5 ways to convince your non-runner friends to join you for Global Running Day

It’s Global Running Day, and to celebrate this year, take some of your non-runner friends out for a run with you. You know how great a sport running is, but a lot of non-runners tend to hate it. The thing is, even people who don’t like running start to love it when they give it a try, so help grow the sport this year by convincing your friends or family to lace up and hit the roads, trails or track with you today. Not sure how to convince them? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

Make it a race 

If your friends are competitive, you might be able to talk them into running with you if you frame it as a race. To make it interesting for them, offer to give them a head start. That way, they’ll feel like the race is actually competitive, and they might even have fun as they try to stay in front of you. Racing is a big reason so many runners love this sport, and it could be a great way to get your non-runner friends obsessed with it, too. 

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Run a relay 

If you can convince enough people to join you, turn the run into a relay. Again, racing is perhaps the easiest way to show someone why you love running so much, and a group race like a relay will be fun for everyone. Plus, if you do a one-on-one race, your friend might feel OK with quitting mid-run, but if you make it a team event, they probably won’t want to let their teammates down by dropping out. 

Bribe them 

Sometimes the best option is a bribe. Offer to buy your friends a pizza or doughnuts if they come for a run with you. They’ll come for the free food, but they may stay in the sport for the joy of running. Sure, they might never run again (unless you offer them more bribes in the future), but you’ll at least have a running buddy for the day.

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Guilt them into it

Tell your friends this is a holiday that’s near and dear to your heart. Say something like, “I’m not that into Christmas, but I always play along for your sake.” Even if you do like Christmas, just lie to make your friends feel guilty for not joining in on the Global Running Day festivities. 

Promise it’ll be short 

A big reason non-runners choose not to run is because they think they have to go out for long slogs. Let your friends know that’s not the case and that you’ll be happy with a short 20-minute run if that’s all they’re comfortable with. Take it slow, go short and show them that running really isn’t all that bad. 

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