President’s Column – March 2007
The question “Why do people join and renew their membership in the GRTC?” came up again at the February board meeting. This question comes up periodically. This time it was triggered by discussion of making the newsletter available on the club website. The concern is roughly as follows: If runners can read the newsletter for free online, will they still join the GRTC?
Of course, there are tangible benefits available only to GRTC members:
- Delivery of newsletter with updated race calendar to your home 10 times a year,
- Support for participation on GRTC teams,
- Discounts on the Freezeroo series and some other local races,
- Discounts at a variety of local running and fitness businesses,
- Discount on professionally coached Spring Track Workouts.
The value of the above discounts alone far exceeds the modest $20 per year individual membership. Take advantage of a few of the discounts and you will come out ahead. But, those tangible benefits were not the reason I joined the GRTC and later agreed to serve on the board. I joined the GRTC to support the club’s mission to make Rochester the best place to live for runners of all ages and skill levels. In addition to the member-only benefits, the GRTC provides many free benefits for the entire running community:
- GRTC Online – the go-to website for comprehensive race and running information, including the most comprehensive and up to date race calendar in the area
- Freezeroo Race Series – six well-run races to help you keep running through Rochester’s winter
- Rochester Runner of the Year Series – nine race series to determine the top open and age-group runners in the area
- Awards Banquet and GRTC Hall of Fame – we host the annual gathering of the running community to recognize our best
- Race Committee – provides free consulting support for new and inexperienced race directors to improve the quality of races.
Tom Perry
March 2007
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