About Us
Learn how the Brockville Road Runners Club got started, what is our mission, who are our board members and get a brief introduction to our programs.
How We Got Started
In 1985 a group of Brockville area runners decided to form a running club. These were people from the Brockville ‘Y’, high school PE teachers and other recreational runners. One of the key members of the latter group was Rick Oliver.
The first president of the Brockville Road Runners club was Jim Morrison, who passed the baton on to Mark Darroch, who in turn passed it on to son-in-law Rick Oliver. For your interest, a listing of holders of the office of president to date.
The club gradually organized a number of races, from 5K through 10K to a 21.1K half marathon and eventually had one of the more active race schedules in Eastern Ontario.
From the beginning, the club prided itself on being a organization that was friendly, inclusive of all ages and abilities and affordable in terms of membership and race fees. The club, incorporated as a not-for-profit in 1990, has continued to operate under this guiding principle.
Our Mission
To promote the sport of road running, and thereby to encourage and support healthy lifestyles, in a fair and inclusive environment, through racing, participation in social runs and volunteerism.
In keeping with the vision of our founders, we keep race registration and membership costs as LOW as possible to ensure ALL have the ability to participate, regardless of financial limitations.
We also support our local community by giving back a portion of our race profits to help support local charities (Brockville Food Bank, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Salvation Army, etc). We also give a generous donation to St. John Ambulance for the safety coverage that they provide to us on race days.
Our Board
Our newly appointed volunteer board for 2024:
Liam Cullen
President
Murray Tait
Treasurer
Shannon Wilson
Secretary
(includes membership)
Ian Loughrey
Director
Charlene Thomas
Director Communications
Shane Curless
Director Tech Support
Our Programs
We offer a number of programs designed to ensure we meet our mission statement.
Racing
We schedule and organize a number of races throughout the season, including during the winter months of January, February and March, followed by our featured Canada Day 5K and fall Thousand Islands Parkway half marathon in September. These races are open to all, but taking out a club membership is encouraged.
Group or Social Runs
These are informal in nature but do follow a predefined schedule. The runs are geared towards the needs and abilities of various groups and vary in length and pace.
For more details: Group Runs
Community Involvement
In keeping with our mission statement, we support various local charities, provide annual local high school student bursaries, and support community initiatives such as the Brockville Tunnel, Community Wide Clean-up, Adopt a Highway, etc. We also actively support community organization sponsored fundraising runs such as the Brockville Legion Resolution Run, the Piggy Run for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and others.