Memorable Miles

Run Club culture is brewing in Charleston

By Jenny Peterson » Photos by Priscilla Thomas

They arrive in a pack, filing into Charleston bars and breweries, sweaty, temporarily weary, dressed in well-worn running shoes, shorts and tank tops, earbuds in their ears and the distinct look of tiredness mixed with accomplishment. They line up to buy local brews at bars any given weeknight, clinking glasses to toast the shared experience of running a 5K (around three miles) through Charleston’s iconic neighborhoods.

Run clubs—a social group that involves a non-competitive run among members—are a great way to meet others while working out, and take full advantage of Charleston’s stunning landscapes and backdrops. Various run clubs trek through Hampton Park, Colonial Lake, past Lowndes Grove with its marsh views, down bustling King Street and on the magnificent Arthur Ravenel Bridge.

No matter the route, runners always end at a lively beer-focused location—there’s something about running and beer that go hand-in-hand—with bars and breweries rewarding runners with discounted local brews and other specials.

Three miles and $1 off local drafts? They’ll take it. (There’s also plenty of water at the end to hydrate).

Less a competitive foot race and more social meetup, rub club members become friends outside the weekly weeknight meetups and often enter local races as a team, like the Cooper River Bridge Run and the Charleston annual Turkey Day Trot. There are run clubs almost every weeknight in the evenings, from Park Circle in North Charleston to Mt. Pleasant, James Island, downtown Charleston and more. Many members run with multiple run clubs each week.

A common misconception about run clubs is the idea that you have to be a “runner,” run the whole time—or even run at all. At these clubs, there’s no timed finish line, no medals. You can take shortcuts (especially when surprise rain hits). While many runners have experience—perhaps they ran in high school or college—there is no experience necessary.

Two downtown run clubs for beginners, Run CBW (short for Charleston Beer Works, where the group starts and finishes) and Charleston Beer Runners, which starts at Hampton Park and runs to different breweries each week, some runners track their steps on fitness apps like Strava and have quite impressive miles per minute; other runners quite literally stop during the route to smell the roses or snap a picture of the scenery. No one judges here.

While some clubs differ in their routes (some clubs have a fixed route to and from a particular bar, while others change the destination each week), and varying fitness levels (one club runs the Ravenel Bridge each week, another trains members for races), all the groups have two things in common: a diverse age range of its members and a built-in reason to socialize.

Each week, runners congregate at the start location with brief socializing before taking off on a predetermined route.

At Run CBW, around a dozen runners meet every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the bar on King Street and take a scenic route through the Radcliffborough and Harleston Village neighborhoods, circling around Colonial Lake and back up through the medical district. Run CBW tanks and hoodies identify the members along the route and members take a group photo before the run to post on its Instagram page.

After the race, all the runners are entered in a raffle to win a $25 gift card or a free beer from the bar. Members generally stay for at least an hour post-run, hanging out.

The Park Circle Pacers, “a running club for everyone,” has a Thursday “Thirstday” beer run every week that leaves from Commonhouse Aleworks, a staple brewery in Park Circle, at 6:15 p.m. sharp.

“Sunday Rundays” start on the patio at 8:30 a.m. with a five or eight-mile option. For those looking for more of a challenge, a speed workout is held at the track at Stoney Field in downtown Charleston on Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m.

When the time changes and the sun sets before the evening run start time, runners don lights on their shoes, chests and arm bands. Runs are held year-round, rain or shine. Many runners listen to music during the run—some even listen to podcasts!—others run together and chat with one another during the run.

Community and Culture

Run clubs have a storied history of providing community, support and lifelong friendships. Some members have met and began dating.

Charleston Beer Runners is an offshoot of the Fishtown Beer Runners, which celebrates the personal triumph of its founder David April and his friend Eric Fiedler who were inspired to start the club after reading a study by a Spanish professor that found drinking beer after a run can hydrate the body as well as water.

David needed an outlet following a devastating divorce and used running for socialization and exercise. Running was his medicine. The Fishtown Beer Runners was founded in 2007 and ultimately grew into a movement that inspires runners from around the world.

In Charleston, the Charleston Beer Runners meet every week at Hampton Park’s gazebo in a circle and everyone goes around and says their name—but they are also happy to reintroduce themselves after the run over a well-deserved beer and toast “the professor,” who conducted the important beer-can-hydrate-as-well-as-water research.

David’s goal for the club was about setting your own goals, whether it’s just to get off the couch and move, drop some pounds, meet new people, or run a marathon.

That attitude is what drives Charleston run clubs; it doesn’t matter how people decide to show up each week. Whether your “personal best” that day is to shave seconds off your 5K time or simply leave the house, it all leads to the same conclusion: Enjoying brews and great conversation with like-minded folks might just be the best incentive to start the journey.

Local run clubs

» Fleet Feet weekly runs and pub runs

Meets Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at 881 Houston Northcutt Blvd.; twice a month on Wednesdays for pub runs at 6:30 p.m. at various locations in West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant for a three-mile run. Follow Fleet Feet Mt. Pleasant on Facebook.

» Run James Island

Meets Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the front of  Terrace Theater at 1956d Maybank Hwy for a 2-4 mile run through the Riverland Terrace neighborhood ending with beers at a nearby bar. Follow at Run James Island on Facebook.

» Charleston Running Club

Meets every Tuesday at Bar Mash, 701 East Bay Street, at 6:30 p.m. for a run across the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. Follow at

www.facebook.com CharlestonRunningClub

» Run CBW

Meets Wednesdays at Charleston Beer Works at 480 King St. at 7 p.m. with a 3.1 mile route to and around Colonial Lake. Follow on Instagram at @runcbw

» Charleston Beer Runners

Meets Thursdays at 7 p.m.  at the Hampton Park gazebo downtown for a 3-5 mile run that ends at a local bar/pub (changes weekly). Follow Charleston Beer Runners on Facebook.

» Park Circle Pacers

Meets Thursdays and Sundays at Commonhouse Aleworks at 4831 O’Hear Ave, North Charleston. “Thirstday” beer runs start at 6:15 p.m. with a 1 mile or 5K mile option. Sunday “Rundays” start at 8:30 am with a 5 or 8-mile option. On Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m., a speed workout is held at the track at Stoney Field in downtown Charleston. Follow on Facebook at @werunthiscircle. ϒ