Ramp Romp 5K in College Station: Gone!
I received an e-mail an evening or two ago from Ken Johnson. It was that the Ramp Romp 5K at Texas A&M's Kyle Field wasn't going to happen in 2009.
Here is the note that Ken received from the race director:
Hi, Ken –
I appreciate your call inquiring about the tentative date of the Kyle Field Ramp Romp this year.
Unfortunately, at this point it looks as though we will not be having the race. Our turnout, especially among Texas A&M students, has declined to a level where the event no longer seems particularly viable for us. The Armadillo Dash, with longer distance options, and GLOW, with its close affiliation to two popular student organizations, seem to have become the races of choice for February/early March in this community.
As someone who has been involved with the race since its first year, this is not an outcome that I am enthusiastic about, but that is the conclusion our staff has reached at this time. In the event this changes, I will keep you in mind as someone to notify. I appreciate the support that you and your running group have provided the Ramp Romp over the years.
Best regards, Drew
Drew McMillen
Associate Director Department of Recreational Sports
Texas A&M University
drew@tamu.edu
4250 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4250
Tel. 979.845.1887 Fax 979.845.0838
http://recsports.tamu.edu/
Of course, I've never been one to be shy about voicing my opinion.
Drew:
As you can see, Ken forwarded me your message about the Ramp Romp.
Even though this year was my first year to run the race, it is sad to see a unique race go by the wayside.
As a writer who covers the sport for Runner Triathlete News and Inside Texas Running, it is even more disappointing to see it go.
I drove from Spring to run the Ramp Romp, sign up for the Armadillo Dash at the Holiday Inn and then go home and come back for the Armadillo Dash the next day.
I've done the GLOW race on a Friday night one time as part of a push to multiple races on multiple days. I wouldn't do it again. What challenge is there to it? None. You run around campus. Woo hoo. And would they have a different turnout if it was on a Saturday morning? Probably.
I just think that most people don't know about the event. I had only ever heard about it from Ken.
What was special is that I ran it in my Penn State technical shirt and as I crossed the finish line with the Men's Lacrosse team standing near it, I shouted ... "We are .... Penn State!" which was met by their collective groans (after PSU had beaten the Ags at the Alamo Bowl last December.)
Jon Walk
Spring, TX
I wonder what Bart Braden, who has run everyone of them, thinks about this.
Here is the note that Ken received from the race director:
Hi, Ken –
I appreciate your call inquiring about the tentative date of the Kyle Field Ramp Romp this year.
Unfortunately, at this point it looks as though we will not be having the race. Our turnout, especially among Texas A&M students, has declined to a level where the event no longer seems particularly viable for us. The Armadillo Dash, with longer distance options, and GLOW, with its close affiliation to two popular student organizations, seem to have become the races of choice for February/early March in this community.
As someone who has been involved with the race since its first year, this is not an outcome that I am enthusiastic about, but that is the conclusion our staff has reached at this time. In the event this changes, I will keep you in mind as someone to notify. I appreciate the support that you and your running group have provided the Ramp Romp over the years.
Best regards, Drew
Drew McMillen
Associate Director Department of Recreational Sports
Texas A&M University
drew@tamu.edu
4250 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4250
Tel. 979.845.1887 Fax 979.845.0838
http://recsports.tamu.edu/
Of course, I've never been one to be shy about voicing my opinion.
Drew:
As you can see, Ken forwarded me your message about the Ramp Romp.
Even though this year was my first year to run the race, it is sad to see a unique race go by the wayside.
As a writer who covers the sport for Runner Triathlete News and Inside Texas Running, it is even more disappointing to see it go.
I drove from Spring to run the Ramp Romp, sign up for the Armadillo Dash at the Holiday Inn and then go home and come back for the Armadillo Dash the next day.
I've done the GLOW race on a Friday night one time as part of a push to multiple races on multiple days. I wouldn't do it again. What challenge is there to it? None. You run around campus. Woo hoo. And would they have a different turnout if it was on a Saturday morning? Probably.
I just think that most people don't know about the event. I had only ever heard about it from Ken.
What was special is that I ran it in my Penn State technical shirt and as I crossed the finish line with the Men's Lacrosse team standing near it, I shouted ... "We are .... Penn State!" which was met by their collective groans (after PSU had beaten the Ags at the Alamo Bowl last December.)
Jon Walk
Spring, TX
I wonder what Bart Braden, who has run everyone of them, thinks about this.
posted by WalkSports.com | 9:38 AM
2 Comments:
How dissappointing! I used to work for RecSports, and I may say something when I am visiting friends that direction later on.
I called Bart Braden last night and told him about the Ramp Romp. He was not aware of the decision and said that he would be visiting the head guy at Rec. Sports. Bart at 75 is the senior runner in Bryan/College Station and has run over 1,000 races. He is also the oldest basketball referee in Texas.
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