
By Tracy Zwick
It’s autumn, the weather’s getting crisp and you can’t walk into a park without seeing runners. We live in a runner’s paradise on the Upper West Side, with routes galore, varied terrain, and dozens of clubs and teams for runners at every level. Whether you want to improve your fitness, lift your spirits, break a personal record, meet new friends, seek out love and community or a new challenge, there’s a running group for you. To create this guide, WSR has done the legwork, getting out and running with these clubs, all of which have runs on or near the UWS.
Running can feel intimidating. It did to me when, amidst some major personal upheavals three years ago, I decided to run the NYC Marathon. I’d been a two-to-three-mile recreational runner for ages, but I’d never run a race in my life. I didn’t know a tempo run from a progression run, and I still can’t convert kilometers to miles.
If that resonates, take heart. When I went out to run with the groups below, they were patient, instructive, supportive, and fun. Click on the links to learn more about each one.
UWS Running Clubs and Teams
I showed up near the the American Museum of Natural History one evening this August to meet with UWS Run Club and immediately connected with some other first-timers. The vibe was warm and neighborly. The run was detailed ahead of time on an app called Heylo that a lot of running clubs use, so we all knew to expect a 3-4 mile run. But before we took off in pace groups ranging from about 8-minute to 11-minute miles, an announcement was made about where to go after the run for drinks.
This group skewed younger – the oldest person I chatted with was in his 40s. UWS Run Club has a vibrant Instagram presence, so if you’re not on Heylo or Strava, you can connect with them through their Insta, and you can read more about them in this recent New York Times story. They have runners training for big races as well as casual runners, and they offer social events in addition to three runs a week.
CPTC is the club I joined when I was brand-new to the running scene. It’s a competitive running team and, while you don’t have to be a seasoned racer, you may not find like-minded runners here if you aren’t and don’t care about getting relatively fast.
But if you do feel a need for speed, CPTC offers world-class road and track workouts, race guidance and special sections for sprinters, mid-distance and long-distance runners. They compete hard, and win. There are always club members making their way to each of the world ‘s major marathons and loads of other races, so it’s easy to find company at far-from-home competitions. And while it may be restrictive in terms of speed, of all the groups I visited CPTC is the most diverse and robust in terms of age. There are recently-graduated collegiate runners as well as a squad of “masters” runners, which includes athletes in their 40s through their 80s.
CPTC’s coaching staff includes former Olympians, world-record holders and Olympic Trials Qualifiers. They offer workouts just about every day of the week, with options to meet in the early morning or after work hours. Membership dues are $35/month.
GHTC, named for the Great Hill in Central Park near 106th Street, usually runs in Central Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with morning and evening options. But I joined up with them one night when they happened to be running at Riverbank State Park near 145th Street.
The head coach and founder of GHTC is Stuart Calderwood, former head coach at New York Road Runners (NYRR), which runs the NYC Marathon and most of NYC’s major races. He provided insightful guidance and encouragement to the fastest and slowest runners that evening, and so did the other coaches. The ratio was exceptional — about a dozen runners and three coaches — and it was one of the few times that I had a coach running alongside me, coaching and chatting as we ran. I rode the subway home with most of this friendly group, and they told me they often go for coffee after morning sessions in Central Park, and after night runs they like to hit up Juice Generation on West 72nd Street for juice and smoothies. You can find GHTC on Instagram or via their website. The first workout is free. After that packages run from about $22-$28 per workout.
Tavern on the Green was the meetup when I ran with the Harriers on a pretty night in September. I knew going in that the Harriers are a competitive running team of nearly 200 dues-paying members, having seen runners in races and on podiums wearing Harriers gear. This group also skewed young, but maybe that’s just the cohort that showed up on this particular night. I ran with a recent MIT grad who’d run in college. Another woman in her 20s was returning to running after seven years. The Harriers started at 7:00 p.m. on the dot with a warmup and a speedy tempo run. The pace was quick, but we were able to chat during the run, and everyone was invited for beers after.
Nice Jewish Runners was founded by Ezra Feig after October 7th last year. I ran with them recently on the anniversary of those attacks, in a moving community run that met near the Central Park Reservoir. NJR is “a social club for nice Jewish runners and their friends.” But that doesn’t mean there aren’t serious runners. I ran with a woman who finished the Chicago Marathon in under three hours last year. But I also chatted with two charming sisters, leisurely runners in their 20s and early 30s, who were there both for the community and some potential matchmaking. Pace groups ranged from eight minutes up to around 12 minutes, but all are welcome regardless of speed. They often go for coffee and babka after morning runs.
NYRR Group Training offers structured workouts of about an hour and adjusted for every pace. When you sign up, you’ll choose the meeting place that works best for you; I chose Columbus Circle just outside Central Park. NYRR has a corps of experienced, dedicated coaches and athletes who care about helping runners improve and meet their running goals. These tend to be 16-week sessions that you sign up and pay for online, with socializing limited to during the training sessions.
This is the only virtual club on our list. My sister Ashley discovered Nike Run Club and its charismatic head coach, Chris Bennett, last year through a couch-to-5K program that got her physically and psychologically ready to run her first race last Easter, a “Beach Bunny 5K.”
