The arrival of every new year is typically accompanied by a flurry of resolutions to lose weight, get fit or start new hobbies – goals that often fall by the wayside within a few weeks.
But a run club in the San Fernando Valley has seen rapid, steady growth every month since launching in early 2025, and began 2026 with its most robust membership to date. Their inclusive atmosphere, fostered by the club leaders, has motivated people to keep returning.
Sharlene Diaz, 36, who lives in San Fernando with her 10-year-old son, started running in 2011, but admitted some of the clubs she’s run with over the years have been “kind of intimidating.”
“Even though they would say, ‘We’re [for] all paces,’ they were actually super fast … [but] I’m not a really fast runner,” explained Diaz. When a friend invited her to a Run Culture track night last fall, Diaz expected the same bait-and-switch, but instead she felt comfortable from day one.
“There were a lot of people, I was actually really impressed by how many people showed up, and I could tell right away it was very inviting,” she said. “And the coaches are all very welcoming.”
“Even if you have no background in running, it’s okay – everybody’s welcome at Run Culture,” said Veronica Peralta, a 35-year-old mother of two from Panorama City. She said she enjoys the “family-like” feeling, describing the club leaders and members as positive and encouraging.
“I’m not the fastest runner,” echoed Peralta, “but the [Run Culture] team will wait for me, they’ll check in on me, even though I’m often one of the last runners to finish at a lot of the races.”
And that’s the idea, said Ezequiel Cruz and Jose Romero, two of the coaches at the helm of Run Culture – along with Andy Arriola, Oscar Benitez and Antonio Garcia. They want everyone to feel included and don’t want any runner to feel they’re “being left behind,” stressed Romero.
“We start together, we finish together,” he said.
A Reluctant Runner
Cruz never imagined he would participate in a run club, much less end up as co-leader. In fact, the long-time personal fitness trainer had avoided running for years.
“In the [weight]lifting world, we don’t really run,” explained Cruz, noting he once abided by the mantra “Cardio kills gains” and limited his cardio to avoid “losing bulk and getting too skinny.”
But when a friend challenged him to race in a half-marathon in 2024, he decided to give it a shot. For Cruz, the exhilaration of crossing the finish line immediately inspired him to begin training for a second half-marathon to challenge himself to try to increase his speed and endurance.
Cruz started inviting others to lace up their running sneakers and join him for a run.
He shared his newfound athletic interest with fellow trainers he worked with at the gym, and suggested they invite their clients to “go out for a little jog together.” They all agreed.
They had 12 people gather for their first group run in Canoga Park last February, so they decided to make it a monthly meet-up, which they promoted with flyers and social media. About 70 people showed up for their next run at Lake Hollywood in March, and the following month, more than 120 runners participated in their third run at Lake Balboa in the Sepulveda Basin.
Cruz and the other trainers were astounded that so many people were showing up.
“From the first run to the next, the crowd more than quadrupled in size,” recalled Cruz. “We [realized] we had created something and [decided] we had to keep doing this and keep it going.”
Run Culture was officially off and running.
The running club currently has more than 5,200 followers on Instagram and now hosts several free running and fitness events every week at locations across the San Fernando Valley and beyond, including Griffith Park and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
“What started as a small group of friends running together has become a true community built on encouragement, consistency and showing up for one another,” said Romero.
“One thing we hear all the time is, ‘You guys are a vibe and have great energy,” he said. “We welcome any culture, any background and any fitness level – from beginners to experienced runners.”
That’s what Peralta likes most about Run Culture.
“I’m very outgoing and can be very outspoken, but when I’m in a new setting, I can kind of [remain] in my shell,” she said. “When I finally decided to check them out, I was met with smiles; the people were so friendly. It’s the community that has kept me going back every week.”
Peralta said Run Culture has also helped her remain focused on her health and fitness goals.
“I’ve always been a plus-size girl. I found fitness back in 2015 and within three years, I was able to lose over 100 pounds,” she said. Although her weight fluctuated somewhat after having her two children, Peralta has remained active and she added running to her regular exercise routine after successfully completing her first half-marathon in Yosemite in early 2025.
“It was so brutal, but I’m someone who likes a challenge, so I never stopped running after that,” she said.
Both Peralta and Diaz enjoy taking their kids to various Run Culture events, to “lead by example” and include physical outdoor activities as part of their regular family routines.
“My son likes running hill sprints with me,” said Diaz. “I think it’s good for him to see that it’s normal that [his] mom runs and that [his] mom works out, and [he] can do hard things, too.”
Run Culture currently offers Long Run Saturdays with 10-plus-mile runs, with the option of running only three-plus miles, at different sites every week. For their Thursday Runs, they alternate between 5K group runs in Studio City and running hill sprints in North Hills.
To complement the running events, Run Culture will add strength training classes every Tuesday in Encino starting in February to “help runners get stronger and help lifters get faster.”
They also have a monthly 5K Social Run at a different location each month. It’s open to all ages and features music and vendor booths. Nearly 300 people attended last month’s community run.
“[Run Culture] is a baby in the running community, but we’ve grown so much and we want to continue the momentum we have,” said Cruz. They plan to host their own paid race in the future, but emphasized that the club’s weekly running and fitness activities will remain free.
“We’ve built a great team,” said Romero. “Now we’ll keep working to make it better and better.”
The primary goal, said Cruz, is to keep encouraging more people to try running – just like he did.
“We have people who never thought they would run and now they’re running regularly, and … sometimes the whole family is running together,” said Cruz. “To me, that is priceless.”
To learn more about Run Culture, including the group’s schedule of events, go to: www.instagram.com/runculture.rc.
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