The DAC Run Club meets every Monday at 12:15pm on the Turf for an all-paces 5K led by Personal Trainer Kate Smith. Walk it, jog it, or run it: no pressure, just a lunch-break reset with your community.
Why it matters:
- Built-in accountability, zero commitment: Showing up for a solo run is easy to skip. Showing up for a group with a set time and a familiar face at the front is a lot harder to talk yourself out of.
- All paces welcome, every week: Walkers, joggers, and runners move together and finish together. Nobody’s pace is the “wrong” pace at Run Club.
- A midday reset that actually fits your schedule: 60 minutes over a lunch break is enough time to move, get some sun, and get back to your day without losing the whole afternoon.
Here’s how it works. Run Club is a 60-minute session that starts with a warm-up on the 2nd floor turf, then heads out into downtown Eugene for a 5K route before finishing back together as a group. It’s simple by design: show up in running shoes, pick your pace, and go. The route loops through downtown, close enough to the Willamette River and the Saturday Market grounds to feel the pulse of the city at lunchtime, before returning to the Club together.
Leading the group every week is Kate Smith, current Group Exercise instructor and Personal Trainer. She sets the warm-up, keeps the route moving, and makes sure walkers and runners alike feel like they belong. If you’ve worked with Kate on the Cardio + Strength Floor or in a Personal Training session, you already know the energy she brings (and it’s positively infectious!).
If you’re not a runner, come anyway. Run Club is built for walk, jog, or run: that’s not a footnote, it’s the format. Plenty of members treat it as a brisk walking group, and that counts just as much as a 5K PR. It happens every Monday at 12:15pm – 1:15pm, rain or shine, all summer, and it’s one of several ways we’ve built movement into the community’s week beyond the Group Exercise studio. Check the full class schedule for everything else happening this week.
This month, Run Club takes a detour. On July 27, we’ll do the same warm-up on the Turf, the same 12:15pm start, and the same walk-jog-run pace options with Kate Smith, but this time the route finishes at Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream in the 5th Street Public Market. Your Monday lunch break has plans. This run is free to join, no RSVP needed.
Not a member yet? Grab a complimentary guest pass and join us this Monday. No reservation needed, just running shoes and a willingness to show up.
Joining really is that easy: show up to the DAC Turf at 12:15pm on Monday. Bring water, wear shoes you trust for a 5K, and expect to leave a little sweatier and a little more connected to the DAC community than you started.
The information shared on the Downtown Athletic Club’s blog is intended for educational and inspirational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.
The Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) has been Eugene’s locally owned, family-operated health club for over 40 years. Under one roof you’ll find a full Gymnasium, Cardio + Strength Floor, Group Exercise classes, a Lap Pool, warm-water therapy pool, Downtown Pilates Studio, The ZONE training program, Newberry Preschool, KidStop Daycare, and Zest Kitchen + Bar on our third floor. Locally owned means we get to build a club around the community we’ve built, and continue to build.
Ready to experience it for yourself? Enjoy a complimentary guest pass and come see why so many Eugene families call the DAC home. We’re located at 999 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97401. Give us a call at 541-484-4011 anytime.
