This running club is a safe haven for slow runners

They call themselves the Glasgow Southside Slowies, and as they told the BBC, the name was originally a bit of a joke. When the couple moved to Glasgow, Scotland in 2022, they were looking for a running club that was, in Katie’s words, “my kind of slow.” When Katie couldn’t find a club that offered her desired pace, she reportedly joked that she would start her own club for “slowies” with the aforementioned name.

And like all good ideas, a silly joke developed into something serious.

Or at least as seriously as you can take something that involves running around in a dinosaur costume.

The Glasgow Southside Slowies met for a dinosaur-themed run

“We want it to be fun, so we encourage group members to come up with routes,” Phil said of the group, whose membership can range from 30 to 70 at a session. And that’s where the Jurassic Jogger pictured above comes in. Phil told us:

“One of our members, Jon, came up with something he calls the Slowiesaurus – a 13km course designed to look like a dinosaur. We wanted this to be doable for everyone, so there’s a shorter version made up of just the head of the dinosaur, and on the day of the Slowiesaurus run we all ran as one big group, with frequent breaks so the group could take a breather and catch their breath, whether they were running the whole dinosaur or just the head. I ran the whole course in an inflatable dinosaur costume, which was quite challenging!”

A map of the “Slowiesaurus” route

Things like the Slowiesaurus are more than just creative map-making, they’re a way to make the whole endeavor a lot less intimidating for those who want to take it – as the name suggests – slow.

“I think casual runners can definitely be put off by the more serious approach of some groups,” Phil said, adding: “We certainly find that we do some things to make sure the group is a welcoming place and that running is meant to be fun.” The group hosts “regular brunch runs or monthly trips to the pub, as well as impromptu chats after each run.”

They also use their runs to give back, including an upcoming Food Bank run, “where we run a set route to a local food bank and collect donations for the food bank at the end.”

Although the group attracts a loyal following of ‘Slowies’, we’re told they don’t always stay as slow as they started. “I think people get addicted to running once they get over the initial hurdle of joining,” Phil said. “…people have started with us saying they’ll never do the Couch to 5K and you see their confidence grow as the weeks go by and you feel proud of their achievements. It’s really rewarding.”

Michael Natale is news editor at Best Productscovering a wide range of topics including gifts, lifestyle, pop culture and more. He has been covering pop culture and commerce professionally for over a decade. His previous journalistic contributions can be found on sites such as Yahoo! And Comic ResourcesHis podcast appearances can be found everywhere there are podcasts, and his fiction can’t be found anywhere because it’s not very good.