30+ Years of Club History
How We Got Started
The Charleston Running Club was created by runners for runners with the purpose of promoting, encouraging, and organizing running activities for sport, recreation, and competition in the local community, and informing the community of the health benefits of running.
The Charleston Running Club has been promoting running in the local running community since 1977. Created by Terry Hamlin, the Charleston Running Club was instrumental in starting two of the area’s largest races: the Cooper River Bridge Run and the Kiawah Marathon. While we don’t direct either of these races anymore, we are represented on the board of the Bridge Run and host the Charlie Post Classic 15K/5K in January as well as the Floppin’ Flounder 5K in June.
We welcome runners of all abilities. Our diverse group includes runners who are lacing up for the first time as well as some of South Carolina’s elite runners. We come together monthly to share our running stories, find new running partners, listen to a guest speaker or go for a group run. In addition to the social benefits, our members receive discounts on races, free training clinics, a great breakfast after the Cooper River Bridge Run, and discounts from local retailers.
The Founder
Terry Hamlin
“Terry is a man who knows running. He was on the leading edge of the running boom. And it was well-known in the Charleston area that if you needed information about running, he was the man to talk to.” ~Cedric Jaggers
The Benefactors
Proceeds from the various races the Charleston Running Club hosts benefit the following organizations and activities:
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Charlie Post Scholarship Fund
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Sullivan's Island Fire & Rescue Dept.
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Gavalas Kolanko Foundation
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Charleston Running Club activities
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Monthly traveling group runs
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Monthly social events
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Guest speakers
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Health lectures
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Cooper River Bridge Run breakfast
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End-of-year holiday party for members
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Operations
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Race preparations
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Event insurance
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Board member liability insurance
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USATF membership
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Support for local community projects as they come up
Club Membership
The Charleston Running Club is a club for runners of all abilities and styles. Our members include elite runners, casual weekend warriors, and runners who are just taking up the sport.
The membership fee is very reasonable and comes with a number of benefits such as:
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Race discounts to over 30 local races
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A variety of weekly group runs
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Breakfast after the Cooper River Bridge Run
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Discounts to local businesses such as Joints in Motion and CORA Physical Therapy
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Annual holiday party
