Frederick Named Runner Friendly Community

Posted January 22, 2018

RRCA Welcomes 2017 Runner Friendly Communities

08/03/2017

The Road Runners Club of America is pleased to announce and welcome its Runner Friendly Community® designations for 2017:

· Frederick, Maryland

· Golden, Colorado

· Holland, Michigan

· Huntington Woods, Michigan

· Ithaca, New York

· Memphis, Tennessee

· Minneapolis – St. Paul, Minnesota

· Sheboygan, Wisconsin

These communities have shown that they meet the program’s criteria, which includes community infrastructure, community support and local government support for running. The goal of the RRCA’s Runner Friendly Community program is to shine a national spotlight on communities that standout as runner-friendly and to provide incentives and ideas for communities to work towards becoming runner-friendly communities.

FREDERICK, MARYLAND – Located near both Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C., with a population of over 65,000, Frederick is the second largest city in Maryland. Historically, Frederick’s geography played important roles in both the colonial era and during the Civil War, serving as a major crossroads for the Union and Confederacy. The city’s expanding population has helped to encourage a burgeoning arts and cultural scene, as well as the development of significant public outdoor spaces.

A robust network of publicly accessible running trails takes advantage of Frederick’s geography. Running tracks are open to the public and are well maintained by the community. There are close to ten miles of paved pedestrian networks throughout the city. There is also an off-road trail system, a portion of which runs on the Appalachian Trail. The trail system includes state parks, two national parks, and the city watershed. Mileage is essentially unlimited in this trail system, and it is home to popular ultra runs, including the Catoctin 50K and the JFK 50 Miler.

The Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club (FSRC), founded in 1975, is the largest running club in the city and offers a variety of training and racing opportunities from beginner programs to participation in the RRCA Maryland Grand Prix and more. The club works with local elementary schools by providing free running clubs to the students as an afterschool activity, and they provide grants to graduating seniors through the FSRC Scholarship Fund. The club has worked with a variety of businesses to develop a network of Runner Friendly Businesses where runners can stop for water, restrooms, shelter in inclement weather, and more. The club has mapped the businesses on their website as a service for their members and area supporters.

The Frederick government is committed to making the community runner friendly. It works with local clubs for permitting, ensuring that city races are reviewed for safety. The city also puts forth considerable effort in support of the Frederick Running Festival by supporting the needed road closures, providing police support, emergency medical support, and more. The Frederick Running Festival, now in its 15th year hosted by RRCA member Corrigan Sports Enterprises, offers a half-marathon, 5K, and Kids Fun Run attracting thousands of runners each year.

Amanda Corrigan