SO, WHAT’S THIS “SUB-30 CLUB” ANYWAY?
The Sub 30 Club is a running group started by Ted Spiker and hosted on Facebook. Ted writes The Big Guy Blog for Runner’s World. He uses it as a forum to share his fitness goals and journey to accomplish them. In April, 2012, Ted decided to take this a step further. He wanted to create a place where like-minded people with similar goals could meet to share those goals and cheer each other on to meeting them.What started as a club of people attempting to run a 5K in less than 30 minutes has evolved into a thriving community of runners of all abilities chasing down their goals, from 5Ks to Half and Full marathons to Ultra Marathons and Obstacle Course Races to 200 Mile Relays to Qualifying for Boston. While Sub-30 still refers to the 5K distance, it has come to represent a mindset, a mentality of Positivity, Motivation, and Support as you chase down your goals. Whatever those goals may be.
April 18th, 2012: “We’re going to do this together. Digitally, but still together. (Please, oh please,let there be five of us.) We may not win the race, but we’re going to win ours” Ted Spiker
In the span of five plus years the group has grown to over 5,700 members from all around the world. People from all walks of life with the same, simple goal of doing things they never thought they could while helping others do the same.
At Runner’s World Festival and Half 2014, Sub 30 Club had 69 registered participants. Runner’s World 2015 & 2016: 120+ registered runners each year. Not only were we the largest, but we were the most vocal as well.
We have a saying in the Sub 30: No Subber Left Behind. It’s a motto we take to heart and practice every day. Whatever we can do to help our fellow runners reach their goals we will do it. Almost a year later people are still commenting to members about seeing us on the course in our club shirts and what a positive presence we had at the event. Because of the feedback we have received we wanted to come back to this year’s event bigger and better. We currently have 100+ people registered (and growing!) for at least one event over the weekend.
We also want to do more than just be a presence. We want to have an impact. And what better way to do that than to help raise money for St. Luke’s, the official charity for the event. This virtual race will allow those of us attending the event, as well as those Sub 30 Club members who are not able to attend the event, to do something wonderful that weekend.
Whether you’re a Sub 30 Club member or not, we will leave no person behind.
SO DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO RUN A 5K IN UNDER 30 MIN (SUB-30) TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CLUB?
To put it simply: No, you do not have to be able to run a Sub-30 5K to join us.
If you already can, awesome, join us. If you are not there yet, awesome, join us. (Picking up on the trend here?)
All you really have to do is:
1) Be a runner (of ANY capacity: 6 min/mile, 16 min/mile, whatever… runners are runners and we all have each other’s backs)
2) Be ready to engage in some conversations with some pretty great people. (The members of this group are pretty awesome, and from this one guy’s perspective, the people are where the value and attractiveness –and addictiveness?- of the group comes from. Any sort of info, from running basics, to shoes to nutrition to weight loss to whatever either has been brought up or will be welcomed and discussed by people who can offer sound advice and perspectives in a non-pretentious and supportive manner). We can be found at: “The Sub-30 Club (from RW Big Guy Blog)”
DO I NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE SUB-30 CLUB TO REGISTER FOR ANY OF THE RACES?
No. But one of the functions of this race is to help spread the word about our amazing group and bring in some more like-minded members. If that’s you, check us out, I’m pretty sure you’ll be glad you did…and even if you are not the “facebook running group” type of person, that’s fine. You are still more than welcome to participate, because the primary reason that we are running this race is to raise money for charity.
Running My Ass Off 