The Run Club with a Social Problem

So guys, what inspired you to start a run club?‍‍

Jamie: Stevie and I both started running around the same time around lockdown. We both ran alone. But then after lockdown, we started to run together a little bit, and were both just like, this is great.

Wouldn't it be great if we did a run club that wasn't really a run club?

Stevie: It was a lot of drunken chat.

We both said we should do something that doesn't involve people having to run fast or trying to run fast.

How many people turned up to the first one?

Jamie & Stevie: Eight.

Stevie: Two of them were friends that we'd spoken about it to, and four were people that had seen the Instagram. And then four weeks later, we were down to just the two of us. Jamie and I were like, have we made a mistake here?

Now you have over fifty runners turning up on a Thursday, how long did it take to get some momentum going?

Stevie: There was one weird week in May (5 months after the first one) where we went from 12 in the previous week to 35 out of nowhere. I don't know if it was because the sun had come out?

Jamie: I mean, it was a glorious afternoon.

Stevie: Maybe the nights had gotten longer, or word-of-mouth … or even if it was that the Instagram algorithm was now working. I don't know. But me and Jamie were a bit, like, woah.

Jamie: Quite overwhelmed on that one.

Stevie: Yeah, this has escalated.

How would you describe the running scene in Reading?

Jamie: I don't think we really knew that there was a running scene in Reading because we used to just run together. We didn't really know too much about it. And then we started this run club thinking there wasn't really a running scene. And then all of a sudden, you're like, oh, this place does a run club, these people do a run club. And we went, oh, okay fine, there's a bit more of a run scene than we anticipated!

Caitlin: I think there's, a few run clubs that are a lot bigger, but more for, like Steve said, chasing PBs and times. There’s not many that are actually more of a social run group where you can actually chat to people while you're running and not on a track.

Is it the social aspect of Biscuit Town Run Club that attracts people to it?

Jamie: Running together with Steve in the early days was just a really good opportunity for us to become mates. And then over the course of a year the amount of people that have come through the doors that have become friends. I don’t mean with Steve and I, but with each other. There's such a great hub of people who are just best friends. I mean, you've (Caitlin) got so many great friends from this run club. There are people that come to Reading and don't know anyone. They come here and it almost becomes their social circle. It's incredible.

And the great thing is, all of the people that came to the first one, bar one I think, are still in the run club. They still join and come along. We don't take it too seriously and we don't take ourselves so seriously either. I think that allows a real safe space for people to come and be themselves.

Cait: I've made so many friends here in just over a year.

You’ve just celebrated the club’s 1st birthday. What are the plans for the next year?

Jamie: Keep it organic. We’re not trying to exploit what we do. We’ve always had quite an organic way of doing it. We didn't come up with a run club to gain followers or whatever. We were quite happy if it was gonna be 10 people going for a run every time, we'd be well happy with that. Make a couple of new friends, talk about music, talk about whatever. It's not just about running. And that was what we set out to do, and we achieved that in the first few months.

Stevie: I’d definitely like to do a few more events. Not necessarily race events, but just events that we arrange ourselves where we go, we're gonna go get a train to Maidenhead, then we're gonna run the Thames from Maidenhead there to Windsor, and then we're all gonna go for lunch and hire a bar.

Definitely keep the social stuff going. And then maybe get one or two longer runs from other independent locations. That's one thing me and Jamie have always wanted to do is make sure everything everywhere we use… from our merch to where we go for a drink is all independently run from Reading businesses.

Jamie: We wanna support local Reading businesses rather than the chains.

What are your top independent spots in Reading for a drink or a post run snack?

Jamie: Blue Collar of course. Greyfriars too. It’s nice and chilled. Good for a quiet chat.

Stevie: I really like Madoo for a coffee and a sandwich. That's probably where I go most times on my way home. Also I really like Filter House Coffee.

Jamie: If you want another good sandwich shop, you got The Shed as well. Really delicious and independent again.

We also run from Double Barrelled Brewery. And Phantom as well. We did our Christmas party there and just had our birthday party at Milk. Supporting and associating with independent businesses is important to us. If we can bring 60 to 70 people into a place that doesn't rely on big money, hopefully we’re doing something good for those businesses.

What music is currently on rotation on your runs?

Stevie: I raw dog it. I just go for the sound of my own wheezing. It keeps me going.

If someone’s reading this and thinking about starting a run club, what would you say to them?

Jamie: Do it.

Stevie: It's actually easier than you think.

Jamie: Yeah. Just keep it simple and keep it organic. Just be realistic about what you want. Start with achievable goals. All we wanted was ten people to join our run club. And we did that. And then next it was like, okay, well let's do another day in the week. So we did two days in the week.

And actually, the most important thing is to care about the people that come to the club and be nice to them. Be friendly. Try to touch base with everyone. If somebody's new, integrate them and make sure they feel welcome.

Cait: Because some people come on their own.

Stevie: You get people that are properly shy. Like, some people come along and they stand on their own until they're spoken to. It's just to basically make sure that doesn't happen. Some people are so quiet for the first two or three weeks. And as soon as they get into a group, they're a completely different person.

Jamie: It can feel intimidating, but we are really fortunate to have such a great mix of male and female runners that actually everyone should feel welcome.

Stevie: And I think people have also realised that they take it on themselves as well to integrate the newcomers. We have a magician that comes, Lee, he’s great for doing that. He just dives into chatting with a random person.

Jamie: I think for me, try to touch base with people and especially when you've got 70-odd people that are turning up. Try to take stock of who's new and who's not. We make an effort before a run just to be like, is this anyone's first run club? And then it's about trying to get people to take note and buddy up and just make sure that person has someone to run with.

If there's ever a top tip from me, it’s just make sure people feel welcome.

Thanks guys, see you on the next run.

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