How to start a run club: a step-by-step guide

Run clubs have become the easiest way to meet people in a city: you meet, run for a while at a chatting pace and finish with a coffee. Starting one doesn't take a federation, a venue or being fast. It takes consistency. This is the guide we wish we'd had.

1. Decide what kind of club you want to be

First, one sentence that explains your club: "social run on Thursday evenings", "Sunday long run for marathon training", "run and coffee before work". That sentence decides the rest: the time, the pace and who you will attract.

2. Pick a fixed day, time and meeting point

Consistency makes the club. One weekly run that always happens is worth more than three that get cancelled. Choose a meeting point that is easy to find, with room to wait and, ideally, a café nearby for the end.

3. Set one pace and distance for everyone

Around 5 km at a chatting pace is the best way in: nobody feels out of place. As the group grows, split it into pace groups, each with someone setting the pace.

4. Give it a name, a logo and an Instagram account

It doesn't need to be perfect, but it needs to be findable. Instagram is where most runners discover the run clubs in their city.

5. Give people one place to sign up

This is where many clubs get stuck with a WhatsApp group and a list by hand. With Kibi you create the club for free, publish the run and share a link: people sign up in the browser, without installing anything, and you know how many are coming.

6. Make them come back

The hard part isn't the first run, it's the tenth. What works:

• Welcoming first-timers and introducing them to the group.
• A social finish: coffee, breakfast or something with a local business.
• Small rituals: the group photo, the special run at the end of the month.
• Rewarding consistency: on Kibi you can give attendance perks.

7. When to charge (and when not to)

Many run clubs are always free. Others charge for special events or have a membership. On Kibi free activities cost nothing, and when you charge, the club receives the full price: the 5% fee is paid by the participant. More in payments for clubs.

Start this week

Pick the day, publish the first run and share it. For inspiration, see how other run clubs in Spain do it.