National Intercollegiate Running Club Association


The National Intercollegiate Running Club Association is the National governing body for club level collegiate cross country, road running and track and field clubs at over 50 colleges and universities across the U.S.

History

On campus running clubs existed at various schools prior to the formation of the NIRCA. The Ball State Runners Association dated to October 2003 and hosted the MC5 meet as early as 2004 which set the trend. The official organization was formed during the National Club Cross Country Conference at Ohio State University in May, 2006. That resulted in the first national championship meet held at Penn State University on November 4th, 2006.

Major meets

There are several major meets held by NIRCA, including regional and national cross country championships, and an outdoor track and field and half marathon championship meet. The 2020 outdoor track championship meet, set to be hosted in Oxford, Ohio, was cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Divisions

The organization is broken down into 7 regional divisions, each hosting their own regional championship.