We’ve all been there. It’s 5am and your alarm goes off for the run you promised yourself you would go on, but the motivation just isn’t there... What if running was more than just checking miles off a list? What if it was about finding a friendly face, a shared journey and the motivation to become a better you?
That’s the magic behind Plodders Running Club, a Manchester-born community, and we’re here to dig into what makes them tick.
In our first More Than Miles story, we chat with the founder himself, Izaak, who shares the origins of Plodders, the inspiration behind the name (spoiler alert: it’s refreshingly honest!), and the stories that keep him fired up about this incredible community.
The (Unexpected) Rise of Plodders
Plodders started as a simple idea: a space for Izaak and his CrossFit buddies to bond over running.
“The run club didn’t start as a run club,” Izaak explains. “It was very much started as a space for guys within the CrossFit space to get together and be able to talk... It spiraled quite quickly.” A group chat was made just to organise runs, and as Izaak recalls “There was like 100 people in the group, almost instantaneous.” Seeing this burst of interest, Izaak knew he was onto something special. “Seeing the way that people got together, it kind of made me want to build a brand, give it some sort of facade and give people a space to really come together and find friends through fitness.”
Izaak admits running wasn’t always his go-to activity. “I was always into CrossFit, used to play football when I was younger and weightlifting, so my knees are terrible,” he confesses. He readily admits, “In CrossFit we skip the running constantly, so the run club and getting a group of guys together was a huge way for me to be very consistent with it.” But consistency is just one benefit. “The knees still hurt, but it's getting better and better with more running, and also doing it with friends just makes things so much easier,” says Izaak.
Building a Community, Not Just a Club
Izaak reflects on the early days, “I was somewhat conscious of putting the word ‘club’ in the name because of how many clubs there are, the connotation around it like it's been mentioned before, the run club is the new dating app.” He laughs, but it's true. Plodders offers something more than structured training plans and competitive pressure – a space where anyone, regardless of experience, is welcome.
As Izaak says, “They genuinely create a space. They don't have to be massive; it can be two or three people getting together every single week, but what it does is it adds consistency. It stops you from being complacent on those days when you're tired, when you have a bad day at work. Just creating a space and a group that you can call your own, that you'll finish work on a Thursday and the last thing that you want to do is go out for a run, and because that club's there, and it's not necessarily that people are counting on you, but people are going to have a better time when you show up, it makes it so much more enjoyable going out with friends.”
“In terms of creating and starting a run club, you don't even have to call it a run club,” Izaak reiterates. “It's more about creating a space for people to come and just make fitness easier and a lot more enjoyable, and if you finish the run at a pub, it makes it a hell of a lot better too.”
What Makes Plodders Special
Community is the heart and soul of Plodders. Probably the most inspiring aspect of Plodders is the stories of its members. When asked about a significant moment in Plodders history, Izaak doesn't hesitate: “When starting the run club, I had no name for it. The ‘Plodders’ came about as an iteration of how I ran, and I think seeing people join because of the name, we do quite steady runs quite constantly, they're very much at a manageable pace for people that are trying to get into running.” He adds, “I think one of the biggest things that's been a spur for me is that there's been guys and girls that have come in, come from absolutely nothing, never ran before. I think we had 15 people running the Manchester Half this year and just seeing people go from literally nothing to doing runs they never thought they could do, changing their lives. You look at the Plodders Strava, you see guys and girls putting out constant runs that when they first came, they were really struggling to get through the fives.”
Witnessing the power of community is what fuels Izaak's passion for Plodders. As he puts it, “That’s probably the biggest thing for me, it's just seeing how well people can come into the club and progress so quickly as well, and find people within that space, people that are running with each other not just in the club but externally as well.”
These connections extend far beyond scheduled runs, building a supportive network that thrives not just on shared miles, but on genuine friendships where experienced runners become mentors, bringing less confident newcomers into their friendship groups. “There's guys and girls that are fantastic at running and they then go out and bring those people that aren’t so confident into their friendship groups and create a space where they can get better, and that's not just within the club, that runs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as well.”
Resilience Through Consistency
On the topic of resilience, Izaak's message is clear: this isn't about chasing podium finishes, but about the steady accumulation of small victories, as he explains, “You don't have to kill yourself every single day, just doing something each week or each day that makes you even that fraction of a percent better.”
It's about showing up even when it's hard and celebrating the wins, big or small, that come with that dedication. Because in the end, running with friends isn't just about the miles you cover, it's about the person you become along the way. And that daily nudge is what resonates with his definition of resilience: “doing things that you know are going to benefit you on the days that you probably don't want to.”
Inspired by the Plodders Spirit?
Stay tuned as we chat with some of the amazing members who make this run club so special. In the meantime, lace up your running shoes and remember, your journey of a thousand miles may well begin with one plod alongside supportive friends!