins from Team USA Minnesota and carry on the great legacy they started with RunPro.com and the RunPro Camp,” said Jean Knaack, RRCA executive director.  “The RRCA has a long history of supporting elite athlete development, including financially supporting athletes going to international events back in the late 1950s, to our Roads Scholar program that has provided nearly $400,000 in grants to emerging elites.”

The web site provides athletes with a comprehensive overview of what it takes and what is involved in becoming a professional distance runner – competing on the track, the roads and in cross country.  The companion three-day camp, scheduled to be held again in mid-July in Arlington, is designed specifically for athletes who are interested in pursuing a professional running career.

“Our goal with the RunPro effort was to attract more talented distance runners to the sport,” said Patricia Goodwin, president and founder of Team USA Minnesota.  “After successfully launching the web site in 2011 and holding the RunPro Camp in Minneapolis that summer, we realized that we didn’t have the time or resources to continue the effort long term.

“We are pleased that RRCA has stepped forward to take RunPro under its wing.  We are confident they will do an excellent job with managing and enhancing the website and the camp, and in turn we will be able to focus all our resources on developing national and international distance runners.”