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CT Pace Per Mile Update: Running Clubs

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In this Connecticut Pace Per Mile Race Report for January 30 – February 5, 2012, I will feature some East of the River running clubs.

This week, I am highlighting four local running clubs, the Hartford Track Club, the Manchester Running Company, the Silk City Striders, and the Shenipsit Striders.

Shenipsit Striders- The Shenipsit Striders call the Shenipsit Forest their home base and members share a joy of being in the woods. The membership includes trail runners, hikers, and outdoor athletes who compete in trail races, road races, orienteering and adventure races, snowshoe races in every possible distance. The club sponsors a trail sampler May, a trail hill race in the summer, a winter moonlight run, and, their showcase event, the Shenipsit Trail Marathon in the fall. The Shenipsit Strider calendar includes races, social runs, and training runs, and is available on their website and through a convenient subscription service. Or, connect with the Striders through their Facebook page for up-to-date information and last minute runs.

Silk City Striders - Based in Manchester, the Silk City Striders club is one of the largest local clubs. The club is affiliated with both the USATF and RRCA. They host and sponsor a number of local races and members can be seen at nearly every local race in their orange Silk City Striders gear. Family membership is $15 and individual membership is $12. Membership entitles you to a newsletter sent via email and the camaraderie of being a member of a large and diverse group. The Striders host weekly runs Tuesdays at 6:00pm at Mt. Nebo Park in Manchester and Saturdays at 8:30am at a location that varies depending on the time of year.
Manchester Running Company Running Club - In 2008, the Manchester Running Company started the Manchester Running Company Club, a USATF club. The goal of the club is to develop a community of runners with an emphasis on meeting the needs of diverse runners. Dues are $15 per year for an individual, and membership includes a host of perks, including: a MRC team shirt, 10% discount on products sold by the Manchester Running Company, free coaching plans from the MRC staff, $2 off any MRC hosted race registration, and more.

Hartford Track Club- This RRCA club hosts a variety of races in the Hartford area, including the Greater Hartford Quarter Marathon, the Solstice Sprint 5k, and the 8k Cross Country Challenge. Members receive The HTC Monthly newsletter  which includes race results, nutrition and injury prevention information, updates on Hartford Track Club events, and, according to the club, camaraderie and fun. The HTC has a variety of group runs that occur on most every day of the week in various locations around greater Hartford. Check out their website for complete, up-to-date information about the weekly group runs. The cost for membership is $20 per year for individual memberships and $30 per year for family or business memberships.

I hope you’ll consider joining one of these great groups on a social run. Each of the groups welcomes non-members and members-to-be at the social runs. Joining a social run is a great way to meet new people even if you don’t join the club. Of course, joining a club is a fun way to enhance your participation in the sport and ensure you always have running friends.

A few other notes:

If you’re interested in some winter running gear advice, check out my guest blog over at The Running Mike. Finally, a few events from past reports that might be of interest:

Fleet Feet West Hartford Saucony Groundhog Day Run, Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 6:30pm. At this event runners will run or walk a 1/2 mile loop as many times as they want, earning a playing card for each loop. The best poker hand will win a prize.

If snowshoeing is your thing, consider checking out one of the WMAC Dion Racing Series races. There are several upcoming races and races throughout the winter. Check the WMAC Dion Racing Series website for registration information and, more importantly, weather information. Obviously, snow is required for snowshoe races, so all the races are dependent upon weather conditions.

Keep running!