A Couple of Clicks Away

There are a number of excellent running clubs around the world that are easy to find, inexpensive to join, and that sponsor activities you can participate in on either a particular weekend or all year. Belonging to a running club is a good way to stay motivated, learn from others, meet people with similar interests, and participate in challenging events.

Some clubs are big—like those associated with well-known marathons such as the Boston Athletic Club and the New York Road Runners Club. Sparsely populated areas have smaller clubs. Different clubs have different personalities.

Search via Google or Bing for “running club + [the name of your town, state initials]” (for example, “running club + Kimberton, PA”). You're bound to find a lot of interesting sites even if they aren't what you were originally looking for.

Clubs in the United States

In the United States, the best place to start is with the granddaddy of them all, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). Not only can you find local and national club listings through the RRCA, you can get an idea of what's happening with running across the country.

To find clubs in the state where you live or a state you're planning to visit, you can go straight to a map on their website, click on the state, and immediately access a list of all the running clubs in that state.

Clubs in Canada

Like the United Sates, Canada has lots of running clubs that offer organized events for their members and guests. One of the top sites to search for clubs in Canada and in other countries (as well as in the United States) is the “Running Network”.

Outside the United States and Canada

“Run the Planet” provides an excellent international directory. If you search on the site for running clubs, you'll be directed to pages of national and international listings. Besides the United States and Canada, you can look up clubs in Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and South America.

In the “Race Calendar” section, you'll find information on races in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Greenland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, and Slovenia.

What's to stop you? “Run the Planet” is also a treasure trove of information about all aspects of running, including its history.