Chorlton Runners: South Manchester’s Social Running Club

Chorlton Runners are what happens when a community of people decide that running is something they want to do together without it becoming a competitive pursuit. The club runs weekly group runs from Chorlton, organised across different pace groups so that beginners and faster runners can both find their level without anyone feeling left behind or held back. South Manchester has a large running community, and Chorlton sits at the centre of it – the number of people you see running along Merseybank, through Chorlton Water Park, or heading up to Didsbury on a Tuesday evening is a reliable indicator of the area’s enthusiasm for the sport.

The club is explicitly welcoming to beginners. If you have just come off the couch-to-5k programme and want to carry on running but do not want to join a serious athletics club, Chorlton Runners are the obvious step. Many members also race – at local parkruns, Greater Manchester events, and the Manchester Marathon – but racing is a personal choice rather than a club expectation. The atmosphere is social first, and the post-run arrangements in Chorlton’s pubs and cafes are taken as seriously as the running itself. Find them through social media to find out where the next group run starts.