Running Club App Creates Virtual Running Clubs

Candice McMillan, September 7th, 2012

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Who has time to fit exercise into their busy schedules these days? Or maybe there is time, but most of us simply lack the motivation to get up and do it. So what if there was an app that could give you that motivation? The Running Club app is a virtual running club that allows users to schedule live activities with friends in different locations. Running Club app creator, Eric Piazza, explains how it all came about:

“Most people assume that I am also an avid runner, but actually the opposite is true; I have a hard time getting motivated to run. But this lack of motivation was actually the reason I got the idea for the app. I found that the only time I would get out and run consistently was when I had a reason to run. Joining a local running club with some friends was a great motivator, but with two young kids and work piling up, I found I was missing more and more runs. With all the technology available in mobile phones I thought ‘Why can’t I just run with my friends through the phone?’. I got together with some colleagues and about nine months later the Running Club app was born!”

Here’s how it works:

• Users create an activity (run, cycle or walk) and invite friends to join.

• All participants from various locations join the live race and wait for the start time.

• Users get live feedback throughout the activity and are able to judge their performance against other participants.

• Once the activity is complete, participants can see their results and compare times with the others.

• Users can chat before and after the race, find friends and enjoy the social benefits of running, walking or cycling in a club.

• Users can also see their own real-time map as they go.

• The app also includes an integrated iPod which means users can change music without ever having to leave the app.

So, maybe this could be just the solution people need to prevent them from making those excuses as to why they don’t have the time. Piazza adds, “you really have to try a group run to fully appreciate the Running Club app. There is nothing else like our app on the market, and the social experience you get from running ‘with’ your friends in other parts of the country, or meeting a new running partner is extremely satisfying”.