Article
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March 20, 2025
Know your regulars: The key to a stronger run club community
Every Sunday morning, a familiar crowd gathers at the local run shop. Some faces are new, while others have been showing up for months, maybe years. There’s a moment for small talk as everyone catches up on the week’s events.
Then, at 7:41 AM, the crowd leaves the shop, the rhythmic sound of shoes hitting the pavement echoing in the air. However, when the run is over, who truly knows who attended?
For many store owners and run club organizers, the answer is fuzzy.
"You don't know exactly who comes, if they are customers or not of the store, but I know hundreds of people run with us every month."
The stamp card experiment
Culture Athletics in Toronto recently introduced a physical stamp card for their Ciele-sponsored runs, bringing back an old-school way of tracking participation and rewarding regulars. The idea? Simple:
Show up and get your card punched.
Run 7/15 times: 25% OFF any Ciele item.
Run 10/15 times: 50% OFF the limited edition Ciele Sundays hat.
Run 12/15 times: FREE LIMITED EDITION Ciele Sundays hat.
Run 15/15 times: Entered into a raffle for a grand prize.
Bonus: Surprise rewards along the way.
It's a creative, tangible way to encourage consistency while giving back to the community. There's something satisfying about getting a card punched—like collecting little wins along the way.
What could be even better?
The stamp card system is fun, but it's not without flaws.
You only get the data after the 7th run—you've missed key opportunities to connect.
Cards can be lost or forgotten—especially when heading out the door for a run.
Tracking ROI is difficult, as it's hard to know how many runners turn into paying customers or how easily they can share data with a sponsor.
Sure, Strava provides a digital way to track check-ins, but it's limited in how that data can be shared or used. Ultimately, that data belongs to Strava, not the run club or store.
The future of run club loyalty
What if runners' participation was seamlessly tracked without the hassle of a physical card? What if their loyalty could be stored on their phone or smartwatch, always accessible and easy to share with sponsors? What if you could recognize regulars from their first run, not their seventh? There is a lot of untapped potential in run clubs—not just for rewarding commitment but for genuinely knowing and engaging with the community that keeps showing up weekly.
That’s where CHCKN for Run Clubs comes in—an easy way to track attendance, build your list, and turn community into long-term connection.
A run club is more than just miles logged. It's about connection. The better we track and understand that, the stronger the community becomes.
Then, at 7:41 AM, the crowd leaves the shop, the rhythmic sound of shoes hitting the pavement echoing in the air. However, when the run is over, who truly knows who attended?
For many store owners and run club organizers, the answer is fuzzy.
"You don't know exactly who comes, if they are customers or not of the store, but I know hundreds of people run with us every month."
The stamp card experiment
Culture Athletics in Toronto recently introduced a physical stamp card for their Ciele-sponsored runs, bringing back an old-school way of tracking participation and rewarding regulars. The idea? Simple:
Show up and get your card punched.
Run 7/15 times: 25% OFF any Ciele item.
Run 10/15 times: 50% OFF the limited edition Ciele Sundays hat.
Run 12/15 times: FREE LIMITED EDITION Ciele Sundays hat.
Run 15/15 times: Entered into a raffle for a grand prize.
Bonus: Surprise rewards along the way.
It's a creative, tangible way to encourage consistency while giving back to the community. There's something satisfying about getting a card punched—like collecting little wins along the way.
What could be even better?
The stamp card system is fun, but it's not without flaws.
You only get the data after the 7th run—you've missed key opportunities to connect.
Cards can be lost or forgotten—especially when heading out the door for a run.
Tracking ROI is difficult, as it's hard to know how many runners turn into paying customers or how easily they can share data with a sponsor.
Sure, Strava provides a digital way to track check-ins, but it's limited in how that data can be shared or used. Ultimately, that data belongs to Strava, not the run club or store.
The future of run club loyalty
What if runners' participation was seamlessly tracked without the hassle of a physical card? What if their loyalty could be stored on their phone or smartwatch, always accessible and easy to share with sponsors? What if you could recognize regulars from their first run, not their seventh? There is a lot of untapped potential in run clubs—not just for rewarding commitment but for genuinely knowing and engaging with the community that keeps showing up weekly.
That’s where CHCKN for Run Clubs comes in—an easy way to track attendance, build your list, and turn community into long-term connection.
A run club is more than just miles logged. It's about connection. The better we track and understand that, the stronger the community becomes.
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