By Eric Smith
2021 is finally here and along with it comes renewed hope for things to become more “normal” for runners. Back in late November, the Charlotte Running Club board of directors agreed it was best to scale back on hosting events as there was concern that community spread of COVID-19 would increase due to holiday gatherings. It’s been great to see some recent improvement in the metrics for cases, percent positive and hospitalizations, but we are not quite to the point of moving forward with our plans to hold events that ensure safety for participants.
In prior years, we have been able to provide race discounts to our members and host the Winter Classic 8K/4K each January, bringing together runners to compete in a fun and unique event. 2020 was a challenging year for all race directors trying to stage races under the COVID guidelines and absorb the increased associated costs. In light of this, CRC will not be able to offer race and store discounts for members in the near future. The Winter Classic 8K/4K will be back in 2022 assuming we are allowed to hold the event with minimal restrictions.
We truly appreciate everyone who has recently renewed their Charlotte Running Club membership. Please be patient with us in the coming months as we must continue to stay flexible with our plans to support Charlotte area runners, local running stores and businesses as much as possible to foster additional growth and further strengthen the running community.