The
Bayou City "Fun" Runners...
Formed in
1984, the Bayou City Road Runners (BCRR) has grown into a very
unique and distinctive running club in Houston. Many club members
are "serious" runners, some do it to control weight, some do it for
fitness, some for the challenge, but one very common theme among
BCRR members is "let's have fun". Members span the spectrum from
among the fastest in Houston to, frankly, some of the best back of
the packers. To be a member, you don't have to be fast, you don't
have to run long distances, in fact you don't even have to run, you
just have to think that it's a good idea. And one other thing, you
have to like purple, because that's the team color.
Parties,
Gatherings, and Banquets...
The real
reason many of us are members is the great social agenda. The basic
weekly Wednesday evening gathering at
Valhalla
, a pub on Rice
campus is the focal point for members. Rain or shine, all year long,
members gather for beer, peanuts, pretzels and conversation after a
run around campus or just after work. We have bimonthly Happy Hours around town
and a regular Sunday morning post run breakfast. We party after
almost every HARRA Championship
race and sometimes for no reason at all. We have an annual Christmas
Party, "Carbo Loading" dinner before the Houston Marathon, an
"Awards Banquet" in May,
Road
Trips...
Yes, there
are road trips. We've sent groups to the Paris, Barcelona, Rome,
Athens, Dublin, Berlin, and Warsaw Marathons as well as New
York, Boston, Chicago, Austin and Dallas. We always have a number of
teams running the Corpus Christi Relay Marathon every
year. Trips are being planned for relays, more overseas
marathons and races.
Running and
Training...
Because we
have members of all abilities its easy to find someone to train
with. On Wednesdays there
are at least two separate group of various speeds starting from Rice
University. This is done so that no one has to go too far to get to
Valhalla (beer) after the
run. On Sunday
mornings two groups start out from Memorial Park for longer runs.
The time and distance of these runs vary depending upon the weather
and the season. This one is usually followed by breakfast. We all do
the best we can to participate in HARRA Championship races but that
is certainly optional.
Power to the
Purple...
BCRR is not
without its running achievements. We've been the Houston Area Road
Runners Association (HARRA) Club Champs for the Spring season 12
years running (1995 - 2006) and before that in 1992 and 1993. We
were Master Men Champs: 1993, 1995 and Spring 2005 – 2008; Master
Women Champs: 1993, Spring 1994, 1995 and 1998, and Fall 2000
through Spring 2003, Fall 2005 and Spring 2006, Open Women Champs
Spring 1993-1994, Fall 1999 and 2001, and Spring and Fall 2005. With
the addition of the Veterans Division in 2005, we have been Veteran
Men Champs Fall 2005 and 2007, and Spring 2005-2007. Veteran women
have been champs Spring 2006, Fall 2007, and Spring 2008. Although
we have had many exceptional runners,, don't get scared, and don't
be too impressed. We'll be the first to admit, we did it
because we had participation. Everyone contributed just by
finishing. And talking about finishing, each year awards are given
to BCRR members who have distinguished themselves through their
running. The "Most Valuable Runner" awards are given at the End of
Season "Awards Banquet" in May and are weighted toward participation
in HARRA Fall and Spring Series Races.
BCRR
BYLAWS
