Frequently Asked Questions

Is my child too young to join?

We focus on youth runners 3rd grade and up. We build the club to introduce the sport of running to our youth athletes. We hope over time many of our young athletes choose running as their favorite sport and continue running their entire life.  Running, however, is not confined to a single playing field and coaches must evenly divide our time and attention among all the athletes. We require the parents of our younger athletes to run with their Strider rather than a drop-and-go

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Can I run with my Strider?

Yes, we are a community-based running club. We are always looking for parent help and support during practices.

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When is a good time to join?

We are a year-round club and accept new members into our groups based on age and ability. There is no "right" season to start! We have designed our membership fee to be a single fee for the calendar year. Regardless if you register in Jan or June the fee is the same. 

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Can we meet the coaches and test out the club before paying the membership fee?

Yes! If you are interested in trying out the club, please send an email to chicostriders@gmail.com with your child's name, age, and experience level and we will put you in touch with the appropriate coach.  All we ask is you complete the online membership form so we have a waiver on file; the form only takes about 60 seconds to complete.

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Where are practices held?

We use a web/mobile based platform, TeamSnap, to organize practice and race locations and times. Parents of all registered club members will be invited to our TeamSnap roster providing you access the most current information at all times. If you are new to the club, would like to check us out for the first time or simply can’t access your TeamSnap account you can e-mail us at chicostriders@gmail.com and a coach will respond as soon as we can.

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My child plays another sport and can’t make all the practices or races, is that ok?

Yes, we love our multi-sport athletes. Many of our runners use the club as conditioning for soccer, baseball, swimming, wrestling, and many other sports. During track and cross-country season, Tuesdays are speed workouts and Saturdays are long runs.  Races are typically Saturday or Sunday.  Whether your athlete just loves outdoor adventures or only loves running fast, they have a place on the team.

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Do you offer sponsorships?

Yes. We are a non-profit and don’t want finances to be the reason any kid doesn’t pursue their love for the sport. Fill out the registration form, come for a run with the team and talk to a coach one on one.