Nike Run Club SF

I started going to NRC a few weeks ago and love it! I used to hate running so when I found out they have a variety of paces (including slow ones) I thought it would be good for beginners.
I have only tried the recovery Wednesdays so far but I hear Tuesdays at Kezar are great too. The recovery runs are very organized and start off with a warmup at Jessie Square and then a 3 or 5 mile run around SF at paces that range from 6 to 10+ miles. Pacers are motivating and bring a boom box to keep you moving. Also, since it’s city running you get a fair amount of breaks at red lights… Routes range from flat to hilly. Plus, they end the runs with a stretch break and free kind bars! It’s also not a sales pitch at all just a good free workout

I tried out the Nike run club and Nike training club for the first time this past Saturday despite having lived in the Bay Area for the past 20 years. I am 43 years old and have been running half marathons for the past 5 years. I usually train by myself or with my running girlfriends. But with the Nike half marathon coming up in 2 weeks, I was starting to get bored with my usual trails.
Anyway, the registration was very easy. You need your Nike Id to reserve a spot online and since registration only opens the day before, it’s all very casual. I would say about 30+ people showed up for the 8am long distance run and 20 – 25 mostly women for the 10am full body workout class. For the long run, they had 2 distances for you to pick from, 8 miles or 12 miles. Since I wanted to be back in 2 hours for the 10am class I chose the 8 miler. They have different pacers and my only recommendation is to have a 12+ min per mile pacer too. The slowest pacer was 10+ though my pacer, Britney, was awfully nice. She waited for us at the water station (don’t need to bring your own water!) as well as at most intersections. I just feel bad for the other 2 runners with her who had to wait as well in case they were serious about a 10 min per mile pace. Because we warmed up for a bit at marina green before starting, 8 miles took us close to 2 hours. Britney knew we were trying to make the 10am NTC class and she thoughtfully dropped us off at the location for that @9:55 am so that we didn’t have to back track to the union street store or miss the group. Sure enough, the NTC group jogged up to the steps in front of this auditorium at about 10:05am. The next 45 min were spent doing squats, burpees, jumps, push ups, sit ups etc in plain view of passer bys. It was pretty cool to be out in the open under the blue sky doing this group class and I saw 2 separate lady/​couple with stroller walking by actually ask for info about the group. The 3 instructors in the front had good energy and they even had a photographer for both the run and workout class.
I enjoyed the experience and will be back with more friends next time. Because I live in the east bay I wouldn’t be able to do this every week but I can see it being a regular thing for someone living closer. Did I mention it was all free? Highly recommended!

What a fantastic resource for runners of SF! I’ve only tried the Wednesday «Recovery Runs,» but I can’t wait to reorganize my schedule to try the others. The coaches and pacers are great, and it’s motivating and inspiring to run in a community. Very happy addition to my life!

Totally blown away. I arrived at Kezar Stadium for a workout with another running club in SF (one this is definitely not free). Couldn’t find the people anywhere, no signs. That was twice in 3 days that I tried to run with one of the paid running clubs, but was left behind or left out.
Not possible with NRC. Banners, signs, bright yellow «pacer» shirts, and the enthusiasm of so many people. I was welcomed right away by a coach, the staff kindly watched my bag for me, and I ran one of the best 3.5 miles of my life, sprinting the last 100 meters at a dashing pace.
I was so thrilled about this and the people. Can’t wait to try again.

This review is specifically for the strength training and endurance classes put on by the Nike NTC program. If you’re looking for a friendly environment filled with supportive trainers and others that will push you to your limit, then the Nike Run club is just for you. I randomly decided to look up Nike workouts when I moved to SF, and this club definitely didn’t fail me! I thought it was just running, but it’s so much more than that. They seem to have events every night of the week. Within a week, I’ve attended two bootcamp-​style workouts and a yoga class. After my experiences thus far, I’m debating on whether I should even keep my gym membership. I still haven’t tried the run clinic yet, but I hear that it’s just as good. Definitely going to fit this into my daily regimen, as I can already see and feel the difference in my body.
Tip — Make sure to rsvp and check-​in prior to beginning the workout. Nike is also offering free goodies for NTC members, and it’s free to join!

