WHY I JOINED A RUNNING CLUB (AND WHY YOU SHOULD, TOO)

It was the spring of 2017, just months away from training for my fourth full marathon, and I was
reflecting back on my performance from the 2016 Chicago Marathon. 3:38. Just 3-minutes off of my Boston qualifying time. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely proud of that time and training myself down from a 4:10 first marathon to a 3:38, but I knew something was missing in my training.

In high school, I was a part of the cross-country and track and field teams and trained with a group of 12 girls day after day. We knew each other’s goals, supported one another, and pushed each other to reach new levels we never dreamed we could reach. It was this team comradery that I was missing in my training after I left high school that I realized I wanted to start seeking out again to help me in my next marathon training cycle.

I was in the midst of a transition period during the summer of 2017 moving from St. Louis to Chicago, but I prioritized finding a club to join to train for the Chicago Marathon with. I came across the CARA group and was attracted to their summer marathon training program in Schaumburg. I signed up and was contacted by Jimmy, one of the site leaders for Schaumburg, who welcomed me to the group and sent me the group meeting schedule. This gave me something to look forward to during a crazy time in my life coordinating a move, living apart from my husband for a few months, and not knowing many runners in the Chicago area.

I remember showing up to my first group run out on the track and immediately being welcomed by the entire group. I was nervous, showing up to meet a group of people I had never met before, but it was in that moment I realized just how amazing this group and the running community was. We welcome each other with open arms, are accepting of runners of all abilities, and encourage people we’ve never even met before. Just a few months later, BWRC was born and I really felt like I belonged to something bigger than myself and my own running goals. Over the course of the summer, I developed so many friendships and even ended up running the Chicago Marathon with another BWRC member, John Wall! While we didn’t achieve our goal that hot, October day, I finished the race feeling like I had still won because I now had 50+ new friends to share this running journey with.

Being a part of BWRC has reinvigorated the passion for running that I have in a way I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t realize just how much I was missing by not training with a team of others who also shared my passion. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support I have gotten from this club and how much people care about each other’s goals. For me that has been chasing down my BQ time and having so many BWRC members checking in with me to see how things are going and asking how they can help. Not only do I have running buddies now, but I can firmly say I have made friends for life. I truly hope if you’ve been considering joining a running club that you’ll give BWRC a try, and if you do, please don’t hesitate to say hi! I’d love to hear more about your personal journey through running and have you as part of the BWRC family.

HEY…LET’S START A RUNNING CLUB

For the last few years, a small group of us who had been running together all year round toyed with the idea of giving our group a name. We had already developed an unbreakable bond and thought it would be cool to have our own identity. We insisted on being different than traditional running clubs in that we did not want to charge membership fees for people to run with us. This past August we decided to finally act on our idea.

Our group primarily runs at Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village so we wanted to create something unique that would incorporate this into our name. After exploring options, we voted on Busse Woods Running Club (BWRC) which was the winner by a landslide. After we decided on a name, we started thinking that we should also have a logo to create our “brand”. Busse Woods is well known for its unique elk pasture and from there our logo was born! Flash forward to February and we’re looking into “adopting” an elk…how cool is that??

Over the course of six months, and during the winter months I might add, the group grew tremendously. Runners from all walks of life, various distances and paces began to show up for our Saturday or Sunday weekend runs. Our Facebook group grew from 20 people to over 250 in no time.

It is the welcoming atmosphere and amazing core culture already instilled in this group that makes
anyone and everyone new to the group feel so welcome. We are about establishing and building upon a community of people who want to enjoy life, meet new people who share a common interest, or perhaps grow in some capacity when it comes to running and fitness. Regardless of the end goal, BWRC provides an inclusive atmosphere for all.

We grew so rapidly that we needed to create a structure to protect our culture and club. Quickly and
proudly we incorporated our group as a non for profit organization in the State of IL and gained 501C(3) tax exemption as a charter member of Road Runners Club of America. Although we will always remain a no membership fee club, it does cost money to keep our club active, pay for insurance, to hold events, etc. We rely on fundraisers, donations, and sponsorships to pay those expenses.

We host weekly group runs, fun runs, social gatherings, and participate in several community and
special events throughout the year. Continuing to grow and impacting our community in a positive way are just a couple of the BWRC goals.