Boise Run Club: A community built among runners of all levels

Photo via Boise Run Club Instagram

Boise Run Club is more than just a club. It’s a social community that welcomes people of all ages and abilities. 

The club meets at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Payette Brewing Co. for a 1-4 mile walk, jog, run or rollerblade along the Boise River Greenbelt. 

“I think the social aspect is one of the biggest parts of it, and we want to encourage people to stick around,” said Mckenzie Halling, the club’s social media manager. “If we can start and end in the same place, and there’s a good general space for us to hang out, to talk, get a beer, if you want to get water, kombucha, whatever it is, it just opens the door for a lot of people to meet.”

A key aspect of this club is the connections built when everyone comes together after their workout to socialize and grab a drink.

Halling joined the club when it was first founded and helped it grow through managing its Instagram and creating merchandise. 

Emily Hamlin and Carli Corpus founded Boise Run Club in June 2023 but have since moved away from Boise. They have passed on the leadership role to Chandler Underwood who joined last February. 

“I’ve seen it grow a lot, especially in the summer,” Underwood said. “Which makes a lot of sense because it’s warm and people want to be outside and all that stuff. It’s been really fun to watch it blow up.”

The Boise Run Club started out with a group of 10 friends and within a couple months gained much more attraction. 

In addition to the Tuesday weekly meetups, the Boise Run Club aims to participate in two or three organized races a year, as well as hold one monthly social event.

St. Luke’s FitOne, a popular race that members of Boise Run Club take part in,  

draws people from all ages to run in a 5K, 10K or half marathon. 

Now that Halloween is approaching, the club will next hold their yearly costume contest sponsored by Payette Brewing Co. 

This club welcomes people of all running levels creating a special community for all. 

“I’m always in the back and I think that’s one of the nice things about this club is people are just happy to see you here,” Halling said. “If you want to walk, that’s great. If you want to just show up and hang out here to meet people at the end, that’s great too. People are just genuinely so happy that anyone’s coming out. It doesn’t matter how fast you’re going or what you’re doing.”

Boise Run Club is filled with people of all abilities, showing that forming connections with people in the area is a major purpose of the club. 

“We’re trying to get people into the sport of running but it’s really just a way to meet people,”  Underwood said. “And connect over a shared interest by running.” 

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