Run Clubs in Manhattan
77 run clubs in Manhattan.
Dashing Whippets
Founded in May 2009 by co-founders Matt and Rich Hsieh, the Dashing Whippets is one of NYC's oldest and largest competitive running teams, with 1,575 Strava members and 10+ weekly group runs spanning Central Park, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn. The team is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit under both the RRCA and USATF, competes in NYRR's top Open A division, and fields a credentialed coaching staff including Head Coach John Ferry (USATF Level I & II certified) and short-distance coach Stephen Cox. A tiered Performance Team is available to runners hitting qualifying standards (sub-16:10/18:10 for 5K, sub-2:36/2:54 for the marathon), offering uniform, race entry reimbursement, and pro field seeding. But the club is built for the full spectrum: pace groups accommodate 5:30 to 9:30 marathon pace, and the social side is equally developed — the annual Golden Hammer Awards Party, after-parties following major NYC races, and a team WhatsApp used for everything from race travel to ski trips. The Boston chapter launched in 2015; the NYC club competes at USATF level and hosts a sanctioned Summer Track Meet each June open to all ages.
Front Runners New York
Front Runners New York is the oldest and largest LGBTQ+ running club in the country — founded in 1979, 1,100+ members, and the holder of a Guinness World Record for the largest pride charity run. Weekly fun runs on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings in Central Park welcome everyone regardless of pace, identity, or experience level, with post-run dinners where members take turns picking the restaurant. The Saturday crew ends at Rutgers Church basement for bagels, and the club builds a tunnel to celebrate the final finisher every week. It's been holding down NYC's queer running community for 45 years with real infrastructure: coached track work, a spring Beginners Clinic, and an official NYRR partnership.
Harlem Run
Monday nights at Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem Run gathers a genuinely diverse crowd — walkers to 7-minute milers — and runs together with no headphones and no racing mentality, just conversation and real community. Founded by Alison Désir in 2013, the club is explicitly rooted in creating space for Black and brown folks to experience running as something that belongs to them, which gives it a warmth and intentionality you don't find in most run clubs. They start on time, end together, and no one gets left behind — the culture is accountability without pressure. After the run, the group heads to neighborhood spots to keep things going.
Lunge Run Club
Lunge Run Club is what happens when a dating app founder decides to throw a weekly run: 1,000+ people descend on Washington Square Park every Wednesday at 6:45pm, singles in all black, couples in color, for a 3-mile run at conversational pace before heading to a nearby bar. Launched in May 2024 and viral within months, the vibe is social-first — the running is almost incidental to the mingling. As NBC News noted, it's created some of the same dynamics as dating apps (ghosting, awkward exes), but the counter-argument is also real: meeting people while moving your body beats swiping. Post-run at Houston Hall or wherever they land that week.
Midnight Runners NYC
Midnight Runners New York is the NYC chapter of a volunteer-led global run community that launched here in 2018 with a mission to get the city running with a smile. Their signature Wednesday 10K Bootcamp departs from Pier 25 on the Hudson River Greenway at 7pm — crews carry speakers blasting a curated playlist and pause at every mile marker for Tabata-style bodyweight exercises (burpees, planks, squats), keeping the pack together so the slowest runner is never more than a few minutes behind the fastest. Saturday long runs rotate across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx — the Two Bridges 13-miler covering both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges is a club favorite — and typically end with a group brunch at a local diner. With 1,390 active members and over 18,000 cumulative check-ins, the NYC chapter is one of the largest in the global network, and the community ethos is strictly no-drop: all paces, ages, and fitness levels are genuinely welcome.
Achilles International NYC
A global organization that transforms the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs, with a NYC chapter active in 17 countries. All paces welcome.
Almost Friday Run Club
Almost Friday Run Club is built around a single, repeatable premise: free 3-mile runs every Thursday at 7am, meeting at Morton St. and the West Side Highway, with post-run coffee baked into the culture. The mantra is explicitly 'run club, not race club' — every pace is welcome and nobody is racing anyone. What makes it distinct is the consistency and the ritual; it's a midweek reset that functions more like a recurring social event than a training session, and it has scaled that model to Boston, DC, and San Francisco without changing the format. The club has 1,655 Strava members and keeps the community tight through Instagram drops and community events rather than paid memberships.
