Jaguars Running Club

Running and karate have always been intertwined. Sensei Chojun Miyagi ran 10km every day to train with his sensei, and in turn, made his students run as part of their fitness and resilience training.

Now, there's no plan to make everyone run to the dojo for classes, but there's great value to be had in both walking and running for physical and mental health, as well as creating community and supportive spaces for people to meet. After all, loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking (and that's not me making things up - Harvard Medical School says as much.)

What is this JRC? (or, what is Sensei Zoë up to now?)

The Jaguars Running Club is an informal way to get students, dojo parents, and their family and friends on the road and moving.

Parents can walk while their children are in class, and adult students can walk/run before their own classes. Black belt grading candidates can use running as an important part of their fitness preparation.

I started JRC because I discovered running only in my late twenties, and it has been so transformative. Not just for weight loss and health, but because it's amazing for mental health, and has similar lessons in grit and resilience as karate. I want others to have a supportive place to start running without the cost of belonging to an official club.

There are also parents, and especially moms, who are crunched for time but still want (and deserve!) to work on their health, and to meet new people who have some common ground.

Can I join, even if I'm not a runner?

Of course! Walking is a wonderful way to improve overall fitness and health, with low injury risk. Walkers are very, very welcome, and I'm hoping to build a walking community within JRC.

It is especially important for parents to take the opportunity to walk/run while their kids are doing karate - healthy parents make for happy families!

And on that note, family and friends are welcome to join us. The more, the merrier! Please note that younger kids do need to be closely supervised by their parents.

If you want to start running eventually, there are lots of experienced runners ready to help you get started.

Tell me about the time trial?

The time trial is at 5pm every Friday, starting at the dojo. It is a set route that everyone can challenge themselves against as a runner. The route doesn't change, which helps you see your progress more clearly. This is a fast and mostly flat route, and we hope to add more routes over time to challenge our overachievers (they know who they are!)

And of course, walkers are welcome to take their time and enjoy the route at walking pace.

Wonderful! Any tips or advice?

If you have any health issues or concerns, please consult your doctor or physio before embarking on any training program.
While you don't need expensive shoes for walking, please consider using running shoes for running: not sneakers or gym shoes. Ask one of the experienced runners for guidance on buying shoes. Good running shoes are expensive, but still cheaper than injuries and rehab!
Always walk with at least one other person. Not just for safety, but if you get hurt you will need someone to call for back up.
Grab a visi vest! They are kept in the dojo on the blue table next to the female bathroom entrance.
Take a phone with you for emergencies and maps, but keep it safely in a pocket.
Hydrate, always!
There are no public bathrooms on the route (unless you detour to Flora Center) so please use the dojo bathrooms before you go.
Valuables can be stored inside the dojo by the back door in the security box.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. - African proverb