During COVID lockdown I got sick of running the same routes in my neighborhood. With a lack of in-person running groups (some did in secret, shhhhh) and my wife and I using running as our own “away time,” I was left with minimal options.
One day, I ran past the diner that was used in the opening of the film Reservoir Dogs which is about a mile from my house. Because I run without headphones, it allows my freeway of thoughts to weave in and out of my head and if I’m lucky, I may come up with an idea that I like. Otherwise, it’s all a purge of thoughts so I can, or at least try to, have clear head. This time, I actually had an idea, so I did some internet sleuthing and found out that most of Reservoir Dogs was actually shot in my neighborhood in Eagle Rock and the surrounding Highland Park. The next day, with the new route planned, I hit all of the said locations from Reservoir Dogs in 6 miles, or 10k for you runners or those who use the metric system. It was fun and it gave me a little kick in the butt and inspiration I needed to:
a) kill time.
b) make running a bit less monotonous.
c) be a tourist in my own city, a city of which I am obsessed.
The next week, I went to South Pasadena and hit all of the Halloween locations and a dim Christmas light went off in my head. This whole running to film locations could be something unique and neat. I assumed because Los Angeles is filled with film lovers and fitness freaks that surely something like this already existed, and to my surprise, it didn’t. So, after some encouragement from a runner friend, a captain of her own club, as well as my wife, the Los Angeles Cinephile Run Club was born.
(rad logo by Michael Najera)
I had run with numerous run clubs at this point and had even been a co-captain in one for awhile. Like with music scenes or bands, of which I know well, run clubs can be hard to navigate through with all of the differing personalities and interests. Those who have a vision of what it could be may vary from person to person, and being that run clubs are their own contained communities, people take ownership and have expectations which, with growth, can be harder and harder to achieve. Invariably, the bubble may burst, but what comes out of it is a sense of community, life long friendships and relationships (I met my wife at a run club, naturally) and on a personal level, a dedication to consistency and good health. I love and respect all of the run clubs I have ever ran with and will continue to run with. With all that said, did I really want to start another run club? Simply put, sure…Why not?
But, what is the thesis? Is this just another running group to fill peoples time and get some miles in? Or is it a way to build a niche community with like minded film lovers who may not like running, or conversely, runners who don’t watch many movies because they’re too busy running? It doesn’t matter, because what I’ve learned, is that once you put it out in the world, just like a song, it ceases to be yours anymore. It now belongs to the people who show up, or listen. Whatever my intention is will not be someone else’s, and that’s what’s so special about doing things with and for other people. It’s why collectivism is more powerful than individualism.
For me, I want each run to be an event. I only do it every other month so there’s time to plan, to gear up, and make it feel special. A lot of run clubs focus on the after events, like the beers or the donuts, but I want the run itself to be the thing. I have pretty heavy social anxiety, and the pre or post hangs can sometimes magnify that, so if the task is the run, and my job is to be the guide on the run, it soothes that anxiety. Basically, I want the run and the hang to be the same thing. Beyond running, I’d like to use the club as a vessel to help others. On our last group run, we did a shoe drive with Stride Society LA and because of the amazingly giving running community we have here LA, we got a ton of shoes donated that will go to the unhoused in our neighborhood. The amount of donations was overwhelming and perhaps proves the causal effects of altruism?
The club will be a year old in March, and if my endless spread sheet of movies and locations is any indication, this club isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I really enjoy the effort I have put into it and it seems others appreciate it, which is validating. The runs themselves have sparked conversations and ideas and even improvised detours and impromptu games of trash soccer. It feels creative and loose. I aim to keep it that way, as long as the people are into it. We even got some love here on Substack via
(Our last run, featuring 500 Days Of Summer)
I’m truly not writing this to promote the club in any way, I am just trying to put into words how I can see and feel a community being formed and how running is one sure fire way to make that achievable. Beyond the external, I have also noticed that being a musician and a runner have taught me consistency, selflessness and vulnerability in ways other outlets have not. I think there is a reason why musicians become runners…
I’m gonna say goodbye with a quick piece from Seth Godin that puts, in far less words, but far more eloquently, how I feel about the Los Angeles Cinephile Run Club and creating something new in our overwhelmingly globalized world.
Niching up
Along the way, folks have talked about “niching down” as a way to help a project find focus.
But that’s backward.
When we identify and embrace the smallest viable audience, we’re moving up. Up the quality hierarchy. Up in responsibility. Up in the likelihood that we’ll make an impact.
To niche up, identify the smallest group of people that would be enough to sustain the project. That group, the group you get to choose, what do they have in common? What do they want? What would they miss if it disappeared…
This puts us on the hook, because if they don’t like it, the work needs to be improved.
And it gives us the foundation to kindly recommend alternatives to people who aren’t in our group. Instead of hustling for more, we’re focusing for better.
Thanks for reading! Please share this if you know anyone who may dig this. Algorithms don’t work here.
I say it to everyone, but it's a truly excellent idea, and I'm glad you made it real. It's the kind of run club that could easily spawn chapters in New York, Paris, London.