'Go Run Series Proves Fun for Veteran and Rookie Runners

Chicago, IL - In the United Kingdom, the idea of organizing free timed weekly runs in city parks started out with just 13 participants in 2004, but now has up to 80,000 participants in a given week.

The success of “parkruns UK” has recently spilled over to the United States, with a similar system set up last year in New York City and this year in Chicago.

‘Go Run began earlier this summer as an eight-week series of timed 5K and one mile distance runs in three Chicago parks: Humboldt Park, Warren Park and Washington Park. Held on Saturday mornings, the series has two more events before the season closes and organizers are already noticing a build up in numbers.

“We get a lot of regulars, which is what this is all about,” said Greg Hipp, the director of road race services and events for the Chicagoland Area Runners Association and former head cross country coach at Northern Illinois University. Hipp says each park has seen anywhere from 15 to 120 people per week during the six weeks of the program’s existence, with Warren Park holding the most steady numbers and a crowd of 120 one week at Humboldt Park serving as the peak in participation.

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The events are a good, fun and healthy use of time for anyone. Whether you’ve never run before or are training for your 15th marathon. The one mile course is a great way to get introduced to running in a relaxed race setting, and the 5K is perfect for distance runners looking to train for speed and fairly new runners looking to build up distance.

“Go Runs cans be worked into a training schedule, as you can just add extra distance to the timed 5K,” said Charles Lee, a CARA member who took up running less than three years ago and is now a marathoner.
It’s a bargain, too. CARA partnered with the Chicago Park District to put on the series for free. You can sign up online or at the park an hour before the 9 a.m. start time. You’ll get a chip that will record your time and enjoy the good race feel with large timing clocks, gatorade, water and camaraderie with other runners.

“This is all about getting to know each other and relationship building,” said Hipp. “It’s more of a community thing than a running thing.”

Hipp describes ‘Go Run as “very grass roots.”

“It’s not meant to be a big flash like a downtown running event. It’s to get people into the neighborhood parks more and not just the lakefront.”

Arrows are painted to mark both the one mile and 5K course outlines at all the parks.

“So someone can come here on a Wednesday and run a 5K on their own,” Hipp said.

The CARA-Park District partnership brings the race clocks, timing chips and permit-free park usage. Volunteers have also stepped up to serve as race marshals and to help with the water/gatorade stand.

So far, more than 1,000 people have signed up for the runs.

“We wanted to create something simple enough that we could pull off every week with a small number of volunteers,” Hipp said. “We’d like to get more connected with the neighborhoods and not just the running channels.”

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“I love that it’s all inclusive,” said Jane Murphy, a CARA member who has been a regular at ‘Go Run events this year. “It is low key, yet the one mile and 5K courses are accurately measured and timed.”

“I really enjoy being with people of all abilities as we exchange giving and getting encouragement.”

Lee also loves “running with a group.”

“The best part of training for a race with a professional coach is the group run,” he said. “Go Runs provide an opportunity to do a group run for free while not in training.”

Columba Montes, a veteran runner, says ‘Go Run has helped her with “some easy trainings,” and has given her an opportunity to help motivate other families to start running and be healthy.

Sign up for 'Go Run here. There are only two weeks remaining in the summer program.

Hipp says the success of the pilot program could lead to another free eight-week run series offered as early as this fall.

“We’d like to add at least three more parks,” he said, noting that CARA will meet with the Park District in the coming weeks to decide what’s next.

“We’d like to have a few different eight-week seasons throughout the year,” Hipp said.

It’s the “camaraderie, relationships and shared goals” that makes ‘Go Run an asset, according to Hipp, a former high school and college cross country star in North Carolina.

And while Hipp has been running since he was 11 years old, he says “it’s never too late" to start.

“We have some members of CARA that started running later in life, and have actually turned out to be very good runners,” he said. “You can get a training program everywhere, but CARA really brings you that group.”