Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 2026

Lake Merritt Run Club is the sole owner of the information collected on its site, lakemerrittrunclub.org, and through other club-related means. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will not sell, share, rent, or otherwise disclose your information to third parties except as specifically disclosed in this statement.

1. Scope and Links

This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by the Lake Merritt Run Club. Our website contains links to other sites (such as race timing services, sponsors, or local athletic organizations). Please be aware that Lake Merritt Run Club is not responsible for the privacy practices of these other websites. We encourage our users to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personally identifiable information.

2. Information Collection and Use

No registration is required to read the public sections of the Lake Merritt Run Club website. Access to private member portals is restricted to authorized staff, volunteers, and dues-paying members. We collect information from our users at several different points:

Membership Registration

To become a member of LMRC, applicants must complete a registration form. During this process, we require contact information such as:

• Full Name

• Mailing Address

• Phone Number

• Email Address

• Emergency Contact information

• Your Recent Race Information 

• Target Running Pace (optional/for group placement)

This information is used to maintain our membership database, verify eligibility for club programs, and contact members regarding club news, safety alerts, and event updates. Membership data is managed through our secure Membership Digital system.

Event & Race Registration

When registering for club-hosted events (such as the Fourth Sunday Runs or training programs), individuals are required to provide contact information and demographic data (e.g., age, gender, emergency contact). This data is used to manage race entries, ensure participant safety, and generate accurate results. 

Donations & Partnerships

Lake Merritt Run Club values the trust of our donors. We collect and use personal information only to manage our relationship with donors, process gifts, and provide tax-compliant receipts. We may occasionally publicly recognize donors by name unless a donor explicitly requests to remain anonymous.

3. Log Files and Cookies

• Log Files: We use IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the site, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

• Cookies: The Lake Merritt Run Club website uses cookies to enhance user experience, such as maintaining your login session in the member portal. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though some site features may not function correctly as a result.

4. Information Sharing

Lake Merritt Run Club will only share information with third parties in the following limited circumstances:

• Race Personnel: Necessary information (name, age, gender) is shared with race timers and event staff to facilitate competition.

• Aggregated Data: We may share anonymized, aggregated demographic data with our Board of Directors or sponsors (e.g., "40% of our members are in the 30-39 age bracket"). This data contains no personally identifiable information.

• Legal Compliance: We may disclose personal information if required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with legal processes served on the club.

5. Security

Lake Merritt Run Club takes every precaution to protect our users' information. When users submit sensitive information via the website (such as credit card details for dues), that information is encrypted and protected via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers. Online payments made through our website are processed by secure third-party payment processors such as Stripe, PayPal, or WildApricot Payments (AffiniPay). These providers handle the processing and storage of payment information in accordance with their own security and privacy standards.

Our website only receives confirmation of the transaction and limited payment details necessary for record-keeping (such as payment status or transaction ID).

6. Choice and Opt-Out

Members will receive regular communications regarding club activities. You may opt out of non-essential emails (like newsletters or marketing) at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of our emails or by contacting membership@lakemerrittrunclub.org.

7. Correcting and Updating Information

If your personal information changes (such as a new email or address), you can update your profile directly through the Member Self-Service Portal on our website. You may also request the deletion of your personal data by contacting the member services at  membership@lakemerrittrunclub.org, subject to our legal and financial record-keeping obligations.

8. Notification of Changes

If we change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our homepage for at least seven days. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from what was stated at the time of collection, we will notify users via email and provide the choice to opt out.

Contact Information If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us: 

Email: president@lakemerrittrunclub.org 

Address: Lake Merritt Run Club, 495 Jackson St. #1247, Oakland, CA 94607