Beginner Run Clubs in NYC
9 clubs found. New to running? Find beginner-friendly run clubs in NYC that welcome all paces and experience levels.
Badass Lady Gang
Founded in 2015 by Kelly Roberts after viral NYC Half Marathon selfies, Badass Lady Gang is a women-identifying running community that explicitly rejects diet culture and performance pressure. Free Tuesday nights at 6:30pm, the group runs through neighborhoods at conversational pace — everyone stays within yelling distance, no one gets left behind. The ethos is joy over speed: success is measured by confidence gained, not miles logged or pounds lost. Post-run coffee hangouts are a genuine part of the ritual, not an afterthought.
Boogie Down Bronx Runners (BDBR)
A Bronx-based crew with a mission of turning non-runners into runners, specializing in introducing running to people's lives as an inclusive group welcoming all levels. Beginner welcome.
Brooklyn Kids Run
Kids ages 6-14, USATF registered team, coached by Maggie Deschamps (RRCA certified, 35+ years competitive running), small classes for individual attention, meet at 9th St entrance to Prospect Park by the monument in Park Slope, $15/class or $135 for 10-pack
Dirty Bird Run Club
Dirty Bird Run Club is a Manhattan-based community built around what founder Jack Gilbert calls 'running dirty' — showing up confidently in your authentic self, no comparison, no pressure, no clique. Gilbert started the club in winter 2022 from spontaneous Wednesday morning runs on the West Side Highway with two friends, and the name traces back to a COVID-era RAGNAR relay team. The club runs three times a week, all converging on social endpoints like Laughing Man Cafe and local bars, and explicitly positions itself as an on-ramp for beginners and NYC transplants rather than a destination for serious runners. With roughly 40 regulars at Wednesday runs and ~260 Strava members, the vibe is intimate, consistent, and anti-hustle.
GAY BAR FUN RUN
A twice-monthly run club that starts and ends at rotating gay bars in Brooklyn, offering 3 or 5 mile options at an easy pace followed by bar hangouts. Beginner welcome. Post-run at Gay bar.
Rage & Release
A holistic lifestyle brand with an inclusive running community exploring Brooklyn, welcoming beginners and everyone in between. Beginner welcome.
Slow AF Run Club
Slow AF Run Club was built on a simple but radical premise: you don't have to be fast to be a runner. Founded by Martinus Evans — a 300+ lb marathoner who rejected his doctor's weight-loss ultimatum and completed 9 marathons instead — the club is explicitly anti-diet-culture and anti-shame, welcoming back-of-the-pack runners, walkers, and every body type. The NYC-area chapter meets Sunday mornings at Exchange Place in Jersey City for a 2-mile fun run, plus hikes, yoga, and brunches throughout the week where running is optional. Evans' book (Penguin Random House, 2023) and Runner's World cover say everything about the legitimacy of what he's built.
Slow Girl Run Club
Founded in fall 2022 by Isabel DiGiovanni, a writer and producer who started the club while training for her first NYC Marathon after struggling to find a group that didn't leave slower runners behind. SGRC is an all-women, pace-inclusive club that runs two miles at roughly an 11-to-12-minute-mile pace every Tuesday evening along the Hudson River — slow enough to hold a full conversation the whole way. The crowd skews women in their 20s and 30s who came to running during the pandemic and wanted the social layer that faster clubs can strip away; weekly turnout regularly hits 80 runners. Post-run, members migrate to nearby wine bars, and DiGiovanni has watched those runs turn into genuine friend groups and group chats that have nothing to do with running anymore. The club has attracted brand partnerships with Nike and Tracksmith, signaling real cultural traction beyond a grassroots meetup.
Unrushers Running Club
Body-positive running community in Manhattan built on one principle: no one gets left behind. Pace is deliberately slow and the club explicitly states it is not a weight loss community — members come in every shape, size, and speed. Routes rotate across Central Park, Riverside Park, and the Hudson River Path. Schedule is informal and announced week-to-week via Facebook and Twitter rather than a fixed calendar. One of the most accessible beginner-friendly clubs in the city.