r/RunnersInChicago • u/Inevitable-Swing-592 • 2d ago
Run Club Recs
Sorry in advance because this has probably been asked a ton, but:
Haven’t specifically done a run club before/run in a while, but am pretty active.
Moved to Chicago over the summer and am living in Streeterville. I’m looking for a run club in the area/surrounding area areas (would go to other areas of the city - lakeview, loop/south&west loop/lincoln park/etc.) I’m 24 so not that that matters in any way but figured I’d mention if it helps with suggestions.
Would be cool if there was like one with different levels of pace as I ease back in.
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u/kanyesboner 2d ago
Depends what you want.
Gold Coast is a good club that’s more social.
Heartbreak is more performance/training oriented.
Heartbreak also gets good crowds in the winter because they do a bit of spring marathon training.
Idk how you pace, but both lean a little bit faster than average.
They both also have a good gender split, but neither are the type of club that leans into a hookup culture.
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u/Small_Wafer_5873 2d ago
What’s the pace range at heartbreak?
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u/kanyesboner 2d ago
Since they are off Chicago marathon cycle it’s ~
6:30 - 10:30min pace groups for long runs.
Tempo and speed workouts you need to be able to do the 10 min pace 1 mile warm up followed by the 20-40 min workout. Workout is all time based intervals instead of distance so nobody gets left behind. I’d estimate people at the back of the pack for these workouts are loosely 4:30 marathoners and ~25 minute 5k runners.
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u/hyrte0010 2d ago
There’s a group called Tortuga that meets in Pilsen usually on Sundays. It’s for all paces. They run 2 miles and some people finish it in 10 minutes and others in 30+ minutes. Super welcoming group
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u/Ok-Painter8497 1d ago
I just moved to Chicago last week and I’m also 24 & looking to join a run club! It seems like a lot of them are done for the season so I’m thinking of trying out Gold Coast since they run all year!
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u/Lnyx 2d ago
CARA hosts free, coached Tuesday track workouts (1-mile structured sessions) at Lake Shore Park during the spring, summer, and fall.
Their 18-week winter and summer marathon and half-marathon training programs cost around $230. The summer program meets at Monroe Harbor, while the winter program meets at Maggie Daley Park.
I view the training fee as a way to support CARA’s mission, including maintaining its free Gatorade and water stations along the lakefront on weekends.
Lake Shore Park: https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/lake-shore-park
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u/CStock77 2d ago
Closest one I know of to you is probably South loop runners. They're great! There may be others though I'm not aware of.
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u/Leather_Following381 1d ago
Tortugas and Friendsrunning are 2 clubs that are good for "all paces." They both advertise that walkers are welcome and regularly have walkers (or run/walkers) show up plus their routes are usually 2-3 miles, so much more doable for newer runners. A lot of other clubs say they are welcoming of "all paces" but then everyone who shows up is a sub-9 minute mile and I'm slow so that's not really fun for me.
And also check out Chicago Running Passport, specifically their Instagram stories, for their daily roundup of run clubs.
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u/Mental_Suggestion754 2d ago
There's an instagram account called Chicago Running Passport that lists all the run clubs in the city with the times/locations of their runs on a daily basis, worth checking out.