About Us
St. Charles Runners Club has members of all ages and athletic skill levels who share the enjoyment of running, walking, and staying fit. We are an affiliate of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and a chartered 501(c) (3) organization. Not surprisingly, our primary activities are our weekly group run/walks however we also have numerous run/walk activities on around holidays and other special occasions throughout the year. If you are just starting out or thinking about taking on a bigger challenge you have come to the right place. If you have questions, need help meeting your goals, motivation getting into shape, or just some company on your run/walks, SCRC members are passionate about what they do and are happy to share experiences.
You can join us every weekend for our weekly Saturday morning run and breakfast afterwards or at our events/parties held throughout the year. SCRC members love to socialize! More information is provided below. We encourage you to check us out on Facebook where you’ll find information about our regular running/walking schedule and other activities and events.
Run/Walk Activities
The club’s mainstay is our year round weekly Saturday morning group run/walks. SCRC members and their friends are welcome to join the group social runs anytime. Worried about having someone to run/walk with or not being able to keep up? Don’t be! The SCRC has runners/walkers of all ages and abilities. It is not difficult to find someone that has a pace similar to yours. SCRC runners and walkers are encouraged to introduce themselves to others running or walking at their pace.
Scheduled Run/Walk
The weekly Saturday morning run starts at 7am and will go on rain or shine barring significant weather events, such as if the roads are impassible. However safety is a paramount concern and so the SCRC encourages you to use your best judgment as to whether or not it is safe for you. We typically meet at some exotic location like a street corner, parking lot, or Park pavilion in or near the St Charles, Missouri area. After any introductions and brief announcements, everyone heads out at their own pace. The Saturday morning courses are marked and rotate among 3 locations throughout the year. They are generally set up for 10 miles however they all have options to easily shorten or lengthen the distance to meet your personal fitness level or running goals. The start locations and courses for our Saturday run/walks are posted on the club Facebook page. Bathrooms and water is typically available at or near the start of the course except during the winter months. All runners/walkers are encouraged to plan ahead for their hydration needs and bring water/sports drink with them on the run/walk. After our weekend runs, those who wish to do so regularly gather to eat, drink, and socialize at a location near the start/finish of the course.
Our scheduled run/walks include people of all ages and paces. Whatever your pace, it is likely that there will be others at the same pace, particularly when the weather is good and there is a large group.
Semi-scheduled Run/Walk
Over the years a second weekly run has evolved into a pretty regular club member run/walk. From early August to late May SCRC members meet at 6:30pm at the Fleet Feet Store in St Charles MO (3813 Mexico Rd, Saint Charles, MO, 63303). Check the club's Facebook page for more info. The standard course is 5 miles but can easily be shortened or lengthened to meet you fitness level or running goals. Every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day we join Fleet Feet's Summer Speedwork workouts. As with the weekly Saturday run, SCRC club members and friends who wish to do so gather to eat, drink, and socialize after the run/walk. All members are encouraged to plan ahead for their hydration needs and bring water/sports drink with them on the run/walk.
Unscheduled Run/Walk
Many events are also organized “informally” by groups of club members who simply arrange to meet each other at a set time and place and go for a run. These groups can be as small as two or three people or as big as 20 or 30 people. Because these activities are not formal and often impromptu, they often are not posted on the web site or made generally known. Often, you can find out about them by listening to fellow runners, inviting some members to run at a place & time convenient to all, or by sending out an email to club members. For example, if you are interested in running on Thursday mornings, ask around and you might find a group that is meeting and running. These informal groups often use social media tools to communicate activities.
2021 Calendar (updated 12/09/21)
- St. Charles Runners Club Holiday Party | December 12th, 2pm – 6pm
2022 Calendar (updated 12/09/21)
- New Year's Day Run | January 1st, 10:00am
- Start – Lost Valley Trail
- Weekly Saturday Group Run – Downtown St. Charles course | January 1st – April 30th, 7:00am
- Start – Main St & McDonough St. One block North of Schlafly Bankside downtown St Charles.