They’ve tweaked the program a little bit, but for the better IMO. It is more organized but instead of 2, 4 or 6 mile options there is only the option to do either 3 or 6 miles. The group meets inside Nike as usual, but now runs a few blocks down to Jessie Square for some warm up drills.
The group is divided into about 3 sub groups, depending on your expected pace or mins/​mile. There will always be at least 3 pacers for each group; 1 to lead the pack throughout the route, 1 in the middle to maintain average expected speed and 1 in the back so no one gets left behind.
The routes still vary weekly, some days will have more flats than normal but if you’re running 6 miles, you will for sure hit some fatty SF hills and/​or stairs!
ALSO *new* to the program is the Speed Run on Tuesdays held at Kezar Stadium. They’re only 2 weeks into the new program, but I went yesterday and it was pretty intense but awesome. This training session is really different because it focuses on speed so there’ll be a lot of intervals that’ll definitely push you past your limits to become stronger and faster!
Nike is getting really big with implementing these group runs not only in SF, but in major cities throughout the country. So take advantage of these great, and FREE opportunities!

Love, love, love!

I did my first 4 mile run with Nike and it was amazing. First they have a bag check for free and hydrate yourself with electrolyte flavored water!
It’s very well organized that provide routes for each 2 mile, 4 mile and 6 mile run.
They have pacers running with you and the routes change every time.
Afterwards they provided us with Luna bars, water and organic blended cleanse juices!
Overall, awesome experience!

This review is actually for the Run Club on Union Street. It’s less than a month old so I don’t think it has a page yet. Offer a 3.5 and 5.5 run every Monday at 6:30pm. Very organized with pacers and let you try out the newest Nike products! Routes are very pretty along the palace of fine arts and near the golden gate bridge. you can register online or just drop in!

This is a great run club that has a ton of people and energy. They have 2, 4, and 6-​mile routes and reflective vests for safety when it’s dark.

I came here for the first time this week and it was awesome. The pacers are friendly and the people are nice. They encouraged me to do the 4.2 mile run and it was awesome! You can choose from 2.2, 4.2 or 6 mile runs. We went up Coit Tower, through Northbeach and then on the Embarcadero back through Market. Definitely coming back!

Highlights
— Nike does it again with their organization skills as this is the best organized run club I’ve experienced. I can’t really compare with any others, but it’s pretty superb in my book.
— 2, 4, or 6 miles once a week with Nike employees as pacers. They provide you with a list of instructions in case you get lost in the shuffle or just want to go at your own pace.
— Bag check-​in, water, and snack after you finish your run.
— You can test out their latest running shoes and rent them for your run too!
— This club really helped me for my first Nike Women’s Marathon as parts of the running routes is the actual course of the marathon.
Improvements
— Majority of all the pacers are fast and if you are a slower runner, it’s really helpful to have the list of instructions or a few others to run with so you don’t get lost. It’s harder to tell where to go when it’s really dark and you try to make out street signs/​where to go in the list of instructions. There was one time when a pacer was really great and actually stopped to check in on the runners in the middle to ensure that everyone is on track.
Tip
— Come earlier, drop your bag, meet new friends, and stay motivated!

Been around with the Nike run Club SF since Feb 2013 A pretty enjoyable run club to be in.
— What I like about this run club is that its for every level of runner whether you’re just starting out to the seasoned elite veteran it provides a lot of diversity in the group and you’ll find someone your own pace.
–Bag check, restrooms, refreshments, and water are provided.
–The routes include a 3 and 5 mile run and are a way of «touring» the downtown area if you’re not familiar with it and you’ll find it a truly beautiful city to run in (minus the traffic lights and dodging people on the street). You’ll also learn to get through or love the hills!
— Recently they’ve made NRC more organized and there is now two Coaches Jason Rexing and Mark Jellison both of whom were previous Olympic athletes. There is now NRC at Kezar on Tuesdays starting at 6:34 for speed workouts and long runs at the Union Street store 8am Saturday’s.
–When the time to start run club comes around for NRC on Wednesdays there is a dynamic warm up at Jessi Square then you head out on your run!
–There are pacers for each distance, speed and are generally energetic, friendly and are helpful to be with so you don’t get lost!
–Good place to start your run with other people in the city!
–Don’t be shy come on over and lets run!

