City running club guide
Atlanta has 11 run clubs to pick from, and about half are free to run with and most are happy to have beginners. What really separates them is the night they run, how far they go, and whether you fancy a drink afterwards.
Local guide
The day and time you can actually make every week rules out more clubs than anything else, so start there, then worry about pace and distance.
After that it comes down to surface and distance. Around Atlanta, 10 run on roads and sidewalks, 6 run on park paths and 4 run on trails. Every profile below lists pace notes and typical distances, and whether the club is happy for you to walk.
Narrow it down
Compare profiles
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta Beltline Run Club is a free, weekly Thursday evening run/walk on the Atlanta BeltLine hosted by Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and Atlanta Track Club. The club offers 2 and 4 mile routes from rotating brewery locations and welcomes all paces and abilities.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta Run Club is a free, community-driven citywide run crew hosting weekly runs from multiple locations including Ponce City Market, Atlanta Chinatown, and Cam Kirk Studios. All paces and fitness levels are welcome, with walking encouraged and runs offered every weekday plus Sunday.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta Track Club is a large nonprofit, member-based running and walking organization based in northeast Atlanta. It organizes major races, structured training programs like In-Training for Fall Marathons, and community group runs across the metro area.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta Trail Runners is a metro-wide trail running community that organizes several weekly group runs at trails in and around Atlanta for a range of paces. Runs depart from coffee shops and other locations including Perc Coffee Grant Park and East Lake, and East Pole in Virginia-Highland.
Atlanta, Georgia
Black Run is Atlanta's African-American jogging meetup for Black professionals, organized via Meetup with Saturday morning run/jog/walk events at 8:00 a.m. at varying locations. Runs are about 3 miles over 30-40 minutes, welcoming all fitness levels including walkers and beginners.
Atlanta, Georgia
Chattahoochee Road Runners is a metro Atlanta social running club serving the community since 1981. They host weekly runs at multiple rotating locations including Buckhead, the Beltline, Decatur, and other areas, welcoming all paces from beginners to experienced runners.
Atlanta, Georgia
Front Runners Atlanta is an inclusive LGBTQ+ running and walking club that hosts twice-weekly group runs from John Howell Park. The club welcomes all paces and abilities, with no membership requirements and routes typically 3-6 miles through Atlanta neighborhoods.
Atlanta, Georgia
Movers and Pacers is a social and inclusive run crew hosting multiple weekly runs in Atlanta, primarily at Atlantic Station in Midtown. The club offers a flagship 5K on Sunday mornings, sprint workouts on Wednesday evenings, and self-care runs on Saturday mornings, with exact locations posted on social media.
Atlanta, Georgia
Run Easy Run Club is a social running group that meets weekly on Thursday mornings at 6:00 a.m. at Powers Island Trail along the Chattahoochee River. The club offers routes from 0 to 6 miles on river trails and multi-use paths.
Atlanta, Georgia
West Midtown Run Club is a free, all-levels social run club meeting Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in Atlanta's West Midtown neighborhood. The club historically launches from lululemon on Howell Mill Road and features urban road routes of approximately 3 miles with a mixed-pace, community-focused crowd.
Atlanta, Georgia
West Stride is a free, community-focused running group hosted by a woman-owned specialty running store in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. The club offers weekly Tuesday morning track workouts, a monthly Wednesday evening group run, and occasional Saturday run/walk events for all pace levels.
Something to train for
A club gives you the training; a date on the calendar gives you the reason. There are 90 upcoming races around Atlanta, each with finish-time stats from past editions so you can see what you would actually be signing up for.
You can find a group run in Atlanta every day of the week. Saturday is the busiest, with 7 clubs out. Monday is the quietest, with 1 club. If your schedule only frees up on one day, that is the fastest way to narrow the list.
Start with the day and time you can actually make every week, because that rules out more clubs than anything else. Then look at pace and distance, and only then at the social side. Most runners try two or three before one sticks, and turning up once does not commit you to anything.
10 clubs run on roads and sidewalks, 6 clubs run on park paths and 4 clubs run on trails. Clubs often mix surfaces week to week, so it is worth checking a route before you commit.
6 of the 11 Atlanta run clubs are free. The rest usually charge modest annual dues rather than a per-run fee, and most will let you come along once before you decide.
Where this comes from: Club details come from each club’s own channels (their site, Meetup, Strava and social posts) and are checked by hand. Group runs move, so confirm the meeting spot on the club’s latest post before you head out.
