It’s easy to tell when the running group at the University of New Hampshire is meeting for their speed workout. The indoor running track at the Field House is suddenly awash in brightly colored shorts, shirts, and sneakers, and the once-quiet room is filled with the soft thud of feet hitting the pavement, laughter and banter (“healthy peer pressure,” as runner Nancy Eckerson puts it). The speed workout—running short, faster distances to help build endurance, stamina and strength—is over in less than an hour. Afterward, the runners grab water and regroup to catch their breath and talk.
Sinthy Kounsala, the club’s coordinator, meets up with her fellow runners every Wednesday along with races on the weekend. For Kounsala and other group members, the social aspect of running is just as important as getting in their regular workout.
They’re not alone. Runner’s Alley in Portsmouth hosts weekly runs, as does the Rochester Runners Club, the UNH Running Club, the Coastal Athletic Association, and SIX03 Endurance. The distance and intensity of the runs vary, but the primary goal for each group is the same: to enjoy a traditionally solitary sport as a social event. The weekly runs and group training sessions connect runners with each other and push them both as a group and as individuals.
Sybil Carven, president of the Coastal Athletic Association, says that running is primarily physical, but it’s also a mental activity. “People can motivate you so much, but you have to have it inside you to put your shoes on and go outside,” she says. That internal drive is just as important as the physical ability to go out and run, and that’s where running groups come in.
“It’s a lot more difficult to sustain the interest and enthusiasm when you’re out there on your own,” says Andy Schachat, president of the Rochester Runners Club. “I think the support of other people to run with you makes it a lot more pleasant.”
It’s a sentiment that Kounsala shares. “Giving up is just so easy,” she says. “You just get so motivated when you see the group.” Running with a group keeps her motivated, but it also pushes her limits more than if she were running on her own. When Kounsala completes a successful run, it belongs to her—but she thinks she might not have gotten there without the group.
Runner’s Alley is something of a local hub. The store partners with Coastal Athletic Association to host weekly group runs through downtown Portsmouth. “Winter Warriors” is a twice-group run that Runner’s Alley manager Stephanie Carignan says “keeps people running through the winter.” The store hosts other theme events—a “Jack and Jill” group run is held near Valentine’s Day; during a Hawaiian-themed run, runners wore Hawaiian shirts and gathered afterward for tropical fruits and drinks.
Runners socialize during the runs, too, according to Carignan. “Most people do not listen to music, which is great because it’s safer,” she says. She has seen runners form friendships through the group. “Everyone is chatting having a good time.”
And just as runners hit the pavement with a variety of motivations, they join running groups for different reasons. In the UNH Running Club, for example, Mica Kurtz says running“feels easier” with a group. For Michelle Grenier, running with the UNH group has helped her learn how to breathe properly for distance runs. “(You) learn how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable,” she says. And Keri Bassingthwaite says joining the group gave her a schedule and accountability for running.
There are more runners out on the road and indoor tracks than ever before. Running USA, a non-profit group that monitors the running and road race industry, reports that there were 26,370 running events in the U.S. in 2012. That same year, 15.5 million people finished race events. Locally, Schachat said he has seen the Rochester Runners Club grow to having 100 members some years. Currently, he estimates there are 75 to 80 members. He has been a part of the group since 1991. “There’s a resurgence in the sport as whole, particularly in New Hampshire. We’re seeing more people running and more road races now than ever before,” he said.
Local runners say that running groups also keep them on track when it comes time to train for road races and marathons. Runner’s Alley hosts 5K and 10K training groups for beginners in the spring. The 5K training lasts eight weeks, and the ultimate goal is to get runners in shape to finish the Redhook Brewery 5K on Memorial Day weekend. “Their goal in the 5K group is just to finish the 5K race, hopefully without walking. If they just complete it that’s great,” said Carignan.
Bob Kennedy, a member of the UNH group, has set a goal to run a marathon in under four hours (the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon) in every state. So far, he’s completed his goal in 44 states, with plans to run his 45th marathon in Hawaii next month. “Without running groups … I probably wouldn’t have continued running,” he says.
The groups keep runners motivated and hold them accountable Carignan says. If someone is meeting a friend for a run, they’re more likely to follow through because of that social commitment. Groups also help push runners out of their comfort zone, Carignan says. If a person is running with a friend who has a quicker pace, the slower runner pace tends to push himself or herself to keep up.
The groups also create a community “You really get to know people from a totally different perspective than if you were having coffee,” said Carven. Everyone becomes equal. “It’s not about what you do for a living not how much money you make…we have one common interest which is running.”
Run with a group and you’re not just making a solitary sport more social—you’re getting back in touch with something more primal.
“You can’t text, you can’t talk on the phone, can’t look at the computer,” she said. “It takes all the technology and elements out of running. And takes you back to the basics.”
—Stephanie Field
Go for a (group) run
Seacoast running clubs welcome runners of all ages and abilities who want to hit the road and run off the winter doldrums.
Runner’s Alley and the Coastal Athletic Association
Meets at Runner’s Alley, 104 Congress St., Portsmouth, on Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. A full schedule is at at runnersalley.com or 603-430-1212.
The UNH Running Club
Meets at the Field House on Wednesdays at noon. For more information, email sinthy.kounsala@unh.edu.
The Rochester Runners Club
Meets Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Berwick Town Hall, 11 Sullivan St., Berwick, Maine. Runs depart Saturdays at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. at varying locations in Rochester and Dover; and Sundays at 7 a.m. at PSNH, 74 Old Dover Road, Rochester. Additional information can be found at www.rochesterrunners.com.
