President’s Message – January/February 2022

2018 Beat the Heat. Photo by Robert Hill

Happy New Year!

I’ve always enjoyed this period of time for reflecting upon the past 12 months and establishing goals for the coming year. I find this both rewarding and comforting. While this exercise can be implemented in many areas of life, it can certainly be applied to running accomplishments and goals. I enjoy reading the many end-of-year posts by my social media running friends – miles run, new PRs, races finished, etc.  Personally, 2021 was an off year for my running – less than 800 miles compared to an average of 1,400 miles the prior 3 years.  I’ve got some work to do in 2022!

For the Twin City Track Club, 2021 was a great year! The highlight of the year was the RRCA designation of Winston-Salem as a Runner Friendly Community. This accomplishment is a tribute to many in our area including city government and local businesses that support runners. But there is no doubt that the Twin City Track Club made an incredible impact on the shaping of a runner-friendly community in Winston-Salem. Thanks to Ashley Esleeck for project managing the intensive application process for this designation. You can read more about why we achieved this recognition here.

Another celebration is the launch of our brand-new online Flyer. The planning for twincitytcflyer.org has been in the works for several months and is finally a reality. With this digital platform, we’ll be able to share Flyer articles and content to a broader audience through email, social media, and website links. Thanks to Flyer editor Sheri Masters for putting this into production.

Other accomplishments include some new activities (e.g., New Year’s challenge runs, Winston Lights Fun Run) and the resumption of some pre-COVID events (e.g., Beat the Heat, Holiday Party).  We saw our numbers improve for several key metrics including membership, race registrations, social media followers, race services revenue and volunteer occurrences. We have a lot to be proud of!

And now it’s time to look ahead to 2022! The TCTC board has established some aggressive goals for next year. We are aiming to grow membership to break our previous record of 619 members. We’re striving for a growth in race finishers close to pre-COVID numbers. And we plan to create more volunteer opportunities and an increase in volunteerism!

As you set your own goals for the coming year, consider how you can help build upon our Runner Friendly Community designation. Look for opportunities to volunteer and/or participate in local running events, activities, and races. Encourage others to run. Most of all, be an advocate for running!

Happy New Year and Happy Running!

Er