UKH

My other and I were having a chat about running.

Most of the time we both like off road / trail running alone – we both enjoy the peace and quiet and not having to run at another person’s pace.

We can both see the advantages of running with other folk – it’s a bit more sociable, gives you motivation, learn new routes and areas etc. However, the idea of running as part of a club group doesn't really appeal.

On the flip side, there is the small but nevertheless potential safety issue that may go with heading off for a run with someone you’ve never met before. But then, it seems to work fine for climbers on the lift/partners forum.

Are there any forums/websites that runners use to team up with other runners? Is there a gap in the market for UKC to create a running partners forum? Are we just being grumpy and should try joining a club?

Anyone been in the same situation? All thoughts welcome.

In reply to rob sykes:
i would say the potential for a random running partner to be a dick is far higher than them being a axe wielding murderer who's going to bury you in the woods

In reply to rob sykes:


No, if you run to be fit, to race etc.. then that is why you run, company is an optional extra. Others run for weight loss or just the social, company is probably more important than how far, fast, where etc..

Ignoring jogging along with the kids at club training sessions (7 + 9) I never run with others. We have a great running/orienteering/skiing club, which we do lots of stuff with, but the thought of group training doesn't appeal one bit. Some days I want to be a little lazy, or when the mood takes blast it out a little harder at efforts etc..

In reply to kingborris:

is that an axe in your shorts or are you just pleased to see me.....

In reply to rob sykes:

I cant stand running with other people. Big solo runs are immensely satisfying, i find company is hugely detrimental to tje overall experience.

In reply to rob sykes:
I run six days a week, the odd one of those runs might be on my own, but generally I run with others.

I enjoy the social side, but actually for 99% of people, running with others makes you better. Speedwork is very hard to do on your own, running in a group will push you along at a faster speed than you probably would on your own if doing more tempo type runs, they can also slow you down if you get the urge to go too fast on easy or recovery runs.

It also gets you out of the door on those days when you don't really feel like it.

Of course it depends who you choose to run with, but being a member of a club, I have a large number of people to choose from. To my knowledge, none of them are axe murderers.

The one person I don't run much with is my girlfriend.

In reply to rob sykes:



I'm a moderately active member of a running club, but to be honest, I don't run with members of the club very often. However, what being a member of the club does give me is a pool of like-minded people so if I do want to run somewhere with someone, I have an immediate set of potential partners. I'm most likely to do this if I'm planning a long run somewhere new.

There could be scope for a running partner forum, but I'm not sure UKC is the best place for it - the FRA website might be more suitable for off-road and trail runs. I'm going to be spending more time in Yorkshire over the summer, and I'm pondering a Three Peaks run, for which a partner might be good, so having a suitable forum would be helpful.

In reply to rob sykes: If there are many of you running but at different paces, then it's nice to have an easy day but be able to drag someone along to a good time for them, or to be dragged along by someone better to a good time for yourself.

I used to work somewhere many years ago where loads of people ran during lunch-hour so it was possible to do this on several different road "triangles" or run by yourself if that's what you wanted.

In reply to The New NickB:

Out of interest which club are you a member of?

In reply to rob sykes:


Rochdale Harriers

In reply to tony:

Will check out the FRA website. Likewise, am looking to do a few longer (well, longer for me) runs over the coming weeks: Edale Skyline, Kinder Plateau circuit. Am happy on my own but thought a bit of company may be good.

In reply to rob sykes:
my reason for going with a club is motivation, sometimes its easy skip a day or two of normal training if you arent motivated. Other reasons are to chat about kit, find new routes or races, inspiration from peoples race results.
I do prefer running on my own though and its usually the case as I dont always finish work at the same time, and there are some good running routes on my drive home so meeting someone there would be very difficult ad hoc.
Running on your own teaches self reliance but not always good for overall speed or endurance - having said that if your running partner(s) are slow then its the same issue. But there are ways around it ofcourse for going solo, using a gps watch / HRM or some other gizmo that keeps your pace up.

Why not have a mix, one day a week with a partner / group / club then the others on your own?

I dont know of any websites for meets like there are for biking or climbing, but there are plenty of running clubs around everywhere.

In reply to rob sykes:

Yup, despite what I said about not running with other people very often, I do actually enjoy it when I do it, as long as they're of a compatible pace and don't want to treat the run as a race. That's the other advantage of being a club member - you know what you're going to get.

I run with some guys at work of varying fitness, though currently I'm slightly the fastest. I find it refreshing most of the time, we normally chat for the first few k then settle into a steady rhythm. It really helps me stay motivated and is fun.

