Join Riverside Runners!
We’re a fun free 5km conversational paced social run group: Monday’s 18:30 @ George IV, 185 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR
Who We Are at Riverside Runners
Our Story
At Riverside Runners, our passion for running was born out of a desire to create a super fun & inclusive social run group by the river Thames in Chiswick, bringing like minded people together to share great conversations & encourage each other towards fitness goals. We’re about ‘Miles & Smiles’, as opposed to racing or personal best times. The group allows everyone to share a love for social running, meet new runners, and nurture some wonderful friendships. We were founded in July 2024 as a volunteer led group, that’s free to join. We run a weekly 5k every Monday evening (typically 40 to 50 runners), and a 10k option on the last Thursday of every month. Over time, our plan is to continue to grow and expand as a key component of the local West London community!
There’s no sign up, just join up! We’d love to see you.
Take a peek at what we get up to!
It’s almost here!
The date of our next social 5k is fast approaching! Come and join us at 18:30 on Monday 7th July. Meet us outside George IV pub, 185 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR. (Bag drop available). See you there! It’s free as always -it’s a great vibe!
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Frequently Asked Questions
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).
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). There will be runners each week running quicker (approx 5:45min/km), and some a little slower. If you're able to complete a 5km (including two to three short rest stops -which are designed to allow all different paced runners to re-group), then you'll be fine. We leave no one behind -if you feel you're struggling a bit, we do have back markers who will encourage you along! Our faster and more experienced runners will occasionally lap back at the break stops, and encourage & chat to others as they head towards the next stop. In summary, everyone is accommodated!
We run a rotation of eight 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! It’s a great way to explore the local area, as our routes criss-cross between Chiswick, Hammersmith, and Acton.
Once a month, (on the last Thursday of each month), we lead a longer 10k run, which also rotates a series of different local routes.
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!
You can of course run wearing any sports outfit you like! We do also recommend you bring a warm top, (we have a coat & bag drop available), as we typically sit outside together after our run, at the George IV pub. Sunglasses, a cap, and some water, are also a good idea on hotter days!
We do have some lovely 'Riverside Runners' branded tops too, that you’ll see being worn! (Club shirts, vests, or hoodies). These are blue, with our logo, (and your initials if you wish), and Riverside Runners on the back. We have a dedicated club page on our kit manufacturer‘s website, for individuals to order. You can find a link for our merchandise, in the bio of our Instagram page.
Absolutely -we use a club WhatsApp group as our main means of communication. Anyone who comes running with us, is of course invited to join! (We don’t publicly publish the link, simply to avoid any potential scamming). There are currently 165+ members on the club WhatsApp.
We start & stop at George IV pub on Chiswick High Road, because we’re a very 'social' run group, who like socialising after our runs! We arrange reserved tables each week, and we store bags and coats in a secure environment at the pub whilst we’re out running. We make use of the facilities to get changed in, if runners are joining straight from work. Lastly, we use the -20% discount available on food & drinks via the 'Chiswick Calendar Card'. The George IV very kindly sponsor us with a ‘Runner of the Month’ award, which provides dinner and drinks for two people at the pub, at no charge.
We lead a separate 10k social run, once a month on the last Thursday of the month. Meeting time & location is the same as the weekly 5k: 18:30 at George IV pub on Chiswick High Road. This group runs at a pace between 5:45min/km - 6:00min/km. There is one re-gather rest stop, at the 5k point. This group rotates a number of different 10k routes each month, in the local area.
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.
We’re a ‘social’ run club, so of course we do quite a lot of extra stuff!
We organise Quarterly Social events for the group, which includes restaurant ‘take-overs’, quiz nights, and a ‘school sports day’ type picnic with games.
We’ve also set up some (beyond running) groups within the club, such as road biking, (the ‘Riverside Roaders’), rowing, golf, and outings to local pubs together.
in terms of brand link-ups; we frequently arrange collaborations with brands and businesses, which provide either discounted access to Riverside Runners, or trial samples. We are happy to invite collaborators to come and speak with us all prior to one of our runs, and to share social media exsposure.
Absolutely! Simply search up ‘Riverside Runners’ on the club section of the Strava app, and you’ll find us! We send run invite reminders on Strava for both our weekly 5k runs, as well as our monthly 10k runs. These show the planned route rotations, and any occasional start location changes. You’ll also find summary posts showing photos from all our fabulous runs together!
Sure we are! As well as Strava, you can also find us on the following 3 x run community apps: PacePal Uk, Tribe, and LyncFit (launching July ‘25).
We also have our club featured on two social events apps: Clyx, as well as on Clic.
Do check them out! Download any of these from the Apple App Store.
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!
Contact Us
Better yet, see us in person!
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!
Riverside Runners
Instagram: riverside_runners_chiswick
Hours
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!).
Privacy Policy
Runners run at their own risk