Houston Area Running

Houston area running has to be one of the finest anywhere. I realize we (Houston) rank pretty low when it comes to the fittest cities in the America. I have seen the rankings in Men's Fitness magazine and I have to say they have it all wrong. The greater Houston has the most races, the most triathlons, the most ultras than any other town in the state. I know because I am always scanning the race calendars in the mid southwest area for events that are close to Houston to post on the Tornados Running Club events calendar. One of the criteria that Men's Fitness magazine uses is the number of fast food restaurants per capita. It's the same people who frequent these places over and over again. Even I like to eat at these places. Who can passup a juicy Whataburger with onion rings or a crispy hot and spicy chicken sandwich at Burger King. I definitely reward myselff with fast food after a long endurance run or a hard 40 mile bike ride. I can do this without feeling any guilt. Sure we have our fare share of heavy people in Houston, but there is a good push to get these people out on the parks to go running.

One of the unique things about Houston running is the local running club organization. There are several running clubs in Houston - maybe too many. Most (if not all) are part of the Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA). HARRA is the umbrella organization under which all clubs exist and compete in interclub competitions. Interclub competiition can sometimes be fierce. Larger running clubs usually have the advantage since they normally outnumber the smaller clubs in membership. Two of the largest running clubs in HARRA are the Bayou City Road Runners and the Houston Striders. Sometimes it is difficult to for the small clubs to compete against the large running clubs but it can be done and The Tornados Running Club has done just that. The Tornados Running Club has been able to accomplish something that no other small to mid-size club in the Houston area has been able to - and that is to compete with the big boys. There have been years where we have taken the majority of the awards for the Fall interclub competition.

Check out the Houston Area Road Runners Association Website for more information about Houston area running including running maps and links to all clubs in the Houston area.