Club Seattle Runners Division organizes the summer All City Mile event to bring together runners from across the city for a one-mile timed run at the UW track.
It’s dark, it’s cold, and it’s practically impossible to dredge up the motivation to run. Never fear, Seattle’s run clubs are here, and they have cracked the code for getting out there during the Big Dark. It turns out that running with other people is objectively better, especially when you add in festive lights and postrun beers. Run clubs hark back to a time when we met other people—friends, lovers, casual acquaintances—in person rather than on screens.
Here, we’ve compiled (almost) all of the running groups in the city, from the groups that will take you to a marathon PR (personal record) and others that will simply take you to the bar.
Sunday
“I was out there running alone,” West Seattle Running Club founder Dave Howard remembers, “and one day, way back in the ’90s, I thought, ‘You know, there's a whole lot of people that need motivation, including me.’ So we put this club together.” Some 31 years later, the club still meets at Alki Beach’s miniature Statue of Liberty on Sunday mornings. A dozen or two folks split into groups for a jog along the flat, paved Sound-side trail where all paces (“We have people that run-walk, we have people that can win races, everything in between”) are welcome. Afterward, runners regroup for coffee.
“For me, it’s a second family,” Howard says. Turns out, running clubs acting as de facto dating apps isn’t a fully novel phenomenon: Howard and his wife met on the Alki path during a club run in the group’s second year. “We've been together 30 years now. And we've had three sets of couples that have found each other down there and got married.”
Membership dues are a $25 fee collected annually once runners choose to be a regular part of the group. Small price for group runs with epic views, a wholesome community atmosphere, and built-in accountability toward running goals.
Various
If you’ve ever seen a runner clad in cow print on a local trail, most likely breezing past you as you huff uphill, you’ve found a Cowgill member in the wild. Started in 2021 by trail runners who loved big adventures and hoped to make like-minded friends, the group aimed to be the trail-focused running group that Seattle was missing. And boy, did they find a valuable niche.
What started as a once-weekly run has transformed into a group almost 1,500-people deep with weekly workouts, evening social runs ending at breweries, early-morning trail runs, and regular volunteer trail maintenance.
“We're trail runners, but it is a much larger community,” Aaron Long says. In the massive Slack group, a smorgasbord of channels—and cow puns—exist for backcountry skiing, surfing, even coworking (#telecomooing) together. Because the group started with a core contingent of high-achieving endurance athletes focused on ultramarathons and big PNW objectives, the audience skews towards established runners, and most members do compete in trail races.
Despite that, the group has put effort toward welcoming first-timers with a specific intro-to-trail-running event each month. Brand partners supply demo shoes, lowering the barrier for folks who want to try out the sport before committing to specialized gear. The mingling of experienced trail runners with the trail-running-curious, Long says, is special: Cowgill’s environment is “very supportive, but also ambitious.” You just found out about ultras and want to run a 100-mile race? Cowgill is the place to find a mentor and a community of runners who will help you get there. And hopefully, Long says, the cow print paraphernalia reminds everyone not to take themselves too seriously.
Club Seattle Runners Division was founded by photographer and regular Seattle Met contributor David Jaewon Oh, who also took this picture.
Monday, Saturday
The friendly, open-invite party of Seattle’s run club scene, Club Seattle Runners Division (CSRD) regularly has 75–150 runners trotting along the South Lake Union Loop from MOHAI.
“We are probably one of the most diverse, in terms of not just race but body types and where people are on their running journey,” says David Jaewon Oh, who also happens to be a photographer and Seattle Met contributor. Their motto, “all paces, all faces” says it all: The club has inclusion baked into its DNA. Most run clubs have pacers, volunteers who lead a group while running at a specific pace. CSRD, though, has what they call sweepers, or volunteers who stick with the back of each group so no one gets lost or left behind.
Decidedly not performance based, CSRD is more about community-building, finding your crew, and running in a low-pressure environment. The group takes a seasonal break mid-December through mid-February when after-work hours are their coldest and darkest, but they do rent out light vests and headlamps any time the sun sets before organized group runs.
“If you want to give running a chance,” Oh says, “there’s nothing to be scared of. We’re really fun people.”
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday
If friends are dropping hints that you might be, let’s say, a little competitive…allow us to introduce you to your crowd. Club Northwest was founded in the 1970s as a competitive training ground for postcollegiate athletes who weren’t ready to bid adieu to their running careers. Here, they could train for the Olympic trials or renowned marathons.
