RunPackGuides · 5 min read
Running club rules: a simple template you can copy
A short, friendly set of running club rules and a code of conduct you can copy: safety, pace groups, no-drop runs, photos, privacy and how decisions get made.
Most running groups don’t need a rulebook. But once you have more than a handful of people, or newcomers who don’t know how things work, a short set of written rules saves awkward conversations. Keep them friendly, keep them to one screen, and pin them where people will see them. Here’s a template to copy and edit.
The template
- Everyone is welcome. All paces, all backgrounds. We don’t judge times, kit or bodies.
- No one gets dropped. On group runs we regroup at agreed points, and the last runner is never left alone. Someone runs at the back on every run.
- Know your pace group. Join the group that matches your easy pace. If you’re unsure, start slower; you can always move up.
- Safety first. Obey traffic lights and crossings, run no more than two abreast on roads, wear something visible in the dark, and carry your phone.
- Tell someone if you leave early. A quick “heading off” to the leader means nobody waits or worries.
- Look after your health. You run at your own risk. Tell the leader privately if there’s something they should know about, and stop if you feel unwell.
- Ask before posting photos. Some members don’t want to be online. Check before tagging anyone, and never share someone’s route or address.
- Keep the chat useful. Plans and updates in the group chat; long side conversations elsewhere. One pinned message has the week’s runs.
- Be kind. No harassment, no unwanted comments, no pressure to run faster or further. Leaders can ask anyone who ignores this to leave.
- Decisions are made openly. Routes, times and changes to these rules are discussed in the group, and the organisers make the final call.
How to introduce rules without killing the vibe
- Call them “how we run” rather than rules.
- Write them after a few weeks, from what actually came up, rather than imagining problems.
- Send them to every newcomer with the invite, so nobody is singled out later.
- Review once a year. Drop anything nobody needed.
Rules for leaders
If your club has run leaders, give them three extra jobs: brief the route and regroup points at the start, count heads at the start and finish, and know where the nearest exit or shortcut is if someone needs to stop. More in how to lead a group run and group run etiquette.
Where to keep them
Pin them in your group chat, add them to your club’s Instagram highlights, and link them from wherever new members join. If your club uses RunPack, the crew is private by default: only members see each other’s runs, anyone can report a post, and members can block each other, which covers rules 7 and 9 without anyone having to police them.