Austin Running Needs Your Help

We've got a crisis developing in Austin that most of us never saw coming until the past couple of years. There is a sizeable and powerful movement afoot that may not be intended to crush Austin running, cycling, triathlon and other events, but could certainly have that effect.

I'm asking you to do three things:

1. Read the letter below from John Conley, the long-time director of the Austin Marathon, and the producer of other events, including the Texas Round-Up, the Bagel-Fest 5K, and the Nike Human Race. He's genuinely concerned with the health of Austin's running culture, and he's repeatedly put himself out there, often alone, to represent the Austin racing community, which is not always a pleasant task. He best explains the problem and the challenge we're facing.

2. Join me and Team Spiridon, and hopefully the rest of the Austin running community in making our voices heard, or at the very least, in making our presence and impact known. On Monday, August 11, at 5:00pm, join us at Austin City Hall, room 1029, at the City Council task force meeting. Come as you are, or come in your running gear, or simply wear a local race t-shirt on that day. Ten people will be allowed to speak, but the numbers of committed runners, representing the diversity of the Austin running community, will likely have a far greater impact than any words will. Let me know if you're interested in speaking.

3. Stay engaged in this process. Continue to be present at meetings. Write to the City Council. I'll keep you updated on ways to make an impact. Forward this email to friends that run or participate in races, or that even have an interest in non-athletic events that take place in downtown Austin - those stand to lose, as well. If you have access to public figures or businesspeople that will be sympathetic to the cause, get them involved.

From those of you that put in the work and commitment to run the Komen 5K to challenge cancer, celebrate survivors, and remember those it's claimed, to those who work on behalf of some of the charities that raise funds from special events, to those who have businesses that reap rewards from marathon weekend, to those that have found the better parts of themselves competing in multiple marathons, we have all benefitted in a multitude of ways from this important piece of Austin's culture and identity.

Keep in mind that we are not engaging in a conflict, but we are urging a compromise, because there are certainly genuine problems with the quantity of races in Austin. But if the running community doesn't show up to push for reasonable solutions, we stand to lose a valuable piece of what Austin, and what we, are. If you assume someone else will show up, that someone else will speak up, that someone else will take care of it, then we will indeed lose.

Thanks for your attention, and your involvement. I'll see you on August 11.

Rob


Letter from John Conley follows:


Hello friends!

Apologies for this very long note. This is the best summary I can come up with.

As some of you may know, I am on a City Council Task Force that has been charged with finding some remedies to the disruption to downtown traffic caused by special events. The Task Force consists of 16 citizens who represent various stakeholders in the issue.

So here's the situation:

* Two-thirds of the task force represent 'aggrieved parties' who seek to limit and control running events and triathlons.
* I am the only race director on the task force. Paul Carrozza is a co-chair and he is obviously on the side of event promotion.
* Even though over 60% of the special events in the downtown central
business district are street festivals or parades, not a single street festival or parade organizer is on the task force.
* It is no longer possible to add new members to the task force.
* The task force will likely take a hard stance on downtown running events but any recommendations adopted by the city council may also be applied city-wide.
* The rich and varied running events that have defined Austin as a
'fit-city', generated millions, upon millions of dollars for the local economy and the local non-profit community are at high risk of being over-regulated and in some cases priced out of existence in the next six to twelve months.
* A part of the cultural fabric of our city is in jeopardy.

Here's the challenge:

* If we don't advocate for our running events, then nobody else
will.
* A city council member once remarked to me, that after a race, she only hears from people who are angry and inconvenienced. She never hears from people thanking the city or complimenting a race or the charity that benefitted from the race.
* If this task force rolls with the two-third majority bias, running events in Austin will be regulated out of existence in some cases and will be priced out of existence in other cases.
* If we can get 18,000 people out to run the Cap 10K or 22,000 people out to run the Komen Race for the Cure, then can we get 100 people to email City Council Members this week, to tell them that running events are important to this community and our non-profits? Can we get 100 people to come to the next Task Force Meeting and the one after that and the one after that one until we make our point that runners are not anonymous or invisible people. Can we get 10 people at each meeting to get on the citizens communication part of the agenda to tell the task force of how important running events are to them personally?

If we can make our voices heard, then perhaps we can re-establish the balance that is missing in the composition of the task force.

I think the task force is composed of some of the city's best and brightest and every one of the aggrieved has a legitimate complaint and a solution needs to be generated that reflects a true compromise. We will get there, but so far, the only public energy that has been mustered is from the side that would like to see Austin running events go away.

The silence of the runners is deafening.

In the last three meetings, the only people speaking during the citizens communication part of the agenda are angry, aggrieved people.

No runners or race organizers have spoken. [However, Jann Girard from the Cap 10K and Brad Davidson from the Cap Tex Tri spoke eloquently as invited guests last night, but nobody from the gallery represented a race or a runner during the citizens communication].

I would like to ask you to contact 5 of your running buddies and ask them to attend one or more of our task force meetings. I would ask that they let the chairman know that they would like to address the task force for 3 minutes during the citizens communication period. 10 people are allowed to speak at this time. They can say anything they want and the task force will listen. They might want to give the task force three simple messages:

1. Running events benefit the city economy and its non-profits.
2. Running events help define Austin as a fit and desirable city
3. Running events contribute to the health and wellness of the entire community.

If they don't wish to speak, their presence will still be noted by the task force.

The task force's work will take months and won't likely end this year. However, we need runners to take an interest in this process and make their voices heard.

We will also mount a similar strategy to address the City Council directly once the task force has finished its work.

The next Street Event Closure task Force Meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m. in room 1029 at City Hall. Parking is validated.

The task force will meet on an every-other-Monday schedule, always at the same time. I will alert you to any changes.

Please let me know if you are willing to come and if you or others would like to be put on the citizens communication part of the agenda. Meetings usually last 2 hours but the citizens communication period is first on the
agenda and is over in 15 to 20 minutes.

Thanks for your time!

Best regards,

John

Go, Jenn!

Quick, but large, ups to Jennifer. After a year of persistent injuries (while training with some other group!), she's been training for the San Francisco Half Marathon on August 3, the one I have personally wussed out of (unless someone wants to pay to fly me there).

Anyway, she's been racking up personal best distances, and she hit nine running with Daniel this last Saturday.

Kudos also to Laura, who, due to a wrong turn or to, ran eight miles for the first time a couple of weekends a go.

We've got some new people with us, too - my old friend Jana, and Jessica, and Rosa Maria. August will be on us soon, with the Nike Human Race on August 31, and our training for the AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will be starting up, as well.

So, if you've been out of touch, and/or sitting on yer butt, get up and come running with us this Saturday morning at 7:00am, at Whole Foods on Sixth and Lamar - routes up to 11 miles will be available...

Saturday Run?

OK, I'll be out of town this weekend, but Jennifer needs to run 9, and some other people are interested in a run.

So, I propose that you guys meet at 7am at Whole Foods and run this route:

You get water at:
1.7 miles, at the Rock (on the trail under Mopac)
4+ miles, at the gas station on the corner of Exposition and Windsor
Just past 6 miles, after turning onto Jefferson, there's the Lucky Mart. Bring a buck and get a small bottle of water.
Just past mile 8, you could get water at Pease Park, if you really need it.

When drinking from water fountains, make sure you get enough!

If you're interested, post a comment. If you say you're going to be there, then be there, and be there on time! Do not leave people hanging! If you need to run a shorter distance, email me and I can recommend some alterations to the route.

Have fun, and be careful, particularly crossing 24th street. Run to your left, and be careful of blind corners and coming over hills.

Oh, and don't worry, I don't miss workouts during the proper training season...