Free runs through the city every Wednesday at 6:30pm. Great security, friendly staff, and awesome pacers. If you want to make a scene by running through a busy city and having tourists take pictures of you, then join the Nike Run Club!

I have been running with the SF Niketown Running Club since the very first day 16 years ago. These past 16 years, if I was in town, everyone I knew would know where to to find me on Wednesday at 6:30P. Although the amenities have thinned quite a bit in this time, they still have shoe trials, check your bags, provide water and snacks, and give you 3 routes to run. For those looking for an urban run, it’s the perfect place to get an organized run in, meet some great folks and learn about running. See you there.

The employees were all very helpful, offering help and greeting at each level. I liked that they were all friendly and seem to enjoy doing what they’re doing! The bathrooms are on the 7^th Floor. They were really clean.

Nike Staff goes out of their way to make it easy as it can be for anyone who wants to run. How?
1. They provide bag check-​in.
2. Snack at the end of the run.
3. Water.
4. And they even let you take the latest Nike running shoes out for a test run.
The run club meets every Wednesday at 6:30 PM. The route takes you to a hilly course that will make your legs scream. The club is a good fit for first time runner or a seasoned runner. Join the club and start burning the calories.

Every Wednesday at 6:30, Niketown in Union Square holds a fun run called the Nike Run Club. Just go up the escalators, make a right, sign up at the tables, put your stuff in the secured room, start stretching, and be ready to go around 6:30pm!
The Nike Run Club is MOST EXCELLENT, and really is as good as it gets (As the 5 star rating is described), as far as organized running in the city. There are 2, 4, and 6 mile runs to choose from (give or take .1 miles). The runs change every week, with some runs going up to Coit Tower (mother have mercy!) and others around the Embarcadero, Chinatown, and other nice areas around SF. It is a really nice way to see the city, and a great way to train for any race that you may be doing. Especially those hills. You know you hate them, but you must prepare for them. And Nike Run Club helps you do just that. The pacers are very helpful, encouraging and extremely friendly. They remember me from week to week, and encourage me to run the longer runs. (um…maybe next week)… PLUS they have free snacks when you get back to Niketown, in addition to the supply of water you have before the run. AND if you go early enough, you get to try out new shoes. I tried out the Lunarglide 4’s and they felt to me like I was walking on clouds! Based on my trial run with those shoes, I got the Lunarglide…3’s…only because they’re cheaper and the employee said theres not much of a difference from the 4’s. See? They’re not in it for a quick sale, but to genuinely help people, and to make people enjoy running. I like that.

A fun running club! I went to my first run last night. I’m training early for the SF half this year since my goal is to cross the line before my boyfriend (so I’m training secretly lol).
Runs are Wed nights at 630pm starting at the SF Niketown, which is superconvenient for me since I live right up the hill. The routes change every week so it’s way more fun than the course I usually run! Last night they had 2.2, 4.2, and 6.2 mile options. They also have a coat check so you don’t have to run with your cell/​keys and they have water + treats afterwards! :)
It’s a great way to stay motivated to run, hang out with friends, and meet new people! I plan to come every week!
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This is pretty great! 4 or 6 miles every Wed night with great, encouraging people of all paces. It’s pretty great when you can try out the new Nike shoes too (like Lunar Glides/​etc). After the runs, there’s great food (fruit/​luna bars/​water/​etc) and every now & then there are cool prizes or giveaways.
It was great intro training for my first marathon and definitely a great place to get your Wed night workout in… esp w/​all the hills in SF — oof.