Club Scene

The Kelowna Running Club, B.C.

The Kelowna Running Club, like so many ot hers, bega n wit h a small community of like-minded runners who met up regularly to stay active. It was the early ’70s, and the running boom was starting to make its mark across North America. In 1974, Kelowna hosted it s first-ever marathon, attracting 600 participants, an astounding turnout for those days. This race helped the grass roots club grow from a handful of runners to over 30. They were nicknamed the “Goats” for their love of Saturday morning hill workouts, and in the early ’80s, the largely informal group officially became the Kelowna Running Club.

Richard Dueck, the current club president, began running 10 years ago.

“I started running because I noticed I wasn’t as healthy as I would like to be,” says Dueck. “I began running solo, and it didn’t take long for other runners I know to encourage me to get involved in the local running club.”

Dueck took their advice and quickly realized the club had much to offer as a resource for new runners. More importantly, he connected with the community of runners in his hometown. Enjoying the friendships he formed, he became involved in organizing the club, and for the last three years, he has been the club’s president.

“I spend a lot of time focused on the big picture and how it’s affecting runners in general, and I believe that’s important to planning our club’s strategy if we are going to be effective,” Dueck says.

The club includes Legacy Members, people who were part of the club’s inception and are still involved in its direction. The club continues to evolve and Dueck has seen a shift over the last few years as the club returns to its community roots.

“We talk with the legacy runners and they very much want to see the club survive their generation,” says Dueck. With this in mind, the club has switched its focus from organizing races for its members to instead host ing more t r a i ni ng opport unit ies during the week.

“This shift allows us to become community builders and a source of information for those who want to learn, a resource for runners,” Dueck says. The club has had great success with a new training session on Tuesdays called Next Step, a speed workout that is adapted for any level and coached by professionals.

The club has also aligned itself with Park Run, an international collection of free 5k events held every Saturday at 9 a.m.

“Park Run is an international phenomenon and changing the landscape of running in a major way,” says Dueck. “It’s become the simplest, most effective way to get people who don’t want to run to run.” These runs are held across Canada, and the Kelowna race started two years ago.

“Supporting Park Run fa lls squarely within our club’s mandate and is an effective tool that helps us meet the needs of people where they need to be met. That’s the key,” says Dueck. “I want people to be attracted to the club for running but to stay because of the community.”