Am I cheating on my running club?

Are you supposed to be faithful to one run club or can you have many?

Q: I’m getting back into running and joined a club recently. Now I see a lot of groups that cater more towards more social runner. Is it OK to run with both or am I cheating on my club? 

A: The answer kind of depends whether or not you’re exclusive with your club. The things is, there are so many different types of clubs out there. Different groups come with different sets of etiquette rules. The best thing to do if you’re not sure, of course, is to ask.

If the club you joined is performance-focused, chances are, you won’t get the go-ahead. These clubs usually have rules around this sort of thing. Many will say that you are to run only with them. They want representation from you when you race (by wearing their singlet), and you’re not supposed to be a member on other clubs or crews.

If the club you joined is more casual like a social club, you’re probably going to have more leeway. Some of the social crews focus solely on the fun element of running. If it’s about making new friends who love the sport, that’s likely a green light. If you were to join others for more serious workouts, it’s doubtful you’d ruffle any feathers there. There are groups that arrange runs as a way to explore new aspects of a city, take runners on a running tour or even experience new food and drink after the run. (Like Toronto’s RunTO Beer crew for example) In that case, you’re fine. There are however clubs that may seem like a social crew but do engage in the competitive side of running more than you’d think. Double check with them.

Finally, there are clinics or learn-to-run meet-ups. Generally, those don’t have any rules on exclusivity either. If you signed up for weeks with that kind of club, you could likely still squeeze in your Thursday night workout or fun run.