It started with a simple frustration. Every week, like clockwork, someone would post in the local running Facebook group: "What runs are happening on Monday?" The responses would trickle in over hours, sometimes days. Different people would mention different clubs. Information would be scattered across comments. By the time you pieced it all together, Monday had passed.
This pattern repeated endlessly. Tuesday runs? New post. Wednesday? Another post. Weekend long runs? You guessed it. The same questions, week after week, with the same fragmented answers buried in social media threads that would disappear into the algorithm's void.
The irony wasn't lost on me. Here we were, in a city with an incredibly active running community, and finding a run club on any given day felt like solving a puzzle. The information existed, but it was trapped in a system that wasn't designed for it.
The Social Media Problem
Beyond the organizational chaos, there was another issue. More and more runners I knew were stepping away from social media entirely. They were tired of the noise, the arguments, the endless scrolling. But in doing so, they were cutting themselves off from the running community's primary communication channel.
These weren't antisocial people. They wanted to run with others, to be part of the community. They just didn't want to wade through political rants and targeted ads to find out when the track workout was happening.
That's when it clicked. We didn't need another social network. We didn't need likes, comments, or shares. We just needed a simple answer to a simple question: "Where can I run today?"
Building Something Different
The Greenville Run Clubs app was born from this realization. No frills. No social features. No algorithm deciding what you should see. Just a clean, simple list of run clubs organized by day and time. Open the app, see what's happening today, show up and run.
The simplicity is intentional. In a world of feature-bloated apps competing for your attention, we built something that does one thing well. It answers your question and gets out of your way. No account required. No data collection. No push notifications trying to bring you back.
The Challenge Ahead
Here's where I need to be honest. Building the app was the easy part. The hard part is keeping the information accurate and complete. Run clubs change their schedules. New groups form. Meeting locations shift with the seasons. Some clubs are better at communicating changes than others.
Right now, I'm manually updating the information, reaching out to club leaders, monitoring various channels for changes. It's not sustainable for one person. I need help. I need runners who are connected to their clubs to help maintain their group's information. I need partners who share the vision of making running more accessible.
The goal isn't to replace the community aspect of social media. It's to provide a reliable foundation of information that helps people connect in person, where the real community happens. Once you find your club and start showing up regularly, you'll make friends, exchange numbers, and build those relationships offline.
Looking Forward
This app is just the beginning. There's so much potential to help runners in Greenville and beyond. But for now, we're keeping it simple. One city, one purpose, one problem solved well.
If you're reading this and you want to help, please reach out. Whether you're a club leader who wants to ensure your information stays current, a developer who sees ways to improve the app, or just a runner who believes in the mission, I'd love to hear from you.
Together, we can make sure that no runner in Greenville ever has to scroll through a Facebook feed wondering where to run today. The trails are calling, the groups are meeting, and now finding them is as simple as opening an app.
See you out there.