We are lucky in Oregon, where there are many local running clubs from Ashland to Portland and everywhere in between. We’re also lucky in that there are people out there who put on free group runs, help with races, and support youth and other cause running and racing programs. Heart of the Valley Runners is one of these clubs.
Much like I view Corvallis as an extremely underrated city for craft beers, it is also vastly underrated as a running town. Heart of the Valley Runners provide a diverse group of runners – trail and road – who love the mid-valley area. Membership dues are just $20 per person, $30 for a couple or family, and $10 for students. However, no one is turned away for a lack of funds. There a variety of perks for becoming a member including discounts at local running stores, a mileage reimbursement program for carpooling to out-of-town races, and a sense of unity and community from multiple activities throughout the year.
Browse their Weekly Runs, which features an awesome Google Calendar with dates, times, and locations for their weekly runs:
- Motivation Monday (or Recovery Run Monday) – 6p
- Track Tuesday – 530a
- Track Wednesday – 6p
- Group Run Thursday – 545a
- Social Run Thursday – 6p
- Group Run Saturday (scheduled via HOTV Facebook page)
HOTV also puts on a few events each year:
The HOTV Grand Slam is also an option for members, where participants who compete in four races (5k/10k/15k+/trail race) over the span of the year “will be acknowledged at the HOTV Annual Meeting and Potluck, awarded the prize of a pint glass with HOTV logo on it, and of course have bragging rights for tackling the Grand Slam.”
