GRLs Run Together: Creating Your Circle of Runners
Photo: RUNGRL Design
By Ashlee Lawson, RCAA-certified Running Coach and RUNGRL Co-founder and Na’Tasha Jones, RUNGRL Co-founder
Running is one of the easiest sports to enter for the first time. With a minimum amount of gear needed–just a pair of running shoes!--nearly everyone can get started easily.
But once you’ve started, other factors come into play along your running journey. In addition to the (very natural) challenges of balancing running with everyday life and the occasional self doubt that all runners experience, as women, we often have additional concerns. Some concerns are ongoing, such as safety on the run, particularly in areas where it is often unsafe to run alone. For Black people, and Black women especially, there are additional concerns around exercising in predominantly white spaces.
A 2021 article in Preventive Medicine Reports refers to running while Black as “a distinctive safety concern and barrier to exercise in white neighborhoods.” To a community that already experiences disproportionate health disparities, this very real barrier is a hurdle getting out and staying active.
“Things like racial profiling incite hyper-vigilance and often fear in Black Americans attempting to exercise outdoors in White spaces,” says author Lindsey Hornbuckle, Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, & Sport Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “This is problematic, as it can discourage this incredibly positive health behavior that has been shown to mitigate obesity, cardio-metabolic risk, and several other health disparities that continue to afflict Black communities.”
The answer for many then is to form running circles of their own, in order to support not only physical safety while running, but also a sense of community and belonging. A big part of the health and wellness journey for many of us is the access to Black-owned or Black-inclusive spaces. Without them, the journey to wellness often involves the navigation of microaggressions, discrimination and exclusion–all while we work to be well.
The solution for many Black runners, then, is to form their own circles to really support their running journeys. But is it really that easy to start a running group?
Getting Started: Creating your circle of runners
RUNGRL is not a ‘run club’ in the traditional sense. We don’t have weekly running meet-ups or set running days, but we are here to support and celebrate the many ladies out here getting together to get these miles. Through empowering events, educational resources and the power of community, we’re helping more Black women commit to health and wellness with running.
RUNGRL co-founder Ashlee Green has learned so much about mobilizing people during her running journey. As co-leader and captain of District Running Collective, an urban run crew established in D.C. in 2013 that promotes culture, community and diversity, and as co-founder of RUNGRL, this online platform for Black women runners, each new running she encounters adds to her own joy of running.
When it comes to organizing group runs, we’ve seen and done it all! From getting friends together for a quick run around the neighborhood, to hosting weekly runs for hundreds of runners of all levels, and even curating a week-long running conference experience for more than 400 people from all over the world, bringing people together is what it’s really about.
So, here you are, a runner, and perhaps you know a few more people into fitness and running, too. You’ve been wanting to form a space of your own and, let’s be honest, waiting around for someone else to do it isn’t working. Like so many other things Black women want to accomplish, the most effective route involves when we go out and do things ourselves. So, why not start your own circle of runners?
Creating running experiences brings us incredible joy, but it’s also a huge amount of work. So, if you’ve been throwing around the idea of starting your own running circle of friends (or any kind of fitness group), there are a few things you should consider before you start.
Understand your why.
There’s a reason you want to start a running group. What is it? Can you articulate it clearly? The first step in your journey as the leader of a running group is to be able to clearly communicate why people should care. There are millions of groups that already exist for people to join and other meet-ups they can attend. Why do you need your own group? What is it about what you are starting that makes it special?
Also, think about whether you want this to be a casual weekly get together or something more. This will inform how you go about building your new running community.
Target a specific group.
Now that you’ve established what your reasons are for starting, who do you envision in your running group? Are they people like yourself, or something else? Will it be a group for running moms? For nurses who work certain hours? For freelancers that have tons of flexibility? These are all opportunities for people with aligned interests to come together. A community double-whammy if you will.
Not only will your group share miles in common, but they will also be able to connect over shared lived experiences. Of course, everyone in your group doesn’t have to fit the same dynamic, as long as you are all on the same page about what you want from this new running group.
Get help with your running circle
Who can help you manage this new group? Remember that this will require a considerable time commitment from you and at times financial costs as well. Emails or text communications to group members, setting up a website or social media page--all of these things take time. Getting a friend or two to invest time and effort in this new community with you will help tremendously.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask more knowledgeable friends and colleagues for information and resources. Know someone certified as a run coach, as a personal trainer, or with CPR? How can you leverage their knowledge to help the group? It truly takes a village to build something like this.
Show up, consistently.
Starting out is never easy! For the first few weeks or even months, it’s possible only a handful of people might show up, or worse, nobody at all. If you, as the organizer remain steadfast, consistently share your story and message, people will notice and your group will begin to grow. And once they start to show up, that’s when the real work begins.
Document + Share.
Social media is going to be a great way for like-minded people to find you. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram make it incredibly easy to create events, share flyers and capture and share the fun! The more often you document your group on runs and socializing as a community, the more likely it is people will see themselves fitting in with your group and spread the word. We’re big believers in “it’s hard to be what you can’t see.” Your running circle, however small, can be the inspiration someone needs to motivate them to get out there, just like you.
Once you’re up and running (literally), remember that it’s about the group! Making your new community a priority and listening to their feedback is key to maintaining an awesome run club energy.
Ready to get your own running circle going? Download the free toolkit to get started.
Have you already started your own running circle? We want to hear about it!
Shoot RUNGRL a message on Instagram, and share your story! Tell us all about how you and your group got together, and you may be featured on the RUNGRL page.
