Join Riverside Runners! Get fit & be social!
We’re a fun free 5km conversational paced social run group: Monday’s 18:30 @ George IV, 185 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR
We’re a fun free 5km conversational paced social run group: Monday’s 18:30 @ George IV, 185 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR
At Riverside Runners, our passion for running was born out of a running store in Chiswick called ‘Up & Running’. We wanted to create an accessible & inclusive social run group that brought like minded people together, to share fun conversations and mutual encouragement towards fitness goals. We’re about ‘Miles & Smiles’, as opposed to racing or personal best times. The group allows us to share our love for social running, meet new runners, and nurture some wonderful friendships. Following the closure of our local 'Up & Running' store in July 2024, we evolved into this newly independent social run group re-launching ourselves as the 'Riverside Runners'. Over time, our plan is to grow and expand as a key component of the local West London community!
There’s no sign up, just join up!
The date of our next social 5km run is fast approaching! Come and join us at 18:30 on Monday 27th January. Bag drop available. We meet at GEORGE IV pub, 185 Chiswick High Road, W4 2NW.
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Please reach us at jonathan.caton@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Yes, we have a dedicated bag storage box at the George IV pub, where we start and end our runs. Items are stored together in the box, and handed over to the duty manager to be stored in the cellar of the pub. This is a secure location that's not accessible to the public. (Note: Riverside Runners can't accept any liability in the very unlikely event of a loss).
Yes -we stop two to three times during our runs for short breaks, to allow everyone to gather back together, and catch a breath if needed. It's also a great opportunity to start up new conversations, and to take a few photos for Strava! At our middle stop, we take a group photo highlighting one of our runners, which we then share on our private WhatsApp group as a great way to learn a bit more about each other!
We run a rotation of six separate 5km routes around Chiswick, which makes each week different from the last. As our 'Riverside Runners' name suggests, a majority of these routes incorporate various parts of the river Thames! The routes we run are as follows: (1) Hammersmith Bridge', (a loop along the river front to Hammersmith Bridge and back). (2) 'Band Stand', (a loop past the band stand on Dukes Meadows, to Barnes Bridge and back). (3) 'Chiswick House & Gardens' -which we shorten to 'C.H.A.G.', (one and a half circuits through the gardens & lake), (4) 'Jonathans Jaunt', (a loop over to Ravenscourt Park, and returning along the river front). (5) 'Miguels Meander', (a loop up towards Acton and back via Turnham Green). (6) 'Plums Plod', (a hybrid loop combining both Chiswick House and the river, which we run if we start/stop our run from our friends at the Hogarth Club, as opposed to our default location at the George IV pub).
Being a social run group, our objective is to run at a conversational pace. This means our typical group average pace is approximately 6:15min/km, (converting to miles, that is equivalent to 10:05min/mile). If you're able to complete a 5km (including two to three short rest stops), then you'll be fine. We leave no one behind -if you feel you're struggling a bit, we have back markers who will encourage you along! We also have some faster and more experienced runners too, and they will occasionally lap back at the break stops and encourage & chat to others towards the next stop if we get too spread out. The experienced runners do also sometimes meet beforehand to run a 10km, and then use the wider group's 5km as a 'shakedown run'. In summary, everyone is accommodated!
We start & stop at George IV pub on Chiswick High Road, because: (1) As we're a 'social' run group, we do like socialising after our runs in a pub that is itself very social! We arrange reserved tables each week. (2) We can store bags and coats here in a secure environment, and make use of the facilities to get changed in, if runners are joining straight from work. (3) The pub is a well known icon in Chiswick, so new runners will easily know it and find it on Chiswick High Road. (4) We make use of the -20% discount available on food & drinks via the 'Chiswick Calendar Card', ..which keeps us nicely hydrated!
Dogs are very welcome to run with us! (We occasionally have a spaniel named ‘Bella’ join our runs, ..with her tennis ball!). Some parts of our run routes are open paths along the Thames river path where dogs are fine to be off a lead, however all our runs will have sections of public pavements as well, so we would recommend bringing a lead. (Don’t forget poo bags too!)
Sure thing -we’re inclusive of everyone! All our run routes are on tarmac paths, except for sections of two of them, (our ‘Band Stand’ route to Barnes Bridge, and our ‘Chiswick House & Grounds’ route), yet these nevertheless have adjacent tarmac paths that can be taken as a small diversion.
You can of course run wearing any sports outfit you like, however we also have 'Riverside Runners' branded tops too! A number of runners wear the club run shirts, vests, or hoodies. These are blue, and feature our logo on the front (and personalised initials if you wish), and have our name on the back. We have a dedicated club page on the garment manufacturer‘s website, where individuals can simply order and purchase their own desired kit.
Absolutely, we always do a set number of warm up exercises with the group before we depart on our run together. We also do a series of warm-down stretches after we’ve finished running. It’s good discipline, to keep our bodies supple and avoid injury.
We meet every Monday evening at 18:30, at the George IV pub, 185 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR. Come and join us for a run!
Instagram: riverside_runners_chiswick
Mon | 18:30 – 20:30 | |
Tue | Closed | |
Wed | Closed | |
Thu | Closed | |
Fri | Closed | |
Sat | Closed | |
Sun | Closed |
We run at 18:30 every Monday, (and often have a few drinks afterwards in the pub!).
Runners run at their own risk