About Team Red Lizard

Team Red Lizard (TRL) is a non-profit running club based in Portland, Oregon.

Our members have a wide range of running interests. Some focus on road races. Some do trail runs. Some take advantage of the startling diversity of track meets open to Oregon runners. Some do all three.

We have 5K/10K runners, marathoners, milers, and ultra-runners. We’ve even had the occasional sprinter. We have people in their low 20s, and people in their 70s. People who win races, and people who run mid-pack. One thing we are not, is a youth club. If that is what you are looking for, try Bowerman. They are one of the best in the country. (We do, however, have plenty of runners with kids, and are family friendly.)

Although we are primarily a running club, many of our members enjoy other activities such as hiking, mountain climbing, snowshoe racing, adventure races, bicycling, and Ironman competitions. We support and encourage this, under the theory that for most runners, running may not be the only thing they want to do. We once had a group that met frequently at a local climbing wall.

TRL also seeks to provide members with opportunities to help others. These vary with what’s available, but have included providing runners to lead pace groups at the Portland Marathon and other local races, volunteering at the Foot Traffic Flat’s final aid station, working at a local soup kitchen, and providing volunteers and officials for a regional Special Olympics meet. We have also collected more than 4,400 pairs of used shoes for the homeless and under-privileged high-school students. We are looking for other ways to give back, and are open to whatever new ideas might come along.

You don’t have to be a member to try our runs, and there is no limit to the number of times you can visit as a guest.

TRL is managed by a Board of Directors whose meetings are open to everyone. Our bylaws can be read here.

History

TRL is one of the oldest running clubs in Oregon. Founded in 1992 by triathlete Kevin Foreman, it was initially associated with a running store in Lake Oswego. When the store closed, Kevin moved on to other endeavors, but the club persevered, diversified, and grew, merging in 1997 with another group, the Rose City Runners.

People often ask where the name came from. It appears to have originated in a post-run conversation at a local pub, in which people started spitballing ideas for a club name. The topic turned to colored animals, “Red Lizard” won, and it has been Team Red Lizard ever since.