Forty-something years later, it’s still a home for what club president Danielle Henty calls “blood, sweat, and tears runners,” the athletes who want “science-backed methodologies with really solid coaching and planned out training for us to achieve our goals as best as we can.” Many of the group’s weekly runs require membership—and a tryout—but Tuesdays bring all-are-welcome workouts. About 50 people show up each week, from folks who used to run track and field decades ago in high school to brand-new runners.
And in the summer, everyone gets a chance to relive high school glory days (or rewrite gym class trauma) in weekly All-Comers meets. From toddlers running a 50-meter dash to professional runners vying for their next qualifying time, the track meets aim to bring the running community together in a weekly summer tradition.
At its core, Club Northwest is the spot for runners who simply love running: “The club is really a place for those who realize that they love this sport, they're dedicated to the sport, and they really want to do what it takes to be their personal best,” Henty says.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Of course Green Lake, with its delicious flat loop of pavement amid Seattle’s oft-brutal hills, deserves its very own running group. One that meets every day of the week? Sounds about right. The group events, many hosted by members-turned-organizers, vary from monthly bakery runs to a weekly 5:30am Wednesday run around the namesake lake and customizable track workouts at nearby Woodland Park.
Various
Goal-oriented Cascade Run Club works through training blocks tailored around the group’s focus races, usually marathons. Paid memberships unlock group practices around Green Lake, Lynnwood, or the Eastside.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday
The run club arm of the local West Seattle running shop, this group boasts a customizable approach to a free run club. Chat with shop employees about your desired mileage, they’ll craft a recommended loop, and you’ll choose to run solo or link up with others following a similar path. Runners looking to build speed, strength, and form head to the Hiawatha Track on Tuesdays for coach-guided workouts.
Monday
Green Lake’s running store hosts weekly three- to five-mile runs in the neighborhood, often switching it up from the classic lake loop to keep things interesting. Even more interesting, every so often the club hosts contests and giveaways; some evenings bring postrun snacks and camaraderie.
Wednesday
How could you not have a running group when Discovery Park is your neighbor? Trail running–focused Seven Hills Running Shop takes to the Magnolia hills with weekly runs through the nearby park’s forests, beaches, and bluffs.
Tuesday
Patronizing a different drinking establishment every Tuesday evening, this group of runners knows a thing or two about motivation. It’s where small business, IPAs, and sweaty conversation collide; the entry ticket is a three- to five-mile run open to all paces.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday
Following in the footsteps of branches across the world, the Seattle Frontrunners club gathers for four weekly run-walks, plus monthly trail outings. Specifically tailored to LGBTQIA+ runners and allies, the group hosts a three-mile Cal Anderson “mini-run” on Mondays that serves as an approachable entry point for newer runners. On Tuesdays, the group grabs a bite near the Seattle Asian Art Museum after a four-mile trek.
Thursday, Friday
The north Seattle crew bounces between three-mile coffee runs (Friday mornings) and choose-your-distance brewery runs (Thursday evenings) at local outposts. Lucky Envelope, Bale Breaker, and Café Bambino are recurring meeting points, but the revolving monthly schedule acts as an excuse to explore new neighborhood businesses.
Tuesday, Thursday
The running company’s Fremont HQ serves as the gathering point for several other run clubs, but Brooks Trailhead hosts their own shebang on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings. Choose between three- and five-mile routes, and grab a paper map if toting a phone isn’t your thing. Afterward, the crew heads to nearby Fremont Brewing for an endorphin-fueled social hour.
Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday
With a seasonal tilt toward trail running in the summer and cross-country in the winter, the membership-based club focuses on making racing fast—and fun. The group organizes an annual trail racing series at Cougar Mountain, the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival, and a free-for-members 31-mile ultramarathon version of the classic beer mile.
Tuesday
Heading out from the Ballard running store, a three- to five-mile route takes the group towards Golden Gardens’ stunning sunsets and seal sightings some weeks and into Ballard’s neighborhood streets on others. The “fun runs” are designed for all paces.
Tuesday, Thursday
True to its moniker, the Capitol Hill meets biweekly in the southwestern corner of Cal Anderson Park. From there, 10k (Tuesdays) and 5k (Thursdays) loops ensue, often with dogs in tow. On Thursdays, the good vibes keep rolling into a postrun Stoup Brewing hang.