As Is Run Club
A rain-or-shine Monday evening run club at As Is NYC with 5 and 8 mile options, bag drop, and beer specials after. All paces welcome. Post-run at As Is NYC bar.
Ave C Run Club
Sunrise runs of ~4 miles from Alphabet City on Wednesday mornings, with occasional long-run Saturdays and wellness collabs like yoga and sauna/cold plunge, followed by post-run beers. All paces welcome. Post-run at Local bar.
Blockhouse Run Club
Meets Wednesday at 7pm.
Bridge Runners
Bridge Runners is the original NYC run crew — founded in 2003 by Mike Saes, it's widely credited with sparking the global run crew movement that followed. Every Wednesday around 7:40pm they leave from the Lower East Side and run the city's bridges — Williamsburg, Manhattan, Brooklyn — stopping for street art, stories, and whatever else the neighborhood offers. The philosophy is 'serious runners who don't take it too seriously': pace groups accommodate different speeds, and the routes change weekly so it never gets predictable. Free, drop-in, no membership — just show up on a Wednesday.
Bridle Path Track Club
Coached workouts 3x/week. Mixed pace range (sub-3hr marathoners to casual fitness runners), ages 25-60+. Social emphasis alongside training. Primary meet is Tuesday evenings at Engineer's Gate (90th & 5th); Thursday and Saturday mornings at Daniel Webster statue (72nd & CPW).
C4 Run Club
A Manhattan-based social run club listed in the NYCRUNS directory. Midweek evening runs through Manhattan with a social focus for all paces and experience levels. All paces welcome.
Central Park Run Club
Central Park Run Club is a free, coach-led club that punches above its casual branding — 15+ coaches build distinct structured workouts for each of the four weekly sessions, ranging from speed work on Tuesdays to long runs on Saturdays, all meeting at the Loeb Boathouse. It draws runners training for marathons alongside pure social runners, and the no-cost barrier keeps the field wide and mixed-pace. With 12K Instagram followers and a Strava presence, it has built real scale without a membership fee. The vibe is community-first with genuine coaching infrastructure underneath — closer to a coached group than a casual jog.
Central Park Running Club
A free social run club meeting every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30am at the Loeb Boathouse, breaking down the walls between elite and social runners. All paces welcome.
Central Park Track Club
Founded in 1972, CPTC is NYC's premier competitive running club — 450+ members coached by former Olympians and world-record holders, with a roster that includes 12 Olympians and nine national championships. The mix is wider than you'd expect: college-age runners training for sub-elite races alongside masters runners in their 70s and 80s, all at the track Tuesday and Thursday nights plus Saturday morning road runs at 7am. The culture is serious but not exclusionary — one review calls it 'a fun, intelligent group of people who take running seriously' and the club is flexible about schedules. If you want actual coaching and a competitive team environment, this is the best club in the city for it.
Chaski Run Club
A NYC-based run club affiliated with Chaski, a world-class coaching and running community platform. Offers weekly group runs in Manhattan with a training-forward approach for runners at all levels. Fo All paces welcome.
Cooldown Running
Cooldown describes itself as 'a social club disguised as a run club' — the official stance is that running is the excuse, community is the point. NYC meetups run Wednesdays at 7pm with the exact location announced weekly on Instagram, keeping things dynamic across the city's neighborhoods. Distances are deliberately short (1-3 miles at any pace), and every run ends with drinks, making it explicitly accessible to walkers and first-timers alongside regular runners. The club is part of a national model with chapters in 15+ cities, apparel sold at Nordstrom, and an Altra partnership — giving the NYC chapter real brand weight behind a free community run.
Corillo Run Club
Official run club of Cafe Colmado, a Puerto Rican coffee shop at 286 Broome St in Loisaida (Lower East Side). Latino-community focused, Sunday morning runs departing from the cafe.
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.
DSNY Running Club
DSNY's Trash Dashers is a club built entirely around NYC Department of Sanitation workers and their families, creating a tight-knit blue-collar running community unlike anything else in the city. The club runs all five boroughs through a borough captain system, with runs scheduled around shift schedules — including Wednesday night trail runs in Staten Island Greenbelt and Sunday group runs at Prospect Park. They self-identify as 'The City's Strongest' and skew toward endurance events, with members who have completed marathons. The club honors its fallen members through the annual Michael Hanly 5K at Freshkills Park, giving it a sense of purpose and community identity that goes beyond fitness.
