Men’s running club formed

PALMER — Until about 15 years ago, Rhonda Knopp was among a group of Valley women who drove into Anchorage every Tuesday night to work with a running group.

“We just thought there might be enough women out here, we wouldn’t have to make that drive,” Knopp said recently.

That led to the birth of the Valley Women’s Running Team, a group that meets every Tuesday night providing coaching and camaraderie for local runners. “It’s really grown,” said Knopp, a founder and coach of the team. “It’s been really good.”

Organizers built a foundation meeting once per week during the spring and summer months. Workouts are designed to suit a wide range of ability. The club steadily grew, and even featured as many as 80 runners in a single season. With the success of the women’s team, an potential interest from the men, a new running team has been formed. Last month, Knopp and her brother, Norm Rousey, officially debuted a men’s running club for the Valley.

Rousey said this idea has been in the works for several years.

“We started hearing from some of the ladies that their husbands were interested,” Rousey said recently. “People have been curious about a men’s group, but we couldn’t get enough people to make it viable. This year, we had a couple people show some interest, so we took a swing at it.”

A handful of runners turned out for the men’s team’s first workout in early June. Regardless of the number of runners the team starts with, Rousey said the goal for the men’s team is the same as the women’s club. The coaches hope to see steady growth in participation.

“If we are going to wait for 20 people, we may never get it started,” Rousey said.

Rousey said support of the fellow runners is one of the building blocks for the clubs.

“It’s hard to do any type of training on your own,” Rousey said.

Even though running is often seen as an individual sport, Rousey said training with other runners is important. The club also provides coaching and the wealth of knowledge made up by the coaching staff.

Each weekly session includes time with the coaches and a detailed workout, Rousey said. Rousey said coaches stay updated with the runners’ weekly progress and work outside the club. There is also a detailed explanation of the workout, in addition to the standard warm-up drills and cool-down exercises.

Rousey also stressed the clubs’ acceptance of runners of all abilities.

“In the ladies group we even have some walk runners,” Rousey said. “We’ve gone all the way from high school kids, all the way up to retired.”

Rousey said the club also offers two free sessions to potential members.

“Show up and check it out. It’s as simple as that,” Rousey said. “See if it’s something that fits.”

An annual membership is currently $80 for the men.

The men’s group currently meets every Tuesday night at 4:45 p.m. at the Colony High School football field and track. The women’s group follows at 6 p.m.

Those interested can call Knopp for more information at 355-6258. The Valley Women’s Running Team can also be found on Facebook.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.