Beginner-friendly run clubs
in Chicago Metropolitan.
55 of the 95 run clubs across Chicago Metropolitan. Browse by day or vibe above the list.
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Each day is its own page of Chicago Metropolitan clubs. Clear comes back to all 95.
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Showing 37–55 of 55 clubs in 👟 Beginner OK · Chicago Metropolitan
Lyons · City-wide · Weekly
Lyons Run Club
Run out of Lyons Health and Wellness, serving the southwest suburbs.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadBeginner friendlyChicago · Marquette Park · Tue · 5:00 PM
Marquette Park Run Crew
A free CARA crew alternating between a neighborhood route and a park route, three miles either way. Jogging strollers and leashed pets welcome, and it runs rain or shine.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OK🐕 Dog-FriendlyRoadTrailWalker friendlyStroller friendlyDog friendlyRain-or-shineNaperville · Downtown Naperville · Weekly
Naperville Running Company
A woman-owned independent running store in the community since 2000, hosting free casual weekly run groups out of its downtown and Route 59 shops, plus the NRC Track Club for competitive runners.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadTrailBeginner friendlyDowners Grove · City-wide · Weekly
Naperville Running Company Downers Grove
The Downers Grove storefront of Naperville Running Company, with free weekly run groups.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadTrailBeginner friendlyWheaton · Downtown Wheaton · Weekly
Naperville Running Company Wheaton
The Wheaton storefront of Naperville Running Company, hosting free group runs with Prairie Path access.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadTrailBeginner friendlyNorthlake · City-wide · Weekly
Northlake Running Group
Unconfirmed
A Meetup-organized group run from Centerpoint Preserve in Northlake.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadBeginner friendlyChicago · The Loop · Wed, Fri · 6:06 AM
November Project Chicago
Free 6:06am group fitness, twice a week, outdoors in any weather. Fridays are at The Bean, the last Friday of the month is PR Day at AMA Plaza, and Wednesday locations move monthly.
🌅 Early Birds🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadBeginner friendlyRain-or-shineOak Park · City-wide · Mon, Wed, Sat
Oak Park Runners Club
Founded in 1982 and one of the oldest active clubs in the Chicago area — 280-plus members, 20 to 40 runners at a typical run, year-round. An all-volunteer 501(c)(3) that puts on the Good Life Race and has staffed a Chicago Marathon water station for 25 years.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadTrailBeginner friendlyNo-dropChicago · Garfield Park · Sat · 9:15 AM
Peace Runners 773
A nonprofit built to close health gaps on the West Side — a one-mile walk or two-mile jog every Saturday from the Gold Dome, for all ages and all paces, free.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadWalker friendlyKid friendlyNo-dropChicago · City-wide · Weekly
Read & Run Chicago
A book club and a run club at once: read the book, then run the Chicago neighborhoods and landmarks it takes place in.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadBeginner friendlyChicago · River Park · Tue · 6:30 PM
River Park Run Crew
A CARA crew running north and back along the river trail, aimed squarely at getting River Park neighbors moving together rather than at race times.
🌙 Night Runners🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKTrailWalker friendlyChicago · Rogers Park · Weekly
Rogers Park Running Club
An all-volunteer neighborhood club with four standing weekly runs: two morning options that let you finish wherever your commute needs, a 1.5-mile evening social loop, and a northbound long run into the suburbs.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OK🌅 Early BirdsRoadTrailNo-dropRain-or-shineArlington Heights · City-wide · Weekly
Runners High n Tri
Closed
Store-hosted group runs through the summer out of Arlington Heights, and the retail partner behind Busse Woods Running Club.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadTrailBeginner friendlySkokie · City-wide · Tue, Sat
Skokie Swifters
A run/walk club for everyone from beginners to distance runners — Tuesday Trails and the Saturday Scamper, plus race training and charity fundraisers.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OK🌿 TrailRoadTrailWalker friendlyBeginner friendlyChicago · South Loop · Weekly
South Loop Runners
A South Loop neighborhood club with a "Slow Pokes" group for runners who want company rather than a pace target. Its published domain no longer resolves.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadNo-dropBeginner friendlyChicago · Pilsen · Sun · 10:00 AM
Tortugas Run Club
Tortugas means tortoises, and that is the whole thesis — a Sunday two-mile walk, jog or run built for slower runners. The route passes the founder’s father’s childhood home and church, and most weeks ends with everyone hanging around Harrison Park.
👟 Beginner OK🤝 Community FirstRoadWalker friendlyNo-dropBeginner friendlyChicago · Lakeview · Mon · 6:30 PM
Universal Sole
Universal Sole closed its retail store in 2017 and now runs as USOLE Running Events — a free, drop-in Monday Night Fun Run from Bitter Pops Bottle Shop in Lakeview, 3 to 6 miles at all paces with run/walk options, finishing back at Bitter Pops. A fixture of the Chicago running scene.
🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadChicago · Pilsen · Wed · 7:00 PM
Venados Running Club
Founded in 1981 to connect Pilsen runners over shared miles and a few beers, and still doing exactly that — three or five miles every Wednesday from Monochrome, all paces, plus a youth branch since 2017.
🌙 Night Runners🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OKRoadNo-dropKid friendlyChicago · West Loop · Thu · 6:00 AM
West Loop Run Crew
A free Thursday-morning CARA crew that alternates routes through the West Loop, three to five miles, walkers explicitly included. Membership is the free CARA Friend level.
🌅 Early Birds🤝 Community First👟 Beginner OK🐕 Dog-FriendlyRoadWalker friendlyNo-drop