Road Running Leadership Group
Announcement
New Licence System and Online Running
Club for Road Running
In response to input from the running
community, the Road Running Leadership
Group (RRLG), charged by UK
Athletics (UKA) with shaping the future of road running, proposes a new
system of regulation for
The current system of race permitting, in
which race organisers pay a levy for every entrant who is not a member of an
affiliated club, will be replaced by a simple sliding scale fee for a licence based
on the size of their race. Runners who are club members registered with a
national governing body will continue to enjoy cheaper race entry, but in
future race organisers will keep all entry fees from both club members and
non-club members alike. It is anticipated that the vast majority of races – possibly
all – will enjoy increased income under this new scheme whilst continuing to
benefit from the comprehensive insurance cover afforded by UKA affiliation.
The RRLG
is committed to ensuring that the new licences become an integral part of
enhanced standards of administration of the sport in the
A new online running club will be created
for the increasing majority of race entrants who are not members of clubs. A
key objective of the online club will be to give road runners a first step into
the community of the sport, and provide a platform for local clubs to promote
their own events and grow their membership. Benefits of the online club will
include the cheaper race entry enjoyed by all affiliated club members, as well
as access to a wide range of supporting resources and benefits. Members of affiliated
running clubs and Home Country
membership schemes will automatically be enrolled in the online club.
In return for retaining all race entry
fees, race organisers will be required to provide the RRLG with contact details for all non-club runners who enter their
races, (subject to data protection laws), or to provide other resources to
raise awareness of the online club. In this way the Group will be able to build membership of the club, raising funds
for the furtherance of road running and providing race organisers with valuable
opportunities to market their races to a wider, committed community of runners.
Ed Warner,
Chairman of UK Athletics who has recently taken on the chair of the RRLG said: “The sport of road running deserves greater
and better support. I am encouraged that the Road Running Leadership Group has
developed plans that will be of benefit to organisers of all races from small
to large, and to committed club runners and occasional runners alike. By early
2008 I expect us to be underway with positive changes that will make British
road running the clear number one in the world for participation and governance
and that will boost elite British endurance performance.”
Nigel Rowe, Chair
of
The RRLG
will continue to discuss the details of its plans with race organisers, runners
and other interested parties. The Group
can be contacted through its project manager Mike Summers at msummers@ukathletics.org.uk or enquiries@roadrunninguk.com
Notes to Editors
Current members of the RRLG are:
Ed Warner (Chair)
–
Dave Bedford –
Race Director of the Flora London
Hugh Brasher – CEO
Sweatshop
Max Coleby –
Co-founder of the BUPA Great North Run
Zara Hyde-Peters –
Director of Athlete Development at
Nigel Rowe – Chair
of South West region,
Steve Seaton – Publishing
Director, Runners World magazine
Geoff Wightman –
Chief Executive of Scottish Athletics
Elections to the RRLG to replace some of the current appointed members will be held
before March 2008.