Dyckman Run Club
Dyckman Run Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rooted in Inwood and Washington Heights, meeting every Thursday at 6:30pm at Quisqueya Plaza (247 Dyckman St) for free, all-paces runs through Fort Tryon Park and Northern Manhattan. Founded in 2019 by Elvin Adames and Ramon Bido, it's become a fixture of the neighborhood — members call it 'a movement, a chosen family' — with partnerships with local schools, nonprofits, and city agencies that go well beyond running. Seasoned marathoners and first-timers run together; free access is always available alongside a premium membership tier for those who want structured coaching.
Dyke Run NYC
A running club for queer women, trans, and non-binary people that is open to everyone and welcoming to beginners. Runs in Central Park, Prospect Park, and along the West Side Highway. Three sessions p All paces welcome.
El Barrio Running
El Barrio Running is a Latino-founded running crew in NYC, built for Latinos by Latinos, rooted in the cultural heart of East Harlem (El Barrio). The club runs the streets of New York corriendo en español, celebrating Latin heritage through movement, community, and pride. Runs cover 6+ miles on Saturday mornings and welcome all paces and experience levels with no registration required — just show up. Routes are announced on Instagram every Friday, and the crew maintains a monthly calendar on Strava. The club is less a fitness group and more a cultural statement: running as a way to reclaim, celebrate, and move through the neighborhood that defines them.
Endorphins Running
A run club on a mission to spread positivity and happiness through movement and exercise. All paces welcome.
Founders Run Club
A run club for people interested in entrepreneurship, open to all paces. All paces welcome.
GCP Run Club
A Manhattan-based social run club meeting near Grand Central for after-work evening runs through Midtown and the East Side. Listed in the NYCRUNS community directory. All paces welcome.
Girls that Runn
An all-women's running and walking group in Inwood, Manhattan, meeting every third Saturday of the month. All paces welcome.
Godspeed Run Club
A multi-city run club operating in the US and Canada, anchored in NYC across Central Park, Prospect Park, and McCarren Park. Known for Sunday morning group runs with a strong social and community focu All paces welcome.
Harlem Speedsters
A speed-focused Harlem-based running club for runners looking to push their pace in the neighborhood's streets and parks. Listed in the NYCRUNS directory as a Harlem-based competitive crew with a trai Competitive welcome.
Just Us Running Club (JURC)
A run club with the motto "no one runs alone," supporting runners from 5K to marathon across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Liberty State Park. All paces welcome.
Latin Running Club
Supportive community built on friendship and joy, welcoming all fitness levels. Based in Upper Manhattan. Listed in NYCRUNS club directory.
Latinas in Motion NYC
National multi-chapter running and wellness org for Latinas with a NYC chapter known as 'NYC Bellas,' founded by Walesca Marmolejos. Focuses on community, health equity, and empowerment across 12+ chapters and 5,000+ members nationally.
Latinas Run NYC
A running community for Latina women in NYC. All paces welcome.
Latinos Run NYC
A running community for Latino/Latinx runners in NYC. All paces welcome.
Masala Milers
Masala Milers is NYC's first South Asian run club, founded in 2023 by Vinayak Prabhu and Natasha Saran after Prabhu posted on the /RunNYC subreddit looking for Desi runners and found community instead of answers — the three co-founders eventually met at the Queens 10K. Unlike a general South Asian affinity group, Masala Milers explicitly bridges the Indian-Pakistani-Bangladeshi divide, welcoming the full diaspora without religious or national distinctions. The club runs across all five boroughs — Saturday mornings from Central Park West and W 72nd St, rotating Queens runs from Hoyt Playground in Astoria, and women-only routes crossing the Williamsburg Bridge — with post-run chai chats and coffee stops (Kaafi on Lenox Ave, Qahwah House, Bohemian Beer Garden) treated as equally important as the miles. Sponsored by Rupee Beer and Perfect Stride PT and recognized by both NYRR and NYC Runs, the club has grown to 186 Strava members and consistently brings large groups to city races including the NYC Marathon.
NARC (Not a Run Club)
Ironically named, NARC (Not a Run Club) is a run club in NYC. All paces welcome.
