NIRCA VS. NCAA (College Running Association)

Competition is good. Look up NIRCA results online.

Everything else varies from club to club.

As a person who could have walked on D1 and decided to run club instead, I'm happy with the decision. No real commitment, just practices and races I can go to when I want and a fun group of people.

Quality varies heavily from school to school. At some schools, the nirca teams are a joke and a decent high school team is better. AT others, some runners

(but probably not even half the club) take it as seriously as ncaa athletes. Why risk it though, just to save by going to a state public? Or go to some prestigious university that is way more puffed up than it should be? If you have to ask this kind of question you're better off going D3. The officers in the nirca clubs make them what they are and you get turnover every few years. A coach and athletic department in an ncaa program provide more stability.

"If you have to ask this kind of question you're better off going D3. The officers in the nirca clubs make them what they are and you get turnover every few years. A coach and athletic department in an ncaa program provide more stability."

THIS

I know a lot of guys who joined NIRCA just to have friendship with other runners.

Zylo wrote:

I know a lot of guys who joined NIRCA just to have friendship with other runners.

Oh certainly as a college student nirca is better than not being on a team at all.

former nirca guy wrote:

The officers in the nirca clubs make them what they are and you get turnover every few years. A coach and athletic department in an ncaa program provide more stability.

Well put. I definitely agree. The clubs are very diverse. Some are really strict and have coaches and official practices etc, some just like to party, and some like both.

NIRCA clubs do love to throw down a hell of a party after the national meets though.

it's a mixed bag

i'm the VP of one of the most organized nirca clubs, certainly the biggest west-coast club.

we treat it like a low-key NCAA team. we're all out there because we like to run and/or we like to run fast. our club has competitive and casual members both, which makes it more diverse, aka not just skinny dudes.

we need more west-coast nirca teams. there've been a few like sac state, davis, ucla that just popped up but they are small or they dont care that much.

I am actually organizing a track meet May 22nd in San Luis Obispo for mostly NIRCA teams, but also open to anybody. if anybody reading this is on the west coast, let me know if you/your club is interested.

West Coast does need more teams. Maybe then NIRCA could host nationals in SoCal. It would give me an excuse to buy a plane ticket out of the damn Midwest in November...