I used to find it a bit frustrating that I could run faster solo, and would feel like I wasn't properly "worked". But lately I've seen that as a benefit: I tend to make all my runs too hard left to my own devices. So these tend to be a couple of moderate runs a week, and I'll also aim to do a long run solo, and also a speed session at my own pace. Sometimes we get together for a speed session and will do 5 x (1km fast, 2-3' rest) or 10 x (1' on / 1' easy), with everyone having their own speed pace - that works pretty well, except when one of the inexperienced guys tries to keep up the faster paces of others and blows up after a few reps.

It would make sense to also do long runs in company, but it's more important to be evenly matched in speed and distance objective I think. Probably that is where Sunday club runs come in, where they split into various groups, but I'm yet to try that.

Partner forums make sense but this needs a large pool of runners, or to be local, as no one wants to travel miles to go for a run!

In reply to rob sykes:

I've been watching too much Springwatch, I thought you said 'Running with otters'!

In reply to rob sykes:

I mainly run on my own (well, with my border collie) but that's due to necessity. I run early mornings nearly every day, and I live a long way from civilisation - my nearest running club is a 30 minute drive away as well.

For the most part I enjoy running alone - my wife has got into trail running but I really have to slow it down when we're out together which sometimes is OK but for regular outings wouldn't work. I also am more of a fan of just exploring and don't mind getting lost etc, which gets on her nerves a bit.


I'm a big fan of Strava - it helps as it creates a sense of community - there are a few people on here who I follow/follow me and although we don't run the same routes you get inspiration from like-minded runners with sometimes similar aims. You can also create your own online Strava 'clubs' including people who you might run with regularly.

That said, I race about 10 times a year so get out and enjoy the social side from time to time (here in the Alps there's more trail races than I can physically do).

In reply to rob sykes:

I mostly run on my own out of choice - running is the thing I do when I want to be alone so joining a club seems a little counter-productive! I know running with a club would probably make me faster, but that isn't my primary goal in running and when I need to I use my watch to control my pace (either to maintain a fast pace, or slow myself down) which works well for me.

As someone else said, I do also engage in online running communities for the purposes of motivation, swapping ideas and monitoring progress. In fact, my most frequent running buddy lives in Philadelphia.

In reply to rob sykes:

The thing about joining a club is you don't ever HAVE to run or train as a group.

You can go along and join a few of their steady runs. You'll meet people who run at the same level as you and then you can arrange to meet up with them outside the club.

It's pretty good to find a likeminded person with the same ability to train with on an informal basis.

Paces should always be within a range so it shouldn't be that hard to settle on a pace that suits you both.

In reply to rob sykes:

Good post.

As someone who was crap at sports and went to the sort of Yorkshire comprehensive depicted in 'Kes' I've always despised group activities.

I put off joining a running club until my late 40s, preferring to run alone, (and preferably late at night). Fortunately my club is incredibly friendly, and motivates me to get out training twice a week. I actually enjoy the training, (although I still don't like racing and only do it to support other club members), and I've improved far more than I would have training alone.

As noted above Strava is excellent for motivation, encouragement and a bit of banter if you have a circle of mates.

In reply to rob sykes:
I just do it, never had an issue.

I once emailed a random woman who I knew was a good runner, I was amazed when she said jets meet for a run and named a fairly remote car park. she even left her kids playing in the local park and we ran for an hour together in a pretty remote part of Texas,

In the UK I've met people I the dead of night all over the UK on various challenges. Even signed up for 3-4 day boat races with people I've never met, it's all fun.

In reply to Pesda potato:

In the us we use 'meet up' for informal trail running groups.

In reply to rob sykes:

I was a member of a club but have recently backed off. There's a lot of pressure to be a "team player" and run in races or, if you're injured, to go and support. Happy to do the latter in moderation but not every bloody Sunday. I suspect not all clubs are like this though.

I do feel I get benefit from training with others though. In that vein, I recently suggested a run with a friend who said she runs at 10 minute miles (a nice gentle pace for me). As she was the slower runner, I let her set the pace....she was struggling at 11 minute miles. At least club runners are more likely to have a realistic idea of their pace.

In reply to Robyn Vacher:


That seems really over the top, I sometimes feel obliged to race when I'm not entirely fit and go and support when I'm not running, but I'm the Club Captain and clearly need to lead by example. We ask people to support certain events if they can , but certainly not every week or anything close to that. I think if we were too demanding people would, as you have, take a step back.

In reply to rob sykes:

really depends what your in it for and the atmosphere in the club .
if your in for the competition and achievements then a club can probably push your PB...
in that case also having a certified coach would help.
just for social reasons i personally wouldnt join a running club.. bouldering i think is far more social than running.