Two communities have the “right stuff” of community infrastructure & support plus local government involvement for designation



The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is pleased to announce and welcome its Runner Friendly Community® designations for summer 2019:

Lafayette, Louisiana

Tucson, Arizona

Every five years, a Runner Friendly Community must work with the RRCA to ensure it continues to meet our expectations for the designation. The following communities have successfully renewed their Runner Friendly Community designation for another five years: Belleville, IL and Spokane, WA.

Runner Friendly Communities have shown that they meet the program’s criteria, which includes community infrastructure, community support and local government support for running. Each community has shown they have an infrastructure that can foster physical activity in a safe environment. They have a proven track record that organizations and businesses work together to promote running as a healthy exercise and sport, with the most important criteria being positive relationships between the running community and their local government.

“The quality and quantity of references from city and state government leaders for this round of Runner Friendly Communities highlights the importance of positive relationships between the running community and local officials,” said Jean Knaack, RRCA Executive Director. “The commitment to safe pedestrian networks and trails in these communities shows a dedication to making physical activity a priority for the residents in their communities.”

The goal of the RRCA’s Runner Friendly Community program is to shine a national spotlight on communities that standout as runner-friendly and provide incentives and ideas for communities to work towards becoming runner-friendly communities. Runner Friendly Communities can increase the quality of life; improve physical activity for residents; and provide for increased economic impact for the community.

In the coming weeks, the RRCA will provided daily highlights on RRCA.org for each Runner Friendly Community from this round of designations, with the goal of celebrating the communities and inspiring other communities to achieve the designation.