New York Athletic Club
Elite private athletic club on Central Park South. Running club operates within the NYAC membership. Competitive runners with training in Central Park.
New York Flyers
Founded in 1989, the New York Flyers is one of NYC's oldest and largest running clubs, yet deliberately maintains a small-club feel with five group runs per week across Central Park and Prospect Park. The club draws a genuinely diverse mix of competitive age-groupers, first-timers, and triathletes all training side by side, with membership running just $30/year. Beyond the miles, the Flyers have a full social calendar — monthly drinks near Columbus Circle, an annual Gala, a book club with guest authors, and bi-annual Central Park cleanups — making it as much a community organization as a running club. The culture is explicitly inclusive and anti-racism committed, and the structure is volunteer-run nonprofit, which gives it a community-ownership feel you don't find in newer clubs.
New York Instarunners
Member-supported USATF club operating in Manhattan and New Jersey. $25 annual dues. Club updates delivered via a private Facebook page. No public Instagram or Strava presence confirmed.
Nice Jewish Runners
Jewish community running group meeting Saturday mornings in Central Park. Social and welcoming to all paces.
No More Lonely Runs
No More Lonely Runs started in February 2023 with seven friends running Central Park on a Saturday morning and has grown to 10,000+ members globally and 1,500+ in Manhattan alone. The name is the whole philosophy: show up solo, leave with friends — all paces, all backgrounds, judgment-free. Founded by Mallory Kilmer, the club has partnered with Propel, Gymshark, and Mastercard, and has a recurring Mastercard NYC Marathon partnership. Free to join, with a warm community infrastructure that makes it easy to find your people even in a group this size.
NY Harriers
Founded in 1988, the NY Harriers are a serious but welcoming competitive road racing club based in Central Park, with over 175 members and a coaching staff of 7 RRCA/USATF-certified coaches. Workouts run Wednesday and Friday mornings at Engineers' Gate and Wednesday evenings at Tavern on the Green, divided into 3-4 pace tiers from 5:30 to 9:00 min/mile — structured, coach-led sessions with real training plans, not just group jogs. The club competes in the NYRR Club Points A Division and runs an intra-team Runner of the Year series to keep competitive stakes year-round. The social side is equally intentional: monthly First Thursday happy hours, seasonal parties, destination long runs to donut shops and breweries, and an annual Harriers Mile and Donut Relay race.
NYC Dragons
A Manhattan-based running club listed in the NYCRUNS directory. Community-focused group serving the Chinatown and Lower Manhattan running community. All paces welcome.
NYC Fun Run / Run & Chug
A no-frills social run club meeting every Wednesday at 7pm at rotating bars across NYC. Bag drop, a 4-mile run, then back to the bar for drinks. All paces welcome and the emphasis is firmly on the pos All paces welcome. Post-run at Rotating bar partner.
NYC Muslim Running Club
A community run club encouraging physical, spiritual, and mental growth through weekly Sunday group runs for all fitness levels. Location rotates and is shared via Telegram. Post-run smoothies and foo All paces welcome. Post-run at Smoothie spot or nearby restaurant.
Oiselle Volee NYC
The NYC chapter of Oiselle Volee, a membership-based women's running community affiliated with the Oiselle running apparel brand. Offers group runs, team events, and access to a nationwide network of All paces welcome.
Old Man Run Club
Despite the name, Old Man Run Club is young, diverse, and majority women — the founders named it as a joke about post-marathon blues, and it stuck. Every Saturday, 50+ runners meet for long runs of 9-22 miles at a genuinely conversational pace, with routes that rotate weekly across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens so it never gets repetitive. It's free, no membership required, and the 'we're not leaving you behind' policy is real rather than aspirational. Beyond the weekly run, they organize marathon training blocks, community events, and cultural runs — it's one of those clubs where the running is the excuse to actually build friendships.
Orange Zone Running Club (OZ)
Unofficial Orangetheory spin-off run club, NYRR-affiliated. Meets Thursdays at 7:15am in front of Orangetheory at 73 W 92nd St (UWS). Pace-split groups run Central Park loop, 6-10 miles.
