FAQ
About the Austin Runners Club (ARC)
- What is the Austin Runners Club?
- The Austin Runners Club is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization with members of all ages and running and walking abilities. The club is organized exclusively for charitable, health, and educational purposes. The Austin Runners Club shall promote and encourage running, walking, wheelchair racing, and related activities and shall educate the public to their benefits. The Austin Runners Club shall maintain competitive and non-competitive activities for its membership and for the general public.
- How do I contact the Austin Runners Club?
- You can contact the club by e-mail (information@austinrunners.org) or US Mail at P.O. Box 160683 Austin, TX 78716-0683
- Is the ARC a non-profit?
- Yes! The Austin Runners Club is a non-profit organization under section 501 (c)(3) of the US tax code.
- Where can I get information on ARC’s tax-exempt status?
- Per IRS regulation section 6104: As a non profit organization, Austin Runners Club Federal tax is available for public review. This information is available by postal mail via the contact information above, or by e-mail at treasurer@austinrunners.org
Membership
- Do I have to sign up and/or pay to join in on a group run?
- You don't HAVE to join the Austin Runners Club to participate. If you're interested in getting out, running and meeting folks, it might indeed help to be a member as you'll get additional opportunities through the social events we host as well as the group runs. But we also have a message board to get to learn about (and ask about) more ad-hoc running opportunities and get e-mail notes about upcoming club events, discounts, etc. Membership certainly pays for itself, but if you just want to go for a group run, just drop in.
With a busy schedule, you can indeed just drop in if you have free time to join a group run. We have some morning and some evening runs, so there is something for everybody, and runs that meet at or run through different areas of the city. You can discover a lot of cool parts of town thanks to some of these runs. The groups are great, and with a big group, there are lots of paces and distance options.
- You don't HAVE to join the Austin Runners Club to participate. If you're interested in getting out, running and meeting folks, it might indeed help to be a member as you'll get additional opportunities through the social events we host as well as the group runs. But we also have a message board to get to learn about (and ask about) more ad-hoc running opportunities and get e-mail notes about upcoming club events, discounts, etc. Membership certainly pays for itself, but if you just want to go for a group run, just drop in.
- What options do I have to pay for membership?
- How can I get involved?
- It is easy to get started. Most ARC events are open to the public. So feel free to drop in and check things out. But you are also welcome to join by mail or online and participate as a member. This way you will receive e-mail updates and newsletters that give you notice of ARC events. But for most events, anyone is welcome—though for certain events (such as the Summer or Winter party) there may be a small fee for non-members to participate.
- I'm a beginner. Do I have to be fast to run with the club?
- The Austin Runners club is dedicated to advancing fitness for all ages and skill levels. Our group runs and races are open to anyone, and you’ll often find a wide variety of folks running at different paces. Speed is purely optional!
- Where can I find information on ARC discounts for events?
- We publish the discounts that ARC members receive for events in our “ARC Announces” e-mailings and on the password-protected Members only section of our message board. These sources tell you the terms and mechanisms for getting the ARC discount.
- What are the benefits of membership?
- There are lots of benefits to membership with the Austin Runners Club. Benefits include events discounts as well as discounts at leading health and fitness businesses in Austin. There are also fitness and social benefits, from club-organized races and group runs to happy hours, socials and bi-annual club parties. The full list of benefits can be found here.
- What membership options does ARC offer?
- We offer several types and terms of membership. We offer individual memberships and memberships for families (several persons living at the same address). We offer both of these in annual or 5-year membership terms.
Events
- How can I add events on the calendar?
- It is easy to submit events for listing to the Austin Runners Club calendars. We have calendars on our web site as well as on our message board, and the form on the lower left side of the web page will give our web administrators the information to publish to both of the calendars. If you are submitting an event that offers a discount for ARC members, please be sure to indicate such on the form, and the administrators will contact you to ask for the details. Note that we also promote these races and events to our members using the message board and “ARC Announces” e-mails.
- Where can I find information on ARC discounts for events?
- We publish the discounts that ARC members receive for events in our “ARC Announces” e-mailings and on the password-protected Members only section of our message board. These sources tell you the terms and mechanisms for getting the ARC discount.
- What events does ARC sponsor?
- The Austin Runners Club is the lead sponsor and organizer of the Decker Challenge/DOUBLE DECKER and Daisy 5K races, and is the sponsor/coordinator for the Spring SPRINT Series. ARC also hosts or co-hosts numerous Happy Hours, breakfast socials, parties and other fun events.
- What is Daisy?
- The Austin Runners Club Daisy 5K is the oldest race in Austin. It is a challenging but usually fast 5K usually held in the city and run in the late/winter early spring. Historically it had been a Mother’s Day race and celebrated Moms. But while we still celebrate Moms, in recent years Daisy has been a February/March race that kicked off the Spring Sprint Series.
- What is the Decker Challenge/DOUBLE Decker?
- The Decker Challenge is the Austin Runners Club premier long distance race event. Currently, ARC has been holding the Decker Challenge as a half marathon and the DOUBLE Decker as a full marathon. These are fun but challenging races held in the area around The Travis County Expo Center and Walter E Long Lake in eastern Travis County. This race is one of the best values in central Texas and a must-run event for persons training for a winter/spring marathon for its ability to really test your fitness levels and prepare you for anything that another race can throw at you. You can learn more about Decker events here.
- When are the ARC Happy Hours? Where? Is there a cost to attend?
- Official ARC happy hours are held on the fourth Sunday of every month at North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery (NXNW) in Austin from 5-7PM. Unofficially, you will often find ARC friends at NXNW from 5-7 on any Sunday of the month. We also have some new ad-hoc happy hours and multi-club socials on new days and at different venues around town. We publish notice of these in our “ARC Announces” e-mails, on our web site and on our message board Events section.
