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.....Philly Slow Girl Run Club.
Written by: Paige Black
How and when did the club start?
I (Paige Black) started Philly Slow Girl Run Club in October of 2022. I started getting into running in 2020 because all of the gyms were closed and I had nothing else to do. After many miles of running slowly alone, I put myself out there and I posted in a Philly Facebook group to see if anyone would like to meet up and run together but the only catch was that they also had to run slowly. We joked that we are the “slow girls” in a run club and that’s when the name was born: Philly Slow Girl Run Club!
When and where does the club meet?
We meet Wednesdays at 6:30pm, Fridays at 7am, and Saturdays at 10am. All runs start and end at the bottom of the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. The average distance is 2–3 miles. I make sure to let everyone know that if they rather run a shorter distance, they can! This run club is for YOU and what you are comfortable with.
Give us a quick rundown of the club.
We pride ourselves in running slowly (hence the name) so we offer different slow pace groups. We have a 11 min/mile, 12 min/mile, 13 min/mile, and a run/walk group(~14 min/mile). We will never run faster than an 11 min/mile! We have a lot of amazing people who help out by leading the different pace groups. But we encourage everyone to run at their own pace, the pace leads are just there as a guide!
What can someone expect if they come out to run with the group?
Our Wednesday and Saturday runs usually start the same: we will welcome everyone for coming, explain a little bit about the club, announce if we have any events coming up, do a quick stretch, take a group photo, and separate into different pace groups. We start our run at the Rocky Statue, run down Kelly Drive, turn around, then head back towards the Art Museum, and end our run where we started. Our Friday morning runs are a little different, there are no official pace leads, it is very laid back so we encourage everyone to run at their own pace or with a friend!
Is there a membership or fee involved with joining the club for runs?
This club is FREE! All you have to do is just show up, no sign up required.
Do members get together to run at other times or gather for non–running activities?
Yes we LOVE to do things together that don’t revolve around running! Although we have fun events like “Run to Happy Hour” or “Run to Coffee” we also have: Book Club, go to Philly sporting events, picnics, out to dinner, workout classes, and many more! It’s more than just a run club: it’s a community to make friendships, build connections, and to support one another. We love to create memories both on and off of Kelly Drive!
Final question, tell us why someone should run with your club:
If you want to enjoy a supportive, relaxed environment where you can take things at your own pace(pun intended), you should join Philly Slow Girl Run Club! It's about having fun, staying active, and connecting with others. Whether you're new to running or just looking for a casual way to get active, we’re here to cheer you on every step of the way!
Paige, thanks for taking the time to share more about Philly Slow Girl Run Club! If you’re looking for a new group to check out and run with, find more about MvM by following them on Instagram: @phillyslowgirlrunclub