Since its founding in 1796, Cleveland has had several notable nicknames over the chapters of its history: “Forest City,” “Sixth City,” “Mistake On The Lake” and the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Capital.”
However, the city has also steadily made strides over time toward another well-earned but, perhaps, lesser known identity: running.
A Legacy of Running
Clevelanders are likely familiar with a few of the area’s more well-known champions of the sport, such as Olympic gold medalists Jesse Owens, Harrison Dillard and Stella Walsh. The names of these individuals are enshrined in Cleveland’s cultural landscape by way of public landmarks such as trails, plazas and recreation centers.
And then there’s beloved annual races such as the signature Cleveland Marathon and the always-popular Cleveland Turkey Trot, which generally attract different types of participants but collectively draw tens of thousands to the region each year.
However, in recent years, newer and notable developments in Cleveland have begun to catch the attention of the broader national running community.
One example is the Cleveland Triathlon. Despite being less than five years old, it was recently named by USA Today as the best sprint triathlon in the nation, beating out fitness meccas such as San Diego, Boulder and Daytona Beach.
Part of the reason for such high praise is the venue. The race is primarily centered in Edgewater Park, the crown jewel of a park system managed by Cleveland Metroparks which, themselves, has been named best in the nation by their industry peers.
The string of regional parks that comprise its system is a runner’s dream: 18 individual reservations spanning over 25,000 acres with more than 325 miles of trails, which include the signature 33-mile Emerald Necklace.
And when it comes to notable parks and races, the Burning River Endurance Run & Relay is one you’ll find on the to-do lists of runners well beyond Cleveland.
The 100-mile ultramarathon takes participants through the gorgeous Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the only national park in Ohio. The park is home to the heart of the 101-mile Towpath Trail, the signature trail of the region. The Towpath is host to its own marathon race series which Runner’s World Magazine named “one of the most beautiful courses in America”.
Running The Land
There’s also smaller yet notable indicators which speak to Clevelanders growing love for running. For example, Greater Cleveland is home to at least 10 individual running stores that help outfit those hitting the local streets, trails and treadmills. Some even offer training. For example, 2nd Sole in Lakewood offers free training twice a year to those preparing for half and full marathons.
To that end, it’s pretty difficult these days to scroll social media or peruse the bulletin board at your local coffee shop and not see an advertisement for a local race. In fact, there are scores of races in the Cleveland area annually. They are managed by companies such as Hermes Sports & Events, Western Reserve Racing, Greater Cleveland XC and Run the Land – businesses who are entirely dedicated to organizing the area’s insatiable demand for competitive running.
Angie Deitz is one of those organizers. A mother of three, she assists Run The Land and has served as a course ambassador for the Cleveland Marathon. She knows the local running scene better than most and her introduction to the sport is relatable to many.
“I started running right after I had my third child,” she said. “I decided I was going to just sign up for the Cleveland Marathon and I started training. I saw that there was a pub run at Great Lakes Brewery. So, I went to it and I met a couple people (from a run group) … and I met a couple other people who said ‘Oh, come to our run group’ so I started going to those run groups.”
The run groups that Deitz mentioned have become a signature of Cleveland’s running community.
Herd Mentality
Running groups (or clubs) are informal groups that meet weekly at different locations such as bars or coffee shops (mostly bars in Cleveland).
There’s no competition involved and runs are usually a few miles. The gatherings are as much about socializing as they are about exercising.
Cleveland, by no means, is alone on this front. Many cities have run clubs. However, at current count, Cleveland has at least 16 active groups which keeps it apace with many of its peers in the Midwest (if not outrunning them).
In Cleveland, these groups also have fun and interesting names like Sleeping Weiners, Run with the Winners, North Coast Beer Runners and Sunday Scaries.
Mike Seredich organizes Guardian Runners, a Wednesday night group which meets at different locations throughout the area.
Seredich helped form the group, with help from others, when several members of another group wanted to run more frequently. Some consider him the local “godfather” of the running club community.
For Seredich, running was just something “extra to-do” at first. As he got more into it, he found a running club, was immediately welcomed and got “addicted” to the social aspect as much as the workouts.
“That’s one of the great things about the running community,” he said. “You meet people from all walks of life. People you would never, ever meet otherwise. If you want to get out, run, meet people – just buy a pair of shoes and show up. All you have to do is show up and it happens.”
For the early birds, Amy Btiebet-Washington and Roger Davis lead Ready Set! Run, a crack-of-dawn group that meets at a coffee shop of nearly the same name in the Gordon Square Arts District.
Both Btiebet-Washington and Davis belonged to other (evening) run groups and knew that demand existed for early morning group running as well.
