2013 Annual Report

In 2013 RunNB achieved a complete turnaround from the previous year. We tightened our belt financially after suffering a loss in our 2012 operating budget, and now show a healthy financial outlook.

In June our President Gilles Gautreau resigned after five years of leading RunNB to new heights. Gilles has remained on the executive as Past President.  Brian Richard, President of the Miramichi River Runners for the past 30 years, moved up from Vice-President to take over the reins.  Brian’s position of Vice-President was filled by Donald Wade of Tracadie-Sheila.

This completed our executive committee, which also consists of Sylvio Bourque Vice President, from Grande-Digue, Bruce MacFarlane Secretary from Fredericton, Paul Lavoie Treasurer, from Fredericton and Jim Johnson as our Executive Director from Fredericton.  Jim is the only paid employee of RunNB, and works on a part-time basis. The executive members were elected to their positions at the AGM in November.

To round out our Board we have Mary Brosnan and Michael Lynch from Lorneville, Rob Jackson from Fredericton, Daryl Steeves from Rothesay and Gabe LeBlanc from Dieppe.

A number of good things happened in RunNB last year, and probably the most important was the addition of the NB Medical Society stepping to the plate with the sponsorship of the Kids Run.  This is truly a win-win partnership for us and the physicians in our province. We couldn’t be in better company.

The joint project “Small Strides, Healthy Lives enabled us to purchase over 2640 medals in our program to promote to our youth the fun of running.  Each child under the age of 14 was given a medal for completing specific races around the province.

I would never have dreamed that a year in which we had a gain of almost 5,000 runners from 2012, it would be possible to surpass the previous year of 10,900. In terms of the comparison that represents an increase of just over 45%.  Wow! To date, we’ve never had a period of six years underperformance, having a steady increase since 2008.  

One thing of which you can be certain, we are going in the right direction. We’re confident that we will be moving forward with the number of races that reached just over 100 last year.  Our 2014 budget is healthy with an operation in the black.

We do better when the wind is in our face.  Our total budget is healthy enough to enable us to bring back prize money in all five Provincial Championships in 2014, after striking it from our budget in 2013.  We are increasing our education awards to three students and I’m happy to announce Paula Keating will be awarding an additional education award to a worthy female runner.

Now to some more good news for 2014:
We will be working with a budget income of $47,700 with a healthy bottom line.
We will be producing our annual 30-page running booklet with all the race information for the year.
The Running Room Super Series will be continuing.
Our five-race Timex series is still a go.
Our sixth annual Hall of Fame and Awards night will be in Bathurst this November.
We are introducing a new Elite running program to recognize runners with cash awards.
Continue to watch the 70+ group as they set record after record.  We had 20 records broken in 2013.
Mike Doyle has again stepped forward with the help of Paul Lavoie and Marie Wilson to
present the NB Challenge 2014.  This is a series of four races that now include the Miramichi with the three previous tri-city medals from 2013.

Last year, all three organizers of the Fredericton Scotia Bank Marathon, Marathon by the Sea in Saint John and Moncton’s Legs for Literacy joined forces to offer a unique Tri-City run.  Race organizers of each event collaborated on a medal design for each of their respective events. As the first event of its kind in the region, finishers of all three events can connect their distinct medals to form one. This was a fantastic job by all three groups.
The Tri-City races were sold out with Legs leading the way with 3100 runners registered for their October run, a new record in New Brunswick.

We now have three areas in the province, one each in Miramichi, Tracadie-Sheila and Fredericton where runners are putting on monthly races in their communities.  Miramichi has 18 races scheduled for 2014 while Tracadie-Sheila and the BS runs in Fredericton have 12 each.

For the first time ever the Miramichi River Runners passed the 1000 runner barrier with 1043 while Tracadie-Sheila saw their numbers jump to 422 and the BS (Blood Sugar) Monitor runs in their first year are just under 200. The trio made up 45% of the races in our calendar in 2013.

Our Hall of Fame welcomed Olympian Joel Bourgeois and his father Paul-Pierre to the shrine that has expanded to 12 members in this prestigious honour.

Many thanks go to each of our committee members, who continue to devote many volunteer hours to help RunNB better serve the NB running population. Also, at the heart of running in New Brunswick are the many race directors and numerous volunteers who make each race possible. RunNB acknowledges and expresses our appreciation to all of these volunteers, who make it possible for road racing to thrive in New Brunswick.

Thanks
Brian Richard