Slow runs are better than no runs, and now Holliston has a running club dedicated to exactly that.

“My husband and I have been running over 15 years,” says club member Michelle Tapaninen. “He used to actually run competitively, but I am just doing it to clear my mind. I’m more recreational.”

Enter the 1013 Run Club, named for the back-of-the-pack runners who are most comfortable running ten- to thirteen-minute miles.

Many recreational runners will hit the streets solo because they worry about not maintaining a blistering pace, or because they’re still building up distance. 1013 removes those worries. 

Sarah Baroud, the club’s Marketing Chair, says, “These are folks who are not trying to win the race. They are maybe getting back into the sport, or starting a 5K journey, or coming back after having a baby.” To be clear, 10 to 13 minutes per mile isn’t a requirement. “We have joggers, walkers, people that run faster than ten—it’s the essence of it, not so much the numbers.”

Renee Quinn founded the 1013 Run Club in June, 2022, in collaboration with the Bird and Bear Collective at 763 Washington Street. “We use their base as a community,” Sarah says. “We still meet there for all our runs.”

By sidelining the speed element of the sport, runners are competing against themselves rather than one another, fostering community and creating a safe space for personal growth.

“Everyone sets their own goal,” says Michelle. “Last year, for every season, I ran a 10K.”

“The longest I’ve run is a half marathon, but the goals keep growing and growing, so who knows what’s to come?” Sarah says. “For me, personally, I was really interested in the idea of having a community of folks who just wanted to be supportive of one another. We’re not trying to win anything, just being consistent and accountable to one another.”

The club holds group runs up to three times a week: Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 a.m., the runners begin at the Bird and Bear Collective. From May through September, they also meet on Thursdays at 5:30 a.m. at the Holliston High School track.

Anyone who wants to try out the club can show up a few times to see if it works for them. After a few runs, together, you can join the club. Membership is $84 per year.

Although the 1013 Club doesn’t emphasize speed, they are enthusiastic supporters of races. Several members ran the Holliston Rail Trail 5K and 10K race this June, and founder Renee Quinn herself was the announcer, something she told participants she’d long dreamed of doing.

Six club members are running this year’s Chicago Marathon, simultaneously training for 26.2 miles and raising money for charity. “We all have six different charities,” says Sarah. “The five other women have run at least one marathon in the past. I am the only one of the six that this will be my first marathon, so I’m really leaning on them for advice and support.” Sarah is fundraising for Every Mother Counts, an international charity that focuses on improved birth outcomes and maternal mortality rates.

The Chicago runners are holding a charity fundraiser on August 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Rushford and Sons Brewhouse. The other five charities are Girls on the Run, the American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago, and Camp One Step.

From first 5K runners to marathoners, 1013 works to meet every runner’s needs, and it’s not just about the races. Sarah says of the group runs, “We’re far more in it for the social aspect. If they’re not training, they’ll just walk with you. The social aspect is really big.”

Michelle adds, “I know they’re friends that I can count on, on or off the trails. It’s great. You’re never alone.”

For more information about the 1013 Run Cub, check out their website at

https://www.1013runclub.com.

The benefits of slow running

The glory goes to two-hour marathon finishers and the Olympic sprinters, but running at any speed has documented benefits. Some studies show that twenty minutes of cardiovascular exercise, done a minimum of three days a week, improves blood pressure, cardiac health, bone density, mental health, and energy levels.

Since the 1980s, Runner’s World columnists such as John “The Penguin” Bingham have inspired runners to tie on their sneakers at any speed. Jeff Galloway, an Olympic runner, writes about the benefits of run-walk intervals for races at every distance, including marathons.

Bingham and Galloway’s programs are designed to increase stamina and prevent injury. Plus, not running to exhaustion means runners can hit the pavement more often.

For more information, check out The Courage to Start by John Bingham, and Galloway’s Book on Running by Jeff Galloway. Brand-new runners can look into the “Couch to 5K” running plan, which gradually increases running intervals to get non-runners ready for their first 5K.