NEW TO TRAIL RUNNING OR JUST TRAIL CURIOUS?

Come out to the trails with our Rookie Runners Program. It’s the perfect way to get started for those new to the sport.

WHY TRAIL RUNNING?

Trail running is a sport, an art, a celebration of friendship, and an expression of one of our deepest human impulses—movement. While it is a fantastic form of cardiovascular exercise that promotes agility, balance, strength, and neuroplasticity, most of us are here because it’s wonderful to immerse yourself in nature with friends. While some trail runners are competitive and focused on improvement, many are running for pleasure and camaraderie. You are welcome on the trails exactly as you are.

WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST TIME?

The Rookie Running program begins at 7:00 a.m. on Sundays in the parking lot designated on the Sunday Runs website each week. The run is led at a gentle, easy pace for an hour—roughly 4 miles—after which you will return to the parking lot by 8:00 a.m. to meet the main group of Leatherman Harriers. Trail running is different than road running: the pace is slower, we hike the uphills, and we get to play on and around the various rocks, roots, and streams of our East Coast trails. Zero experience is necessary; we will navigate for you, stick together in a group, and answer all of your questions. If you love the experience and want a few more miles, stick around to run with the main group at 8:00 a.m.

WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP AT IT?

Let’s be real: running is hard. When you first start, you feel more like a rhinoceros than a cheetah. Everything hurts. You have to go to the bathroom at inopportune moments, you are too cold, too hot, or getting bitten by flies, and if you go long enough, you develop chafing in places you never anticipated. So why do it? Because it’s magical. Because you will get stronger, faster, braver, and more agile than you can possibly imagine. Because your stride will lengthen and your pain will subside. Because you will form some of the deepest friendships of your existence, you’ll see sunrises stretching over vast horizons, and you’ll learn where to apply anti-chafe. Keep at it and it will transform you.

HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST?

The Sunday Runs and Rookie Running program are always free. There’s no cost to run, no membership fees, dues, or secret handshakes although a fist-bump after a good run is known to happen. While Sunday Runs is happy to accept donations to help offset operating costs, we’re here to share our passion.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

Yourself! A pair of running shoes—preferably trail shoes if you have them but these are not required—clothes appropriate for the temperature, bug spray in the summer, a sense of adventure, and a sense of humor.

WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

Show up at 7:00 a.m. on Sundays ready to run. One of our trail runner ambassadors (Lee, Joe Cloidt, Greg, or Claudia) will make sure you make it through your run. Feel free to join the main group at 8:00 whenever you want. With different distances and pace groups each week, you’ll find someone to run with.

If you have any questions or think you’d like to start, contact Lee and he’ll help you out. We look forward to running with you.