There’s a huge library of free “Guided Runs” on the NRC app, from 5-minute runs to a 26.2-mile run with Coach B in your ear the whole way. NRC offers free structured plans too, from the four-week “Get Started” through a 5K, 10K, half-marathon and the big kahuna, a full marathon. Coach B’s enthusiasm is infectious. And you don’t need any running experience to get on board. Coach Bennett often says “there are two kinds of runners: Runners who run. And runners who don’t run … yet.”
There are plenty of other running groups in NYC, many of which also offer UWS runs, including Dashing Whippets, the NY Fliers, Reservoir Dogs, UWS Runners, and West Side Runners. A more complete list of running clubs can be found on the NYRR website.
Coach Bennett often says: “We’re not running so that running becomes easy all the time. We’re really running so we can take on harder and harder things, and we do that by making things that were once hard for us easier. Not easy. But easier.”
These running clubs help, and I thank them!
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Kinda wild to not even mention West Side Runners http://news.wsxnyc.org/ which has its own unique history as an UWS run group and breeding ground for elite runners.
So sorry, WSX! The piece is being updated to include you and provide a link to WSX.
The first photo is of the Upper West Side Runners, and the first group listed in the article is Upper West Side Runners, but the group described and linked to is Upper West Side Run Club, a separate group! Very similar clubs with slightly different schedules- truly something for everyone on the UWS!
Thanks, Katie! We’ve corrected the name and I apologize for the confusion. It sounds like between these two clubs alone an UWS runner could have a great group to run with just about every day of the week! You’re so right – something for everyone.
I have been running in CP for fifty years. My’marathon’ is how many years I can run. When large groups of runners run the CP bridal path individual responsibility diminishes,disappears for many as does general concern for for single runners. Not by every runner in the packs but most.This also applies to the private school track teams using CP for after-school practice.
Many runners have their routines timed and will not vary their path . Their individual time ‘trials’ supersede the existence of others.
None of this is surprising but certainly annoying and at times dangerous-I was bowled over once.
Which is the best group for a beginner?
Harlem Run isn’t included in our story because they don’t technically meet on the UWS, they meet at nearby Marcus Garvey Park. But they are a super community-based club. They host a Monday evening social run and they welcome runners and walkers of all ages, sizes and abilities. https://www.harlemrun.com/about
It depends what you’re looking for, Jenna. Often community -oriented clubs, like Harlem Runs and NJR, have every kind of pace group including walkers. I found that reaching out to these groups by email or on social media yielded a lot of helpful information.
Great round up of some of the great run clubs we are fortunate to have in our backyard. It is wonderful to see so many people out enjoying the fresh air, exercise and social aspect of running. As adults, it is often hard to make time for things outside of work and family obligations. Participating in a run club allows me to check so many boxes at once, often at hours that would otherwise be spent sleeping!
Front Runners New York is another option for Upper West Siders seeking a LGBTQ+ running club. It’s a large diverse group and there are pace groups for every level (even walkers!). We meet in Central Park at the 72nd St transverse, near the Daniel Webster monument on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.
Front Runner is a great club for so many reasons. However, please tell your Wednesday Night group to not gather in mass on the roadway – Move behind the guardrail on 72nd and make room for others that are running. Thank You
Thanks for adding Front Runners to this conversation, Daniel! Sounds great!
I am a proud member of GHTC. I highly recommend this amazing club. The coaches are so empowering and I can’t say enough about Stuart Calderwood. I truly feel like I’ve not only become a better runner but a valued member of a tight knit community.
Thank you, Candice. I loved running with GHTC!
Any UWS clubs for slow runners?
Lots of these clubs have “slow” runners and some offer groups for walkers too. “Slow” is a relative term, so reach out to the clubs and ask what paces they offer. They’ll probably be very happy to have you join them for a trial session.
I have to mention the oldest running club in the world. One that.i have run with all over the world and which is very active in NYC. The Hash House Harriers. Not your normal running club.
https://hashnyc.com/
Front Runners New York is a club for LGBTQ runners and allies. They have several runs weekly including meeting at Rutgers Church Saturday morning for a Central Park run.
I have gone to a couple of these running clubs, one being the UWS Runners and the other being the upper West side runners club and I have to say I think the running groups are wonderful but the downside is that they are a little clicky. You show up and there’s no one who makes the new people feel welcome. The leader right before you run asks who is new and raise your hands that is the extent of it. If you are the person who is struggling in the run and in the back there is noone there to cheer you on. It seems the same people just continue to talk to the same people that’s been my experience and it’s made me not want go back afterall the whole point for me in wanting to join these groups was for the community and after going a few times each and standing around and noone saying hi, I have introduced myself it just feels very uncomfortable but that’s my experience for others. It works great. .
[…] Running the NYC Marathon is brutal, but watching it is one of the best experiences you can have in New York City. If you’ve never been, go! If you go every year, enjoy another magical Marathon Sunday! The weather’s going to be perfect and it’s free and easy to get there. What other global marquee sporting event takes place in the UWS’s backyard? The finish line is near West 67th Street in Central Park. You can watch from just south of there, along 59th Street, on East Drive in the Park, or loads of other spots throughout the five boroughs. Check out WSR’s complete UWS guide to watching the world’s biggest, loudest marathon. Meet an UWSer who’s one of the elite group of NYC marathon pacers here, and check out our guide to UWS running clubs here. […]