Now that the dust has settled on the RunKeeper Global Meetup Run, we’re psyched to share some of the photos and stories we received from the community. The response was overwhelming–on July 9th, close to 3,000 RunKeeper community members were signed up for group runs in over 950 cities around the world!
The report from the RunKeeper community is in…
Nice group shot from Montreal, Canada Meetup Run!
The first rumblings of the Global Meetup came from Cameron Evans in the small town of Ararat, Victoria, Australia. They ran a 6.5 km out and back route through the Ararat Hills Park.
Soon after, we heard from Maree Davidson, from Sydney, Australia, who said, “Group of 8 [runners]…all doing personal bests in the north western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Distances from 10k to 30k. Great work!”
From Oklahoma City, Jen Conklin reported, “We had 12 people in OKC! Great turnout, especially for the temp – 105 F when we started!”
Ben Donahue, from New York City, said, “We posted [a 9 mile route], which was super ambitious, but all 8 of us were down to do it!”
Los Angeles, California Meetup Group
Amara Poolswasdi reported back from
Los Angeles with, “Los Angeles had a great time! We pigged out on coconut water and bananas, chatted about RunKeeper, and had a great time! Looking to host this monthly…”
Boston takes the cake for largest group!
The largest confirmed group was
Boston’s, which met at RunKeeper HQ. To prove it, we’ve included the photo below (okay, okay, maybe we had the home team advantage…). If your city’s group run was bigger, send us a photo!
Boston Meetup Group at RunKeeper HQ
What worked well
We’re pumped to see that many of your Meetup Groups have already set dates for future running events! We picked up a few tips from the RunKeeper community that we hope you’ll be able to put to work to make your events successful:
New York Meetup Group Route
Many groups, including New York, Boston and Sydney, used RunKeeper routes to create a map and post it to group’s the Meetup.com page. This helped keep everyone on track and helped group leaders to coordinate start and end points.
2. Break the ice
The Oklahoma City group kicked off the group run by sitting in a big circle, talking about how they got into running and & sharing their running achievements. Great way to get to know one another before the run!
3. Use clear signage
If you’re doing a long run, or are taking on a new route, signage can be super helpful. The LA Group marked turning points, and even posted a few hilarious and encouraging signs along the route.
LA Meetup Group Informational PDF
4. Details, details, details!
The LA Meetup Group seriously left us speechless with their hardcore planning skills. Amara even created an informational PDF including the event details, route and sponsors, to share with the group. We thought it was such a great idea, we copied it and made one for the Boston Group!
5. Lock down sponsors!
No stranger to the spotlight, the LA group rose to the challenge and pulled off a home run with sponsorship from O.N.E. Coconut Water and Balance Bar. Here in Boston, we indulged in snacks from our generous sponsors, Stonyfield yogurt, popchips, and Muscle Milk. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a brand or local business in your community!
Check out more Global Meetup Run photos
View all the photos from Global Meetup Run group runs around the world in our Facebook album.
As always, we were blown away by the RunKeeper community participation in the first Global Meetup Run; we believe it’s just the start of a growing movement connecting runners around the world.
Stay tuned for the next Global Meetup Run!
- Jake