A running club, also known in some parts of the United States as a running crew , is an eclectic institution specialising in

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

and oriented towards the sport and recreation of running or

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. The club may train for and compete in cross country,

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

fell running Fell running, also sometimes known as hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport o ...

some clubs even branch out into multi discipline sports such as

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

. Since the early 2000s, alternative running clubs or crews have emerged and they differ from traditional running clubs as the focus is on urban running on city streets. One of the crews widely considered to be the first is the Bridge Runners formed by Mike Saes in New York City in 2004. In 2006, Charlie Dark formed

Run Dem Crew Run Dem Crew is a London based running crew founded in 2007 by DJ, poet and youth mentor Charlie Dark as “a running club for people who don’t consider themselves runners”. Their name is derived from the reggae group Scare Dem Crew. The crew ...

in London which has since grown to several hundred people who meet every Tuesday, and has led to Dark receiving a Points of Light award from the UK prime minister

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

for his dedication to establishing the alternative running community.

Clubs by country

International

Achilles International Achilles International, formerly known as the Achilles Track Club, was established by Dick Traum in 1983 to encourage people with disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics. Achilles has become an international organization that provides ...

* HSI

Greece

, - !Region !Club , - , Athens ,

Panathinaikos Athletics The athletics (sport), athletics department of Panathinaikos A.O. was founded in 1919 by the football players of the team. Amongst its first athletes were Giorgos Kalafatis, Apostolos Nikolaidis (athlete), Apostolos Nikolaidis, Loukas Panourgias ...

Portugal

, - !Region !Club , - , Lisbon ,

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

Turkey

, - !Region !Club , - , Istanbul ,

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

Enka SK Enkaspor ( tr, Enka Spor Kulübü) is a multi-sports club established in 1983 in Istanbul, Turkey by the Turkish construction conglomerate Enka Construction Co. Enkaspor's main activities are in athletics, water polo, tennis and swimming with 3 ...

Fenerbahçe Athletics

Galatasaray Athletics Galatasaray Athletics Team is the men's and women's athletics section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey. Some Notable Athletes * Şehit Celal (First Turkish Athlete) * Silifkeli Şükrü Halil Dölek * Fuat Salih * R ...

Üsküdar Belediyespor , - , İzmir ,

İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi GSK İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyespor ( tr, İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi Spor Kulübü) is a multi-sports club established 1979 in İzmir, Turkey by the city's metropolitan municipality ( tr, İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi). The club's colors a ...

United Kingdom

, - !Region !Club , - , National , 100 Marathon Club

Road Runners Club (UK) The Road Runners Club is an association of road runners formed in 1952 to encourage the athletic discipline of road running in the United Kingdom. Since then it has developed into a club that embraces the concept of assisting in the promotion of an ...

, - , London
Chelsea Running Club
br> Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club

Herne Hill Harriers The Herne Hill Harriers is an amateur athletics sports club based at Tooting Bec Athletics Track in Tooting Bec, London. The club was founded in the Herne Hill district of London in 1889. The club caters to all levels and ages of track, field, roa ...

Ranelagh Harriers Ranelagh Harriers is a road running and cross-country club based in Petersham, Richmond, south-west London, England. The headquarters are its clubhouse, which is behind The Dysart restaurant and right next to Richmond Park, allowing plenty o ...

Serpentine Running Club Serpentine Running Club is a cross-country running club based in Marylebone, London, United Kingdom. but uses a variety of places around London for training sessions. Most club sessions are based around the Seymour Leisure Centre and Hyde Park but ...

Sudbury Court Running Club

Thames Hare and Hounds Thames Hare and Hounds is the oldest adult cross-country running club in the world, based on the Roehampton end of Wimbledon Common, adjacent to Richmond Park, and draws runners from across south-west London. Both the men's and women's teams co ...

Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets Athletics Club
, - , Cambridge ,

Cambridge University Hare and Hounds Cambridge University Hare and Hounds (CUH&H) is the University of Cambridge cross country running club.Plymstock Road Runners Plymstock is a commuter suburb of Plymouth and former civil parish in the English county of Devon. Geography Situated on the east bank of the River Plym, Plymstock is geographically and historically part of the South Hams. It comprises the ...

, - , Leeds ,

Kippax and District Harriers Kippax may refer to: * Kippax, West Yorkshire, a village in England *Kippax Centre, a suburban centre in Canberra, Australia, named after Alan Kippax *Kippax Plantation, an archaeological site and former home of Robert Bolling and Jane Rolfe in Hop ...

, - , Leicestershire
Hermitage Harriers
, - , Merseysid
Kirkby Milers
br
Knowsley Harriers
br>
Liverpool Harriers
br
Liverpool Running Club
br
Penny Lane Striders
br
St. Helens Striders
, - , South East
Eastleigh Running Club
, - , North West
#247RUNNING - Cheshire
br
Burnden Road Road Runners - Bolton
br
Rochdale Harriers
, - , Scotland
Linlithgow AC
, - , Wales , Swansea Harriers Athletics Club

United States

, - !Region !Club , - , National ,

Road Runners Club of America Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running c ...

, - , Northeast ,

Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...

DC Road Runners Club The DC Road Runners Club is a non-profit regional group to promote running in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is a member of the Road Runners Club of America. DCRRC was founded in 1961 by Hugh Jascourt. DCRRC has 1,500 members principally ...

New York Road Runners New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

NYCRUNS

Reebok Boston Track Club The Reebok Boston Track Club (RBTC) is an American training group sponsored by Reebok for professional distance running, distance runners (known as "RBTC Elite") as well as a separate recreational club for casual runners. RBTC Elite is supported b ...

, - , Pacific Northwest ,

Bowerman Track Club The Bowerman Track Club (BTC) is an American training group sponsored by Nike, Inc. for professional distance runners as well as a separate recreational club for casual runners. The professional team is supported by head coach Jerry Schumacher and ...

Nike Oregon Project The Nike Oregon Project was a group created by the American corporation Nike, established in Beaverton, Oregon in 2001. The team folded on October 10, 2019 after an investigation resulted in a four-year ban of longtime coach Alberto Salazar. Fa ...

Oregon Track Club The Oregon Track Club (OTC) is an American running organization based in Eugene, Oregon. History Emerald Empire Athletic Association Formed by Bill Bowerman, the Emerald Empire Athletic Association (EEAA) was the predecessor to the Oregon Track C ...

, - , West ,

Athletics West Athletics West (frequently abbreviated in results as AW) was an American running team formed in 1977 by Bill Bowerman, Phil Knight and Geoff Hollister. Overview During the 1970s, a definitive running program for young athletes to continue competi ...

Divine Madness Running Club
Dolphin South End Runners
San Francisco Track and Field Club

Santa Monica Track Club Santa Monica High School Girls Track team first coach is Dalal M. Ahmad, a USC graduate doing her second semester of student student teaching . She was placed in charge of the team in 1972 during her second semester of student teaching The Santa Mo ...

Skid Row Running Club The Skid Row Running Club is a running club based in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Since its founding, the club has had more than five hundred participants. History In 2012, the Skid Row Running Club was founded by Los Ange ...

Southern California Striders The Southern California Striders (also SoCal Striders or SC Striders) is a track and field athletics club based in Los Angeles, California. From its foundation in 1955 through the 1980s it was an elite club producing numerous national and Olympi ...

Tamalpa Runners , - , South ,

Atlanta Track Club Atlanta Track Club is a non-profit, running organization for the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia, United States. It hosts over 30 events a year including the Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Half Marathon/5K and the AJC Peachtree Road Race. Atlan ...

West Texas Running Club

References

{{Reflist * * Lists of sports teams