Dear Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR) Members,
We hope this communication finds you and your family safe and healthy as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 health crisis and move through the re-opening phases.
The health and safety of our runners is of utmost importance and we thank you for your patience as we work to reintroduce club activities in as safe a manner as possible. We wish to thank everyone who participated in our COVID-19 Return to Group Running Readiness Survey. Perspectives varied significantly, but the majority of respondents desired to see group runs return as soon as possible (within permissible guidelines) and with certain precautionary measures in place. The survey results without open-ended responses can be found via the link below. Click here to review survey results
The feedback provided by our membership was very helpful as we developed our COVID-19 Operational Preparedness Plan. Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR) used a plan developed by Road Runners Clubs of America (RRCA) and the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) as a template. Federal, state and local guidelines as well as feedback from our membership were factored in to its development.
A task force comprised of Doug Chapel, Liz VandenHeede, Vana Kokkinos and myself customized the plan to meet Kalamazoo Area Runner’s needs, and then the plan was approved at a special board meeting on Sunday, June 28, 2020. The Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR) COVID-19 Operational Preparedness Plan can be found via the link below.Click here to view the COVID-19 Operational Preparedness Plan
Now that the plan has been developed, we are moving to implementation and will be phasing in our small group runs first, followed by events and larger training programs as regulations permit and community resources become available. We are in the process of training our group run and training program directors on the COVID-19 Operational Preparedness Plan, and building the communications and systems infrastructure to operate our runs as safely as possible. Thank you again for your patience and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Sexton
President, Kalamazoo Area Runners (KAR)