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Attracting newbies to running clubs: your ideas please

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GordonG
GordonG
Jul 2023
1:49pm, 19 Jul 2023
9,873 posts
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GordonG
Hi all. Like most running clubs, my one is always looking to recruit new members. While we don’t want to pinch people from other clubs, we do want to find ways to attract runners.

We have a website, Facebook page, etc, which I know we could improve and make better use of. But I was wondering whether Fetchies have examples of specific ideas or activities other running clubs have done to attract new members.

Just FYI we don’t have a kids section (another local club does that successfully and we’re not interested in competing with them) and we’re mostly interested in people who are not complete newbies to running.

Any thoughts/suggestions of things that you know have worked for other running clubs would be gratefully received.

ta
Mushroom
Mushroom
Jul 2023
3:08pm, 19 Jul 2023
2,743 posts
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Mushroom
A charity fun run or a 5k race?

Give lots of advance notice. Could offer group training runs for free for a few weeks to get people into the idea. Similar to C25k idea?

Raise money for local community charity or school.
Possibly on an interesting route, or a fun theme (eg wine-a-thon / chocolate, etc)

Then hopefully a few new runners will want to continue?
Mushroom
Mushroom
Jul 2023
3:10pm, 19 Jul 2023
2,744 posts
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Mushroom
Couch to 5k is quite well known now - perhaps the club could offer some regular plan starts, with training groups.

Our local club run them periodically, helping new runners over a few weeks, then culminating in a local parkrun as their 'graduation'.
Shades
Shades
Jul 2023
3:19pm, 19 Jul 2023
1,125 posts
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Shades
Chatting to unaffiliated runners at local races. Encouraging them to come along for a free session or two to see if they like it.
Elinem
Elinem
Jul 2023
3:51pm, 19 Jul 2023
9 posts
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Elinem
Speak to your local parkrun and see where you can do a "parkrun takeover" where club members take over all the volunteering roles for a week. Have some members run in kit and hand out leaflets for your club
Tikka
Tikka
Jul 2023
4:00pm, 19 Jul 2023
431 posts
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Tikka
Speaking from recent personal experience, a lot of people fall away after they complete C25K. The general advice at the end of the programme is “join a club to progress further”, but most people don’t feel ready to take that plunge after only 10 weeks of starting running from scratch. Running a specific 5K to 10K or ‘Improvers’ programme would, I think, encourage people to sign up for that, with the emphasis being on a very gradual build-up à la the C25K.
GordonG
GordonG
Jul 2023
5:36pm, 19 Jul 2023
9,876 posts
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GordonG
thanks all for your helpful advice.

I should have mentioned that we run a successful series of 5k races. We do occasionally do a parkrun takeover but I think we could do it better than we do. I suspect one of the things we have to do is make a concrete plan. It seems to me that rather than cast a big fishing net to recruit lots of runners, we dangle our fishing rods over the side of the boat and hope to pick off passing fish.

I think finding a way of capturing c25kers is a good idea.

thanks again all, more ideas welcome :-)
Old Croc
Old Croc
Jul 2023
5:39pm, 19 Jul 2023
34,578 posts
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Old Croc
I second the parkrun takeover idea - it works two ways - introduces parkrunners to club idea - lets them see that club runners are the same people that they parkrun with every week and also lets club runners see what goes on at parkrun (okay most know by now)

Also link to local JogScotland (or southern equivalent) is a good intro.
paulcook
paulcook
Jul 2023
5:44pm, 19 Jul 2023
3,009 posts
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paulcook
Scope out the best unattached runners at local races?!
Velociraptor
Velociraptor
Jul 2023
5:45pm, 19 Jul 2023
64,573 posts
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Velociraptor
Chatting to unaffiliated runners at local races. Encouraging them to come along for a free session or two to see if they like it.


I joined my current running club because after I'd turned up at a few local races in FERC colours they started cheering me on as if I was one of their own. I joined my previous club in Birmingham after running in their 5 mile race series.

About This Thread

Maintained by GordonG
Hi all. Like most running clubs, my one is always looking to recruit new members. While we don’t want to pinch people from other clubs, we do want to find ways to attract runners.

We have a website, Facebook page, etc, which I know we could improve and make better use of. But I was wondering whether Fetchies have examples of specific ideas or activities other running clubs have done to attract new members.

Just FYI we don’t have a kids section (another local club does that success...
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  • clubs
  • newbie
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