Pitch and Run
Pitch and Run launched in 2019 as a running club for startup founders, investors, and tech people who want to build relationships while moving — and it's exactly what it sounds like. Monday and Friday mornings at 9am from Bluestone Lane at Chelsea Piers (22nd St & West Side Highway), ~4.5 miles at 9:45 min/mile pace, coffee after. The format is intentionally conversational: no formal pitching, just two people running and talking, which is how multiple funding rounds have reportedly started. Free to join; after five runs you get added to the group chat.
Race Days & IPAs
A Thursday evening run club starting at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, splitting into pace groups and ending with IPAs at a nearby bar. Focused on fun, encouragement, and involvement. All paces welcome. Post-run at Nearby bar.
Reservoir Dogs
Founded in 2000, a run club that loves to run and socialize, catering to every type of runner with training plans and social outings. All paces welcome.
Roosevelt Island Runners
A Tuesday evening run club meeting at Eleanor's Pier on Roosevelt Island, welcoming all paces. All paces welcome.
Rosie's Run Club
Brooklyn-based run club with a social focus. Wednesday evening and Saturday morning runs.
Run for Chinatown
Run for Chinatown grew directly out of the COVID devastation of Manhattan's Chinatown — founder Leland Yu, a cook who lost his job during the pandemic, ran a 12-hour solo fundraising challenge in 2020 and turned that single act into a weekly Monday night community movement. The runs meet at 69 Mulberry Street at 6:30pm and integrate guided history of the neighborhood — Chinese Exclusion Act, community resistance, local landmarks — so every run is also a cultural education. The group is explicitly all-paces and all-levels including walkers, and all starts and finishes happen together in Chinatown as a deliberate statement about community solidarity. Fundraising is structural, not incidental: $141,000+ raised and partnerships with Chinatown businesses are core to what the club does, not extras.
RUSHHOUR Run Club
Meets Wednesday at 7pm.
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.
Social Striders Running Club
A Manhattan-based social running club listed in the NYCRUNS directory. Emphasizes the social aspects of running with welcoming, conversational-pace group runs through Manhattan's parks and streets. All paces welcome.
South Asian Run Club
The South Asian Run Club (SARC) is a free, inclusive running community built around the South Asian diaspora in NYC — welcoming people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepali, West Indian, Guyanese, Trinidadian, and Tobagonian backgrounds, as well as runners of all creeds and backgrounds. The club formed to address the underrepresentation of South Asian runners in the New York running scene and to serve as a network and resource for that community. Saturday morning runs in Central Park are the heartbeat of the group, with all paces welcome and a shared schedule coordinated via Google Group. Members train together for NYRR and NYC Runs races from 5Ks through the TCS New York City Marathon and other World Marathon Majors.
Speed Racers
Self-described motto: 'We just want to go fast.' Manhattan-based. Twitter presence at @TheSpeedRacers.
Streets 101
Community running collective. Tuesday evening intervals/hills and Saturday morning long runs. Contact via Instagram @streets101nyc for meeting location.
The Most Informal Running Club Ever
An open social running club for everyone, any pace, for any distance. All paces welcome.
The Most Informal Running Club Ever (TMIRCE)
A judgment-free running family for everybody regardless of pace. Thursday runs start at Alphabet City Beer Co., jog to the Williamsburg Bridge, run endurance drills over the river, and cool down back All paces welcome. Post-run at Alphabet City Beer Co..
Type One Run
A running club for people living with Type 1 diabetes and their supporters. Listed in the NYCRUNS directory as a Manhattan-based community club providing motivation and camaraderie for T1D runners of All paces welcome.
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.
Upper East Side Run Club
A free run club on the Upper East Side focused on fostering friendship and community-building. All paces welcome.
Upper West Side Run Club
Upper West Side Run Club was founded in February 2023 by Maddy Nguyen, a then-25-year-old tech recruiter who couldn't find the right community to train for marathons — so she started one via Instagram and a Facebook group. Three runs a week (Sunday mornings at the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument, Tuesday mornings in Central Park, Thursday evenings at the Natural History Museum) at 8-11 min/mile conversational pace, with coffee after morning runs and drinks after evening ones. The vibe is warm, younger-skewing, and genuinely social — the club has been featured in the New York Times for how much people lean on these communities for connection. Free, no sign-up required.
