How to start your own running club

In January, I set a goal to spearhead a neighbourhood run club. So this is me now, planning a running group for those in our neck of the woods in my hometown. I’m in the beginning stages of planning and although there are still lots of details to sort out, I’ve learned to quickly set some ground rules for myself.

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Rule #1 – Keep it simple. If you do a web search on how to set up a neighbourhood run club, there’s a lot of information, including collecting fees, setting up a board of directors, etc. One could get easily overwhelmed. My aim here is just to run with some of my neighbours and write about it. So after some thought, I’ve committed to keeping it simple and to forgoing the potential formalities.

Rule #2 – Social Media is my best friend. The first thing that I did was set up a Neighbourhood Run Club Facebook group and invited some of my neighbours. I will focus on growing it. Twitter will be next.

Rule #3 – The good old flyer method will be distributed with “two feet and a heartbeat” and hopefully with the help of our kids. Some colourful paper will be in order, eye catching phrases and perhaps an invite to the inaugural run night.

Rule #4 – I got my kids to make a big colourful sign to assist people in identifying the group’s meeting place.

Rule #5 – Really there are no hard and fast rules– it’s an experiment in progress. I want to make clear that with this neighbourhood run club, all ages and abilities are welcome. I’ll write about our challenges, triumphs and inspirations along the way. The goal here is to get out, meet new runners and spend time with my neighbours in the great outdoors, and of course, we’ll be doing a fair bit of running along the way.