About
RunWEST is a running club located in the south west metro area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. We typically meet on Saturday mornings for a group run. Starting points and routes vary every week to keep it interesting. Most routes feature a clover-leaf design of several 2-4 mile loops, each returning to the starting point. We encourage runners of all experience levels and goals; you can run as many or as few of the loops as you like, grab water or nutrition from your car between loops, and even join us for coffee or breakfast afterwards. With 15-30 people running regularly, you are certain to find someone to run with at your pace.
Sample run route with three loops all starting/ending at Miller Park.
RunWEST History
RunWEST History as of November 30, 2019 by Dan Blake (amended by Whitney Moore on July 9, 2022)
July 10, 2012: Life Time Fitness in Chanhassen, MN cancelled Saturday runs, prompting a group of former participants to create their own Saturday running group.
August 6, 2012: The first email list was created, consisting of ~16 people, including Dan B., Tom R., Brittany O., Linda K., Juli C., Bill C., Robb H., Kelly E., Kelly H., Jake M., Nancy F., Tom B., and Dan B. More folks were added later that year.
The initial group name was Team Chan, followed by Breakfast Club on July 10, 2014, and finally RunWEST on July 29, 2016.
February 2, 2107: A brief RunWEST + Life Time “partnership” formed and the first Saturday run took place March 4, 2017.
2017: 51 Saturday runs (one cancelled due to storms), the first Saturday (January 7) and last Saturday (December 30) inside due to cold, 30 different volunteers, approximately 68 runners participated (plus a couple of guests), 20 names were added to the email list (3 never participated), and fewer than 10 free breakfasts took place. Eventually RunWEST and Life Time parted ways, and the group continued on a grassroots basis.
2018 to early 2020: Weekly routes were created by a volunteer group member, who would also set out water stops along the route (typically a big loop or out-and-back course). A post-run breakfast spot would also be suggested where many would gather afterwards.
March 2020: When the COVID-19 virus hit, the group changed to a mutliple loop route format (routes still created by a volunteer member), returning to the same location throughout the run. This enabled members to bring their own water to have at their vehicles between loops to prevent virus transmission. RunWEST never missed a week during the pandemic due to this modification, and the multiple loop route format continues to be the current route structure.
2020-Present: The RunWEST email list has grown to include over 100 individuals, and consistently gathers at least 15-30 runners each Saturday morning. No matter the weather, heat and humity or sub-zero and snowy, our hardy and fun bunch puts in the miles while training for races, motivating each other, and having fun!