The group running scene in Philadelphia plays an integral role in defining the beautiful culture that is our running community. Each team, crew, and club is incredibly unique, which adds an assortment of rich layers to our city’s ever–growing active lifestyle. Our area is home to an active running community with over 100 running crews/clubs/teams. Whether you are new to running or have been logging miles for years, the Philly running scene has something for you.
We've started a new feature at Philadelphia Runner – Run Club Of The Month.
What You Do:
1. be a running group in the Philadelphia area
2. read each month's "Club Of The Month" post
3. be the first club to email brodie@philadelphiarunner.com after reading the post. The first club will be the next Run Club Of The Month (note: you can only win once)
Sound good? And without further ado, November 2024's Run Club Of The Month.....Me vs Me Training Club.
Written by: Tristan Epps
What is the club?
Me vs Me Training Club (MvM) was created in September of 2023 by a group of likeminded friends who came together with the goal of bettering ourselves and those close to us. What originally started as a motto has grown into a community with over 150 members. Our Sunday morning meetups serve as a place that fosters growth for runners looking to improve their pace or for those who simply want to come out and get their body moving. All paces are welcome. All we ask is that you come with the motivation to get 1% better each day!
Our first Year
We started meeting weekly on Sundays with no real plan outside of running. One Sunday could be a quick 3 miler and the next could be a long run from the Art Museum to the South Philly Ikea location and back. Although we had all grown capable of running long miles, we realized that if we wanted to grow our community, we needed to limit the miles to make it more inclusive for beginners. We shifted our Sunday meets to 3 milers. With the reduced miles and some extra promotion, we saw immediate growth. Throughout our first year, our members participated in many local races such as The Love Run, Rocky Run, The Broad St Run, and the Chicago Half Marathon. To celebrate our one-year anniversary, we collaborated with Snipes and Wim Café for an event that brought out over 200 people.
What’s to Come
MVM is continuing to grow. We recently shifted to 3 different runs on Sundays. We have an early long run at 7am for those who are getting ready for marathon season, a medium distance for half marathon training, and of course our original 5k. Some of our members are currently training to complete their first marathon during the upcoming Philadelphia Marathon Weekend. Over the next year, our founding members are planning to compete in the Brooklyn Half Marathon, Chicago Marathon, and many other runs across the country. We hope to keep fostering growth in the running community and maintaining a safe space for all of those who want to make their daily deposits and get 1% better each day.
Manny and Tristan, thanks for taking the time to share more about Me vs Me Training Club! If you’re looking for a new group to check out and run with, find more about MvM by following them on Instagram: @mvm.trainingclub