“I'd love to know how I can help.”
I had been a member of Prospect Park Track Club for about three months. In that short time, I had become a regular at early-morning runs and weekend group runs. I wanted to do more than show up for the miles.
I wrote to the Social Committee and asked how to get involved.
The committee planned post-race gatherings, fun runs, and other club events. There was a monthly meeting, a list for coordinating the work, and a collection of practical guides for organizers. Members could help with an existing event or propose a run of their own.
They welcomed me and added me to the committee list that afternoon.
Running had been part of my life for twenty years by then. It had introduced me to different groups in high school, college, work, and New York. PPTC was the most local version. The same people I saw in Prospect Park before work were also organizing races, gatherings, and runs for new members.
My reasons for joining were simple. I already spent a lot of my free time running and organizing group runs. I liked running with people, then eating or having a drink with them afterward. The committee handled exactly that part of the club.
I also knew that joining a group and helping a group were different things. A run needed a route, a time, pace leaders, communication, and somebody willing to own the loose ends. A social event still needed planning even when the point was to relax.
The committee inbox changed quickly. Later that same day, a message arrived looking for a leader for the next New Member Run.
I was on the list now. There was already something to organize.