Upper West Side Runners
Upper West Side Runners is a free, community-run club meeting three times a week at 85th & Central Park West — Monday mornings, Wednesday evenings, and Saturday mornings — with pace leaders for 9, 10, and 11-minute miles so everyone has someone to run with. The culture is event-oriented: they coordinate group entries for races like the NY Women's Mini 10K and Joe Kleinerman 10K, partner with neighboring clubs, and run holiday parties and socials throughout the year. Runs end at local bars or coffee shops depending on the time of day. No sign-up, no fee, just show up.
Urban Feet NYC
A Saturday morning run club meeting at the W72nd St. entrance to Central Park for runners of varying abilities, with a post-run stop at a local coffee shop. All paces welcome. Post-run at Local coffee shop.
UWS Run Club
Upper West Side Run Club was founded in February 2023 by Maddy Nguyen, a then-25-year-old tech recruiter who couldn't find the right community to train for marathons — so she started one via Instagram and a Facebook group. Three runs a week (Sunday mornings at the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument, Tuesday mornings in Central Park, Thursday evenings at the Natural History Museum) at 8-11 min/mile conversational pace, with coffee after morning runs and drinks after evening ones. The vibe is warm, younger-skewing, and genuinely social — the club has been featured in the New York Times for how much people lean on these communities for connection. Free, no sign-up required.
Village Run Club
Based in Greenwich Village, bringing together runners of all paces and backgrounds every Friday morning. Philosophy is 'run together, celebrate together, grow together.' Hosts Friday morning miles and All paces welcome.
Wall Street Running Club
Russian-language-dominant community in the Financial District, explicitly open to all backgrounds. Post-run 'business breakfast' with rotating member knowledge shares — running, networking, and personal growth combined. 'No pressure, no competition. Just movement, connection, and energy.' Runs along the waterfront past the NYC skyline. 724-member Telegram group is the primary organizing channel.
Warren Street Social & Athletic Club
One of NYC's oldest continuously competitive running clubs, founded 1978. Free membership and coaching. Competitive racing emphasis with a strong social identity — motto: 'Remember the Social in our full name comes before the AC.' Notable alumni include Khalid Khannouchi (former marathon world record holder) and Pat Petersen (former USA marathon record holder). Trains twice weekly in Central Park: Tuesday night speed sessions (Boathouse, 74th St) and Saturday morning long runs (Engineers Gate, 90th St). Competes in NYRR Championship Series, NY Runs, and USATF events. Welcoming to all levels despite the competitive core.
We Are NYC Running Club
We Are NYC Running Club was built on one idea: bring runners together regardless of pace, background, or experience level — and it shows in the crowd. Founded in 2018 around a Facebook group for people training for the NYC Half, the club has grown to 1,800+ members and is officially recognized by NYRR. The vibe is social over competitive — think group prep runs for the big NYC races, post-race celebrations, and a genuinely welcoming energy that also makes it a great home base for out-of-towners running in the city. No gatekeeping, no minimum pace, just a crew that actually means it when they say all levels welcome.
West Side Runners (WSX)
One of NYC's oldest and most decorated competitive running clubs, rooted in the West Side YMCA since the 1970s and formally established in 1980 when president Bill Staab helped three Colombian runners enter the NYC Marathon. Roughly one-third Ethiopian with strong Latin American representation — serious immigrant runners who compete nationally and internationally. Staab has reportedly spent close to $1 million of his own money on entry fees, memberships, and visa support over 40+ years. The most dominant men's club team in NYC for years. Trains in Central Park and at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Competitive, not casual — but deeply community-driven. Featured in GQ, New York Times, NBC, and CS Monitor.
WRU Crew (We Run Uptown)
Community-first, culture-rooted crew that has never missed a Monday since 2013. Founded by Washington Heights natives Hector Espinal and Josh Mock to bring running culture north of Central Park to predominantly Latinx neighborhoods. Deeply neighborhood-pride-driven — routes loop through Washington Heights and Inwood, occasionally into the Bronx. All paces welcome, walkers included, no one left behind. Post-run social at the bar is part of the ritual. Operates Comunidad WRU, a nonprofit focused on health access in Northern Manhattan. Nike Running partner. Peaks at 150-200 runners on Monday nights.
Yalla Let's Run NYC
A social run and walk club organizing 5K loops in Central Park with an Arab-American and Muslim community focus. Meets at Jo & the Juice on Lexington. Updates shared via WhatsApp group. Open and welco All paces welcome. Post-run at Jo & the Juice.