How to find a run club in Chicago

Chicago has a run club for almost every neighborhood, pace and schedule. Some meet on weekday evenings after work. Some meet at sunrise on Saturdays. Some are built around racing, some around brunch, and a lot of them are somewhere in between. The right one is the one you'll keep showing up to, so the search is mostly about fit.

Start with where and when

Pick a club that meets close to where you live or work. A run club across town sounds fine in October and feels impossible in January. If you have to drive or take two trains to get there, you'll go less often.

Then look at the schedule. Weeknight runs usually start between 6 and 7 PM and stay shorter, often 3 to 5 miles. Weekend morning runs tend to go longer and are more social afterward. If you already run on your own, pick a club that fills a gap in your week instead of replacing a run you'd do anyway.

Check the pace policy

This is the question that matters most for newer runners. Look for one of these:

• No-drop: the group regroups or keeps a sweep runner at the back, so nobody finishes alone.
• Pace groups: runners split into groups by speed, each with its own leader.
• Out-and-back routes: everyone turns around at the same point, so faster and slower runners finish close together.

If a club's posts only show fast race results, ask how they handle slower runners. A good organizer will answer that directly.

Decide what you want from it

Run clubs in Chicago tend to lean one of a few ways:

• Social clubs run an easy route and then go to coffee, breakfast or a bar.
• Training clubs run structured workouts, track sessions or long runs toward a goal race.
• Community clubs are rooted in a neighborhood and often do more than run: cheer zones, local business stops, volunteering.

None of these is better than the others. If you're training for a marathon, a social club alone may not give you the long runs you need. If you're new to running, a hard training group can feel like a test.

Where to look

• Strava: search clubs by city or neighborhood. Active clubs post their runs as events with a time and a meeting spot.
• Instagram: search your neighborhood plus "run club." Recent posts tell you more than a bio does.
• Running stores: many host weekly group runs or know which clubs are active nearby.
• The Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA): keeps a list of member clubs across the city and suburbs.
• Word of mouth: ask the people you see running your block at the same time every week.

Give it two visits

The first visit is always a little awkward. You don't know anyone, you're not sure about the route, and you're worried about holding people up. Go twice before you decide. By the second time, someone will remember your name.

When you get there, tell the organizer it's your first time. Ask how far the group is going and whether there's a shorter option. Our first run club guide covers what to wear, what to bring and what usually happens at the start line.

Run clubs on the South Side

A lot of Chicago's best-known clubs meet along the North Side lakefront and downtown. If you live south of Roosevelt, it's worth looking for a club that runs where you live.

OnThe9 Run Crew was started on 79th Street in February 2024 for exactly that reason. We run Saturday mornings, every run is posted on our Strava club with the time and meeting spot, and the crew makes sure nobody finishes alone. Read more about running with a South Side run club.