Join Riverside Runners!
We’re a super-fun free 5km conversational paced social run group: Monday’s 18:30 @ George IV, 185 Chiswick High Road, London
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 90 to 100+ runners), and a 10k option bi-weekly on a Thursday. 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.
It’s almost here!
Come join our next club run is “Matlide’s Morning Miles” (8.5k) at 7am on Friday 4th September. Meet outside Tamp Coffee, 1 Devonshire Road, Chiswic kW4 2EU. (No bag drop -come prepared to run!). Conversational pace at 6min/km, with 2 x quick pitstops. Coffee together afterwards! It’s free, with no sign-up, you just join up! 😊
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Mission & Values!
OUR MISSION
”We make running fun, friendly, and free -creating a West London community that celebrates connection over competition”
WE VALUE: Community
We run together, support each other, and make friendships real.
WE VALUE: Positivity
Every run is a win when shared with great people -rain or shine!
WE VALUE: Fun
Running should always end with laughter -we generate smiles!
Take a peek at what we get up to!
Catch the Action: Our Instagram Moments
Our Partners
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at jonathan.caton@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question. I’d be very happy to follow-up!
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.
On a bi-weekly basis, (on Thursdays) 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!
Wea 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 have lovely 'Riverside Runners' branded tops 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 publish the link publicly, simply to avoid any risk of scamming). There are currently 370+ 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, bi-weekly on Thursdays. Meeting time & location is the same as the weekly 5k: meet just before 18:30 at George IV pub on Chiswick High Road. This group runs at a pace between 6:00min/km and 6:15min/km, (ie. at the same pace as our weekly 5k group). There are two quick rest stops, to re-gather everyone. This group rotates a number of different 10k routes each month, in the local area. There are typically 20 x runners in this group.
Dogs are very welcome to run with us! (We typically have up to four doggies run with us at present:
2 x Spaniels, 1 x German shepherd, 1
x Beagle!). 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 bi-weekly 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 in the autumn of 2025).
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 for 5k every Monday evening, (and bi-weekly on a Thursday for 10k), at 18:30 outside the George IV pub, 185 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR. Come and join us for a run! There’s no sign-up, you can just turn up!
Riverside Runners
Instagram: riverside_runners_chiswick
Hours
Mon | 18:30 – 20:30 | |
Tue | Closed | |
Wed | Closed | |
Thu | 18:30 – 20:30 | |
Fri | Closed | |
Sat | Closed | |
Sun | Closed |
We stay on to have a few social drinks together after our runs, to continue our chats!
Privacy Policy
Runners run at their own risk