I’ve written before about the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) race circuit, and it’s recently been something of a hot topic.
The circuit consists of about 20 of the region’s better races-including The Race That’s Good for Life in Oak Park. It’s the annual basis for overall team and individual age-group competition, where runners’ results are tabulated against others in the same age groups. Same for club competition, where a club’s combined results are scored against other Chicago-area clubs for yearly bragging rights. I’ve never been talented enough to be among my age-group leaders, but I try to stay near the top 10 (knee permitting).
The circuit has definitely fostered better running events, since circuit races must follow CARA standards. Races are charged a fee for their circuit status, but if the standards aren’t followed, they’re dropped from the list. This “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” has raised the bar for all races, enhancing even those events which are not CARA endorsed. Runners who come to Chicago frequently comment on the high-quality races here.
But there have been some recent complaints. At a June race in Roselle, course marshals weren’t in position and the lead runners missed a turn, going off-course. Only the lead pack was affected-maybe 20 to 30 runners-but others ran the proper course and were scored accurately in their age groups. The CARA board reviewed the mix-up, decided that the mistake was not the runners’ fault, and felt that the leaders’ omission from the overall results was a major flaw. Roselle results were removed from circuit scoring.
An uproar ensued, with CARA receiving heated opinions that a small number of off-course runners should not negate circuit scores for the majority. Some said it was the runners’ responsibility to know the course. Others said the loss of this race would make it hard for them to compete in enough races to get the best possible score (CARA counts a runner’s best 10 circuit races for the year).
Very large events like the Shamrock Shuffle and the Chicago Marathon don’t bother to apply for circuit status, so CARA tries to select a variety of other good races spread through the season with solid records of past performance. Unfortunately, with so many 5Ks out there in recent years, the choice was somewhat limited, and the 2008 circuit is overloaded with them. Previous race distances like 12K and 15K are completely gone; even 8Ks and 10Ks are much less prevalent.
Uncomfortable at hearing these complaints, CARA hopes to “fix” the circuit, making it better for competitive runners and attractive to more CARA members ranging from the elites through the back-of-the-pack runners. Since I’m a member of CARA’s Racing Committee, I guess I’ll be involved.
To me the circuit has always been the core of CARA, since running is about moving faster, and race competition is where we measure our ability. Maybe today’s runners are less into competition and more into participation, but whether you’re competitive or not, the circuit has improved running for most of us.
Paul Oppenheim is a member of the Oak Park Runners Club and CARA.