What began as a bi-weekly event with a handful of die-hards soon turned into a weekly affair with 20-30 folks on average.
“I wanted to help create a space where people could move their bodies in a safe space, connect with their community and feel supported no matter their pace,” she said. “I’m passionate about it because watching people show up for themselves — and for each other — week after week is incredibly motivating. It’s more than just running; it’s building friendships, healthy habits and a little corner of the neighborhood that feels like home.”
Btiebet-Washington also volunteers as a board member for Girls On The Run, a mentoring program for young girls that blends physical activity with life skill development.
Group Dynamics
Cleveland run groups come in different sizes as well. There’s the small but mighty Sleeping Weiners Run Crew who have their own swag, sometimes do videos of their runs and crown a new runner the “Weiner of the Week”.
Members of this group also lobbied then-mayoral candidate Justin Bibb to commit to building the Memorial Bridges Loop, a protected multiuse path connecting the Detroit-Superior and Lorain-Carnegie bridges – the most popular route for run groups in Cleveland.
Once elected, the mayor made good on that promise and the $2 million project will enter construction in June. It’s part of a broader spectrum of pedestrian safety improvements taking place throughout Cleveland under the Bibb administration.
Sunday Scaries Run Club is another smaller group but with a story that affirms the solidarity and love for the local running scene.
Chicago-area transplant Molly Gniady formed the group after landing a job in Cleveland. She also attended grad school at Case Western Reserve University.
Despite now having a job that’s fully remote, which means there’s no obligation to stay in Cleveland, Gniady says leaving the area has never crossed her mind. In fact, it’s the running clubs and the community surrounding them that keep her here.
Gniady also embodies the spirit of fun found in many of the groups. In addition to the smile-inducing name, the club’s mascot is a yodeling pickle handpuppet. Their motto: “In a world of cucumbers, be a pickle.”
On the other end of the spectrum is Run with the Winners (RWTW) which is, by far, the largest weekly run club in the city. Organizer Steph Floss – a DJ for the Browns and Cavaliers and self-proclaimed “World’s Healthiest DJ” – formed the group in 2014 as a way to attract novice runners like himself and connect them with others looking for a community.
Fast forward nearly 10 years later and RWTW Tuesday night runs, starting from Ohio City’s W. 25th entertainment district, can attract hundreds.
The group is also one of the most racially diverse clubs in Cleveland, something Floss intended from the start. He wanted to create space for more Black runners like himself in the local running scene.
With so many clubs, collaboration runs are also common. Groups such as PLX North Running Club – a Cleveland group initially formed by expats from Summit County – will occasionally team up with their original club in Akron.
Some west side groups will also join forces with North Coast Beer Runners in Cleveland Heights, providing a rare instance of bridging the playful east-west divide.
And then there are the larger collaborations. Fleet Feet Cleveland – a local running store chain – organizes monthly pub runs near Market Garden Brewing. A large cross-section of the running community often turns out for these gatherings which – in addition to the run itself – offer demonstrations of shoe products, local race promotions and free raffle prizes (e.g. free running shoes).
But perhaps the best example of collaboration is The Big Run 216 which takes place each June on Global Running Day.
Typically held at Edgewater Park to accommodate the hundreds who attend, the event draws representation from nearly every group in the area and beyond.
There’s vendors, music, food trucks and, yes, some running – a free, untimed 5K featuring a mass of runners which makes its way through the park like a swarm of seasonal midges. The gathering has become the quintessential summer celebration for the local running community.
Others outside of Cleveland have taken notice of Cleveland’s run group scene as well.
Perhaps the best example was the 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland. Prior to the draft itself, event representatives reached out to local group organizers for an Olympic-style relay run.
Clubs positioned themselves throughout designated areas in the greater downtown area, handing off the official draft day football to the next group like an opening torch ceremony. The event culminated in a giant party on Mall C downtown.
It was a breakout moment for a scene that has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 10 years – even through a global pandemic – and which has maintained a strong pace ever since.
When asked if the running community still has room to grow, Angie Dietz didn’t hesitate with her response: “We’ve seen a lot of significant growth. I think it’s just a growing community. I think we’re going to keep growing because people want more and more.”
Mike Seredich concurs, “You can run every day of the week (with a new club). All different paces. There seems to be new groups all the time.”
And as the “godfather” says, all you have to do is show up and it happens.
Join The Run
If you’re interested in checking out a run club in Cleveland but not sure where to begin or which group might be right for you, be sure to check out ClevelandRunningClubs.com. There, you’ll find a complete listing of groups including meeting times and locations, ability levels, websites and social media accounts, and even a little background on each club.
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