‘A place and pace for everyone’: Run clubs build community around Las Vegas

The sun had barely emerged from the horizon when a group of 42 women circled up to stretch at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas.

It was 6:15 a.m. on a Saturday and Michelle Way, the creator of Vegas Girls Run Club, had a beaming smile as she blasted music on her speaker.

After the women walked or jogged one or two miles around the park, they chatted at the start point, where Way offered them water bottles and ice pops. When the women left, Way hugged each one goodbye.

The all-women’s club, which was started in June, is one of several running groups that have popped up in Las Vegas in recent months.

Run clubs differ in size, neighborhood and demographic, attracting a range of participants, from people who have never run before to runners training for a marathon.

Founders and members alike say that the clubs motivate them to pursue their fitness goals and have helped build community intheir neighborhood.

Fitness and fun

“I have heard a lot that people are moving here and they have a hard time meeting people. It’s not a very walkable city, so if you want to meet people you have to just put yourself out there,and I think this is a great way to do it,” said Cindy Nguyen, who started Run Drink Las Vegas in Summerlin with her friend Kiona Padilla.

Hotter summer weather might mean earlier start times, but it hasn’t seemed to affect turnout. In fact, Christine Jaojoco, founder of Summerlin Run Club, has seen attendance increase.

“People just really like to socialize,” Jaojoco said. “I guess that’s the way to do it nowadays: a run club.”

Clubs range in style and appeal, but many who spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal emphasized that they were beginner-friendly.

“We’re big runners, but we’re not serious runners,” Nguyen joked.

The founders signed up for the Rock ’N Roll Half Marathon in February with other club members, but while they train, they also like to have fun. The two started their run club so they could bring their dogs, and after running about three miles, the group grabs drinks on the patio at Frankie’s Uptown in Downtown Summerlin.

“We’ve created a community that depend on us showing up every week,” Nguyen said.

Motivating factor

Within many of the clubs, like Stride Run Club in the Arts District, there are three distinct groups, often with different routes: walkers, joggers and runners, who all do around 30 minutes of activity.

“There’s a place and pace for everyone,” Stride founder Niko Edward Diaz said.

Summerlin Run Club’s Jaojoco has been surprised by how many people have come out for Saturday long runs, which started at eight miles. She and many of her club members are training for the Las Vegas Marathon.

Way, who did not consider herself much of a runner, experienced a lot of anxiety running alone, and she started her club because she wanted to get more into the sport.

Yessica Solorzano and Melissa Rios had not run much before joining Vegas Girls Run Club. Now, they have been to runs twice a week since June.

“I think just having a group, it’s kind of like motivation and support. If you just try to come by yourself, it can be a little bit discouraging. But I think this just kind of helps motivate me,” Solorzano said.

The two had wanted to start running, but it was the club that finally made them. Now, they go to the park together to run outside of the club as well.

Creating friendships

Solorzano and Rios were friends before they joined, but for a lot of people, run clubs are a way to meet new people. At G.R.A.C.E., which stands for girls running and cultivating empowerment, founder Haylee Fuentes said many people come alone and meet each other there.

“I thought that was very brave of them, because doing things alone can be very scary, especially when you don’t know anyone, and they would leave with a friend. And I thought, like, that’s the whole purpose of this: Start a new hobby, meet new people,” she said. “I want to continue to be that spot for people to come to when they don’t know where to start.”

The all-women’s club gets around 150 people for sunset and sunrise runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Mountain’s Edge Park or around Henderson.

Diaz said that a lot his closest friends are from Stride Run Club, and the group often has “coffee and conversation” at Bungalow Coffee Co. after its runs. He is also working on creating a singles mixer as part of the run club.

“I think we’re at this day and age where a lot of it’s on the apps. So there’s very few places as an adult to meet new people and friends outside of work,” Diaz said. “Run club has been a really good factor of stepping outside your bubble and meeting new people.”

‘Try them all’

Many run clubs have collaborations and other activities. At Vegas Girls Run Club, the women have attended free Zumba, kickboxing and a booty workout. Way also collaborated with Vibe Girls Hike Club for a hike at Mount Charleston that drew 60 women.

“The amount of girls that are putting themselves first — that are like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna wake up early, I’m gonna go to the mountain and we’re gonna go hike and have fun’ — that’s one of the best things for me. I started because I wanted to start running. But now I’m just so happy that I’ve been able to provide the space for these girls to get together,” Way said.

Runners in the Run Drink Las Vegas group have also started a volleyball team and a basketball team, and they have had paddleboarding events, which they said are very serious.

To join, just look up run clubs on Instagram or the Meetup app, and groups will pop up all over, from Henderson to North Las Vegas, Summerlin to downtown.

“For anyone who is thinking about joining a run club, I would say we have some great different types of run clubs in Las Vegas. You should try them all. See which one suits you the best as far as schedule, vibe, people, level,” Diaz said. “Try them all — they’re all great.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.