The Collegiate Running Association is a non-profit (501c3) organization founded in November 2013 whose mission is to "promote healthy lifestyles among college students through running and provide quality road, mountain and trail running opportunities for the public." Additionally, we provide all college students (undergraduate, graduate and post graduate students) taking at least one college course the opportunity to compete in our national championship events within road, mountain and trail racing. Our national championship events offer prize money based on performance specifically reserved for college students taking at least one college course, without compromising eligibility of those NCAA DI student-athletes still competing.
The only requirement for those interested in competing for prize money within a Collegiate Running Association national championship — for road racing, trail racing or mountain racing — is that the participant must be currently enrolled in at least one college course at any level, freeing runners from various restrictions such as maintaining a full-time status and competing only during a four or five year window. These eligibility requirements provide the first opportunity for a true national championship that transcends college divisions to exist.
Founder Steve Taylor, a NCAA Division I cross country and track and field coach with more than 25 years experience at the collegiate level, created the organization in November 2013 after considering the idea for some time. “College sports offer great opportunities but the rules continue to become more complex and only provide a limited time window for student-athletes to compete,” Taylor said. “Our view is that running is simple and often a life-long pursuit. Before the CRA there were no opportunities for part-time or graduate students that have exhausted their NCAA/NAIA eligibility to compete at the collegiate level, and that needed to change.”
Road racing, trail racing and mountain racing are growing branches of the running community that until the creation CRA in 2013, had not been offered a collegiate championship through the NCAA or any existing group. The Collegiate Running Association partners with well-established road, trail and mountain races that can accommodate large numbers of athletes on attractive courses to host our championship events. “Our hope is that both social and elite college runners will want to compete in the association’s national championship events,” Taylor says. “Ideally, social running groups and individuals will point to our championship events as their destination races, where they can participate in a huge community event and celebrate after, while the elite athletes, clubs and teams attend in order to determine the true collegiate national champions and also earn prize money in the process. Ultimately, our mission is to have a healthier college population who stay involved in the sport of running throughout their college years and beyond.”
Top finishers in our national championships will earn prize money. In 2013 the NCAA adopted legislation which allows current Division I student-athletes to accept prize money equal to the necessary expenses for competing in their sport through an entire calendar year — so long as they are able to present receipts for the expenses to their school's compliance office upon request. Postgraduates and students without remaining NCAA eligibility don’t have limitations on the amount of money they can accept.
The Collegiate Running Association hosted its first national championship event on March 29, 2014 as part of the third largest 10K in the nation...the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, VA. This event offered $10,000 in prize money specifically reserved for college students enrolled in at least 1 college course (under graduate, graduate or post graduate). For the first time ever college students competed in an inclusive event to determine a Collegiate 10K Road Race Champion. In all 3,635 college students registered for the event...1,852 of those registered college students ran the Ukrop's 10K for the first time...1,200 of those 3,635 registered college students were also members of the Collegiate Running Association.
Since 2014 the CRA and our race partnerships have awarded over $80,000 in prize money and travel specifically reserved for college students…17 CRA members have collectively qualified for 52 USATF National Teams (2014-2017)! 2014 CRA 10K Road Race National Champion, Paul Chelimo (UNC-G) won the Silver medal (2nd- 13:03.90) in the 5,000M during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and Bronze medal (3rd) in the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships (5,000M) for team USA. In our first 4 years (2014-2017) over 11,000 college students from across the U.S. have participated in CRA National Championship events.
For more information on the Collegiate Running Association, visit collegiaterunning.org.