Sponsorship
- Who are ARC sponsors?
- ARC sponsors are some great Austin businesses that value a relationship with the broad fitness-oriented base of ARC members. They offer valuable goods and services, support causes that offer synergy with the ARC mission and typically provide discounts to ARC members. We like to support our sponsors because our sponsors support ARC!
- What do ARC sponsors do?
- ARC sponsors provide the logistical and/or financial support for ARC activities and events that (in conjunction with the energies of Arc members and other volunteers) that make these things possible. They also often provide discounted goods and services to our members that make the value of membership in ARC even more compelling.
- How does a company become a sponsor?
- ARC is open to a wide array of sponsor types, and can work to find a sponsorship to meet most any need, from general club sponsorship to title or event sponsorships for specific activities. Please contact the ARC President to explore sponsorship opportunities.
- What are sponsor benefits?
- The primary benefit is exposure to a large base of local folks with a common interest in fitness and enhancing the community. There are also specific additional benefits through association with (logos on web site, shirts and other collateral) and marketing at specific ARC events.
Group Runs
- Do I have to sign up and/or pay to join in on a group run?
- You don't HAVE to join the Austin Runners Club to participate. If you're interested in getting out, running and meeting folks, it might indeed help to be a member as you'll get additional opportunities through the social events we host as well as the group runs. But we also have a message board to get to learn about (and ask about) more ad-hoc running opportunities and get e-mail notes about upcoming club events, discounts, etc. Membership certainly pays for itself, but if you just want to go for a group run, just drop in.
With a busy schedule, you can indeed just drop in if you have free time to join a group run. We have some morning and some evening runs, so there is something for everybody, and runs that meet at or run through different areas of the city. You can discover a lot of cool parts of town thanks to some of these runs. The groups are great, and with a big group, there are lots of paces and distance options.
- You don't HAVE to join the Austin Runners Club to participate. If you're interested in getting out, running and meeting folks, it might indeed help to be a member as you'll get additional opportunities through the social events we host as well as the group runs. But we also have a message board to get to learn about (and ask about) more ad-hoc running opportunities and get e-mail notes about upcoming club events, discounts, etc. Membership certainly pays for itself, but if you just want to go for a group run, just drop in.
- Where can I find a group to run with in my community?
- I'm a beginner. Do I have to be fast to run with the club?
- The Austin Runners club is dedicated to advancing fitness for all ages and skill levels. Our group runs and races are open to anyone, and you’ll often find a wide variety of folks running at different paces. There is nothing wrong with being fast, but speed is purely optional at all ARC outings!
- Can you recommend some running routes?
Volunteering
- How can I get involved?
- The Austin Runners Club’s broad relationships in the running community enable us to find lots of ways to help the community through event support and projects. We look for interesting and fun projects that benefit our members and our city. And we try to reciprocate with races that offer discounts to our members or those that support our races and events. We publish volunteer opportunities on our online forum, in” ARC Announces” e-mails and on our main web page. You can also send an e-mail to our great volunteer coordinator at volunteer@austinrunners.org and we’ll make sure ou stay in the loop on new opportunities.
- Are there benefits to volunteering with ARC?
- Sure. First, it is always good to help out—races and running venues can’t survive without the energy of volunteers. Volunteering with Austin Runners club provides added benefits. First, it improves the image of the club as a driving entity in the fitness community. Second, it provides you with great opportunities to meet and get to know fellow members and to build new friendships. Lastly, it pays back! When you volunteer through our volunteer coordinator we track volunteer hours and reward participation with ARC gear at certain thresholds.
Message Board, Web Site and E-mail
- How can I change my e-mail address for ARC e-mails?
- Members can update their e-mail addresses by sending an e-mail to the club Information Services Director.
- Who manages the ARC message board, web site or e-mail lists?
- The ARC message board is managed by an administrator and a small group of moderators that are club members volunteering for this role. You may contact them directly through the private message function of the board. You may also contact the club President or Information Services Director for issues or questions related to the message board. The ARC web site is also maintained by volunteer club members. You may also contact the club President or Information Services Director for issues or questions related to the web site. Members can update their e-mail or mailing addresses by sending an e-mail to the club Information Services Director.
- How do I access the members only section of the ARC Message Board?
- Access to the members only site is only provided to current members . Your ARC welcome letter will contain information to get you into this site. The process starts with registering on the main message board site. Once registered, you may go to the Members Only section of the site. You will be asked for a password. Here you must enter the password provided by the club. If you do not have this information, please send an e-mail to the club Information Services Director and you will be provided with this information by e-mail as soon as membership has been verified. Note that the password for this site is always case sensitive.
- Do I have to be an ARC member to visit and participate in your message board?
- The ARC message board is a resource for the running community provided by the ARC—but is generally open to all who wish to participate and contribute. Note that the Members Only section is password protected and only accessible to current ARC members.
New to Austin/Visiting Austin
- I am thinking of coming to Austin for a visit, and was interested to see what races are available. In addition, is there a good site to look up general Austin happenings?
- For running events, you can check the ARC events calendar, or go here to see a good calendar hosted by RunTex. A good resource for general events is hosted by Austin 360 here. In both case, check back often. We've observed in the current economy is that events seem to be listing later than in the past.
- I just moved to the Austin area. I used to have local group runs back home, and am looking to get back into it. How can I get started?
- Welcome to Austin. We've got loads of running and social opportunities for someone interested in getting out and getting fit. We've got group runs most days of the week (see list here:), we've got socials, happy hours, volunteer activities, online forums and more. It is a great place to get plugged into the running scene. Group runs are free and open to the public, so feel free to drop in. But membership is inexpensive and gets you some of the social benefits and discounts that more than pay for the cost of the membership (for more details on benefits and for links to join, please go here.)
