Philadelphia’s running community is rich with a variety of groups, teams, clubs, and crews. Each is unique in what they provide for their internal collective, and that distinctiveness plays a major role in shaping the entire city’s running landscape. Citywide Athletics turns the city into a playground by mixing running with working out in a different location every week. Free to join, members take turns planning and leading the workouts which means a lot of variety!
Let’s start with an easy warm-up, tell us your name and the name of your club you’re representing:
Kate Whittington representing Citywide Athletics.
How and when did the club start?
October 2020, in advance of a winter season of running, we wanted some camaraderie and a way to jump start our weekends. I knew of a few people who would be interested in leading workouts and flexing their creativity muscles, too, not just their physical muscles!
When and where does the club meet?
Every Thursday at 6:45 am, in various locations around the city (we post on Instagram where we'll be each week!).
Give us a quick rundown of the club:
Citywide Athletics is community-driven. Every week, someone new from the group will lead the workout. It can be any style, but generally includes running and some bodyweight exercises. Everything is go at your own pace, and whoever designs the workout also gets to choose the location.
What can someone expect if they come out to run with the group?
Honestly, a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, the workouts can be as hard as you want to make them. But all of our workouts are really varied, so much so that no two weeks have been the same since we started in 2020 (though we might repeat our Ice Cream 5k...). We're a welcoming bunch, we play music and generally get coffee after the workout, and we embrace the uniqueness of what we're doing. Some people get really into it - drawing signs by hand, bringing props. Fun is key.
Is there a membership or fee involved with joining the club?
No way!! No $$ is required to be in the group. We've already collected a lot of items like cards and dice (and a parachute!!) if people want to use them to create a workout, so no members have to pay anything at all.
Do members get together to run at other times or gather for non-running activities?
We have a GroupMe chat where people can post if they want running buddies or for any non-running activities. We're all very friendly outside of the group, and we're definitely excited to bring people in who like to do activities outside of the workout.
Tell us why someone should run with your club:
If you're looking for a workout that comes to your neighborhood; if you're looking for friends who are also into fitness; if you're a morning person; if you like being outdoors; if you like exploring new areas of your city; if you want to cross-train during a running training cycle; if you're making a new year’s resolution to try something new; if you want to be silly with strangers and friends on Thursday morning, this group is for you. So pretty much, this group is for everyone ;)
Also we love dogs. Please bring your dogs to the workout.
Thanks for taking the time to share more about Citywide Athletics Kate! If you’re interested in joining Citywide Athletics, they meet every Thursday morning at 6:45AM at different locations all around the city. To see where they are heading this week, follow: @citywideathletics on Instagram.
Do you belong to a local club, crew, group, or team and want to see them featured? Send us an email: brodie@philadelphiarunner.com.