Explore the city, stay active and meet some awesome peeps at this fun (and totally free!) social run club in Vancouver.
How it started
The Vancouver Social Run Club was founded on the idea that running is for everyone. Since the start of COVID-19 and the transition to online, what many of us crave (more than ever) is to move and connect with people.
Last year, Geoff Scoates, the organizer of the Vancouver Social Run Club, was experiencing the frustration and isolation of the pandemic while recovering from a sport-related injury. For him, beginning to run again, despite years of marathons and training, felt like pulling teeth. To overcome this mental block, he reframed his approach to the sport. What if instead of running for the sake of hitting a PB, he would run simply to get out of the house, get his body moving, and connect with friends?
What began as a Saturday Social Run with around 6 people a session, quickly grew to what it is now. A fantastic group of Vancouverites stoked on the idea of being active and having fun while running.
What you can expect
Whether you’re hungover af from a Friday night out and need to sweat it out or you want to get some movement in before your morning coffee, Vancouver’s Social Run Club welcomes everyone. Every session keeps it simple with runs generally less than 30 minutes with multiple groups, each moving at conversation pace.
Although slower (and much more relaxed) than other run clubs in Vancouver, the focus here is to keep running fun. It’s less about running your heart out and more about creating a consistent run habit with friends.
Vancouver’s Social Run Club has regular group runs every Tuesday and Thursday night and Saturday morning. Tuesday’s are Form Focus Runs, where Geoff runs a mini-workshop beforehand on one aspect of running form that the group then keeps in mind for the remainder of the session. Thursday’s are Beats Interval Training which improves speed and distance with upbeat music and personal coaching. Saturdays are the OG day with a chill social run before a well-deserved post-run coffee.
Their events
Probably the best part about the Vancouver Social Run Club are their awesome events and costumes runs around the city. The team has done holiday runs like on Valentine’s Day when Geoff got dressed up as cupid (in the snow)! In July, they had a “nude themed run”, where everyone got creatively dressed up as Naked Grape Wine, a pixelated top or as nude vodka cans. They’ve done Gelato Runs, Doggo-Day Runs (where you can bring your pup) and even a Toga Brewery Crawl!
In a time when a lot of us feel disconnected and isolated, a running group like this makes staying active and getting outside, even on those rainy days, silly and fun. And is there anything more quintessentially Vancouver than heading to a hip, neighbourhood brewery after a chill evening run with friends? This Social Run Club really captures the authentic vibe of the city and is a really fun group to be a part of.
Upcoming Events
This weekend, the Vancouver Social Run Club is teaming up with SpinCo to host a Scary Sweaty Series! On Thursday October 28th, you can join a spooky night spin class and a costume run before grabbing a drink and free appetizer at The Hastings Warehouse. This jam-packed event is perfect if you’re looking to try something new and get out there this weekend.
If you can’t make it this weekend, they’ve got another Doggo Day Run on November 6th, a Run for Pho/Ramen on November 10th and a surprise event on November 13th! Otherwise, join their regular weekly runs to get a taste of this group’s fantastic vibe.
Where: Meet up in Yaletown
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30PM and Saturdays at 9:30AM regular runs, otherwise check out their instagram for regular updates on special events!
Check out the Social Run Club YVR’s blog posts for more helpful tips and tricks on running basics and injury prevention!