Best Running Club? NIRCA!

Training Advice/Discussion General

9 years ago 01/28/2015 8:32pm EST

What is the NIRCA competition like? Are the meets big and competetive? I'm going to be running in the NIRCA instead of NCAA because I think it will be better for me training wise. It seems like runners in the NIRCA are really nice and humble. I hope to make friends when I join a club team. I know i'm not ready to make a D1 team so I would like to join a decent club team and compete with a great group of guys. I would like to join a program with a coach that cares and that is very knowledgable. And maybe when i'm good enough i'll be able to switch over to NCAA. Any suggestions?

9 years ago 01/28/2015 10:17pm EST

re: 4:47 Miler

I only know about the UVA club but i have had a very positive experience. Cross country races are fun and there is plenty of competition ( i think the best male miler on the team rn runs sub 4:25.) There is no coach, just workout coordinators that are elected but it works out fine bc most good runners know enough to coach themselves.

Idk about going from club to the NCAA at least at UVA it never happens because there aren't walk ons but idk what schools you are looking at.

9 years ago 01/28/2015 11:45pm EST

re: 4:47 Miler

There are NIRCA runners who can run your mile PR for 5,000m. You will not have to worry about competition level.

My club has a coach who also coaches at the local high school, we do workouts with him twice a week normally.

He knows his stuff well and lives and breathes track.

Why do you want to switch to NCAA?? Just do club or run on your own or start your own club or run marathons or whatever. Don't sacrifice your academics to be a piece of meat for some NCAA coach.

DO NOT PICK YOUR SCHOOL BASED ON RUNNING!!

9 years ago 01/28/2015 11:59pm EST

re: 4:47 Miler

I ran with the UCLA running club for a couple months my freshman year. It was fun, but very different from high school. There was no competitive feeling at practice and very little camaraderie compared to high school. We had one meet, the West Regionals in Fresno and that was fun. It was good competition (5 guys under 27, 10 under 28, 20 under 29, etc.).

Anyway, I only lasted for two months before I screwed up my shins and after a year off I joined the triathlon team. I mention this because I find it very similar to what I know NCAA teams to be like. We're all brothers, we train together 10-20 hours per week, and the races are a team sport, just like HS. And there are 7-8 races each year.

9 years ago 01/29/2015 9:08am EST

re: 4:47 Miler

Michigan State, Ohio State, & Michigan have awesome running clubs.

9 years ago 01/29/2015 2:22pm EST

re: Zylo

whoa buddy… * Michigan and Michigan State have fast running clubs. OSU's team is basically middle of the pack HS times. But the Big 10 typically has some of the better clubs. If you're looking for some of the better clubs in NIRCA, here are a few. Penn State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, UVA, UNC and Florida.

9 years ago 02/13/2015 12:06am EST

re: hoosierdaddy?

NIRCA has a large spread of competition. Some Indiana kid (I think a grad student) Dropped a 4:08 mile early this track season at home and won the race over 4-5 IU Varsity runners. It was hilarious. You wont need to worry about not having enough competition.

Some clubs have coaches some don't. Having a dedicated coach does not necessarily correlate to being a competitive club. Some clubs have coaches and suck. Some coach themselves and are really competitive.

We also like to get drunk after races.

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