- Club Meeting & Chili Supper | January 23rd, 6:00pm
- Start – St. Charles Police Department Meeting Room
- Club Meeting & Fleet Feet New Products Show | April 24th, 6:00pm
- Fleet Feet Store - St. Charles
- Weekly Saturday Group Run – Rec-Plex Trail course | May 1st– September 30th, 7:00am
- Start – City Centre Pavilion
- Pancake Run | May 28th, 7:00am
- Start – Lost Valley Trail
- Ice Cream Run & Social | June 11th, 6:00pm
- Start – Fritz’s Frozen Custard
- Pre-Flat Five Run & Cookout | August 4th, 6:00pm
- Start -- Frontier Park downtown St. Charles
- St. Charles Runners Club Flat Five Race | August 7th, 7:00am
- Start -- Frontier Park downtown St. Charles
- Club Picnic | September 25th | 2-5 PM
- Indian Camp Creek | Shelter #4
- Weekly Saturday Group Run – Creve Coeur Lake course | October 1 – December 31st, 7:00am
- Start – Creve Coeur Lake – Sailboat Cove
- Club Meeting, Elections & Fleet Feet New Products Show | November 20th, 6:00 PM
- Fleet Feet Store - St. Charles
- St. Charles Runners Club Holiday Party | December 11, 3-6 PM
- Timber Creek Grill
Charitable Donations
The SCRC hosts an annual race called the St. Charles Runners Club Flat 5. This 5 mile race happens in early August in beautiful downtown St. Charles MO. The Flat 5 is the SCRC’s major fund raising event for the year and supports the club’s the annual donation to local charities. Most of our members either participate in or volunteer to support that event.
Volunteers
St. Charles Runners Club relies exclusively on volunteers to make all the events and activities successful. Board members help administer club business, web pages are updated, events are planned, organized and executed, permits are requested, records are maintained, equipment and supplies are purchased, bills are paid all by volunteer SCRC members. Volunteering not only helps the club function but it provides an opportunity to meet people and give back to an organization we all get so much personal enjoyment a and satisfaction from. Most volunteers agree that helping out is part of the fun of belonging to St. Charles Runners Club. SCRC members are encouraged to pitch in with club business and activities wherever and whenever they can.
Ultra-running, Biking and Swimming
If you’re ready for something a bit more challenging like running across the Grand Canyon, Mountain Biking, Triathlons, running 50 or 100 miles or Adventure Racing, talk to or email club members. Most of our members are multi-sport athletes who have a lot of experience to share or currently training for other non-running events. You can often find out about what others are training for by listening to fellow runners or by sending out an email to club members.
Communications
Our primary communication is via our website, Facebook page and club email distribution list. The website and Facebook pages are updated regularly. They contain our schedule, including course maps, as well as information about all our activities.
- This web site: St. Charles Runners Club
- Or visit us on Facebook
- Please email SCRC-Info@emaildodo.com with any questions you may have.
Governance
As noted above, St. Charles Runners Club is an independent 501(c) (3) organization governed by a 4-member board of directors, elected annually by the members. Because we are a member organization of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), all members of St. Charles Runners Club are also members of RRCA. For more information see RRCA. St. Charles Runners Club’ membership year corresponds to the calendar year. If you join any time after September of the year, you become a member for the remainder of that year and the entire following calendar year. Our board members are elected by the membership voting held in November of each year. The current Board members are:
- Bud Pape, President
- Carolyn Sehorn, Vice President
- Jessica Heupel, Treasurer
- Melanie Hebda, Secretary
To contact the SCRC Board members, please email SCRCBoard@emaildodo.com.
Rules
Although we don’t have a lot of rules, there are some guidelines that we ask people to follow.
Although we don’t have a lot of rules, there are some guidelines that we ask people to follow.
- Pets are welcome but pet owners are expected to be exceptionally diligent in controlling their pets to ensure other runner/walker safety is not jeopardized. As you can imagine, things could get a little crazy and dangerous with 20 people running together with dogs and leashes.
- SCRC is a social organization and encourages conversation during our runs. Furthermore, runner/walker safety is a top concern. Therefore the SCRC (like most races) discourages listening to music during our club runs.
- Although we love children, we cannot take responsibility for those who are not old enough to take care of themselves if they were to get lost or have something happen.
- HAVE FUN!
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