Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders Running Club

Today was my first run with the LMJSRC. Not very friendly or welcoming to new people, yet appear to be warm and encouraging to each other. At the end of the race some old, dried up, bitter, white-​haired witch attempted to «chastise» me because I DIDNT REALIZE THE FINISH LINE WAS TO THE FAR RIGHT AND NOT THE CENTER! although my initial reaction was to go and mush her in her wrinkled face, I chose to ignore her and collect my ribbon. Yes, one onion spoiled the group!
Don’t know if I’ll run with them again…

Are you ready? Laces tied up? Let’s go, easy pace, warm it up… I’ve been an LMJS member since mid 2009. Unlike many of the other reviewers here, I have not participated in any of the organized Lake Merritt runs. I joined because they’re one of the partners for the Oakland Marathon and since this is the first marathon my city has had in decades, I definitely had to make it my first. So this review is more about the organization and not the Lake Merritt runs.
Warmed up? Let’s pick up the pace, interval speed, let’s go… I trained with LMJS every week, I ramped up from running 3.1 miles to 5, to 10, all the way up to complete the 26.2 miles. Their Saturday morning runs always took me to trails and areas all around the Bay Area I didn’t know existed. The runs had an average of around 30 people and the pace varied from ultra-​marathon speedsters to fast walkers. The groups also held Q/​A workshops with medical professionals and professional runners.
Okay, drop the speed down a notch, keep moving, keep breathing… Asides from their Saturday morning runs, there’s also Tuesday night track workouts, workshops for new runners, seasoned runners, and trail running. The organizers are very helpful with decades of knowledge and are very accessible. I started with this group as a distance runner, but I’ve evolved to incorporate sprinting (which was my weak spot). This organization has helped me push myself further and faster and healthier. I’ve improved more in one year with LMJS than I have with 25+ years of running.

Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders was founded in 1977 by a small group of joggers at Lake Merritt. I’m not a member of this club, however, I have participated in their races in the past and even placed 2^nd in my age group — wOOt… wOOt!
This club is a nonprofit organization that hosts runs every fourth Sunday of the month.
The runs consist of 5K (1 lap), 10K (2 laps) and 15K (3 laps) races around Lake Merritt.
The fee is $ 3 for Club members, and $ 5 for non-​members. The course distance is certified and the course is flat. All runners receive finisher ribbons. Place ribbons are awarded three deep.

I am not a member of the club, but I’ve run their races several times in the past! And they put on really good races.
Its a good mix of casual to semi-​competitive runners doing a 5k or 10k race, about 100 runners total. You have a few 18:00 — 20:00 5k and 39:00 — 42:00 10k runners and a lot of 25:00 — 30:00 5k and 50:00 — 60:00 10k runners. The course is not closed and sometimes you will have to run around walkers on a narrow sidewalk. But its only $ 5 and it is on a certified course and timed and its on the 4^th Sunday of almost every month. Awesome.

My review is for the 10K race only.
The race was actually quite awesome — I would have given it a 4.5 stars. The crowd was pretty small, the kid runs were really cool, and there were even some kids that did the 5K race! The best thing is that there were bathrooms located really close to the start and they were NOT port-​o-​potties!
There were a couple things that could have made the race better. 1) better route markers — they said they would have flower arrows to point us to the right way and I kept thinking FLOWER arrows like pretty ones but never saw any. So for the first lap I just followed everyone else, but by the second I was alone most of the time and had to figure it out on my own. Turns out it was FLOUR arrows… as in white baking flour on the ground as opposed to using chalk. duh me. Still though — they were a little hard to see though i’m not sure much can be done about that. 2) mile markers — I had no idea what pace I was keeping so that was a little tough. Perhaps they can have FLOUR mile markers? 3) water… omg…i need water (that was me around mile 4)…there was one very small water stn and again. for $ 5 I really can’t expect much more so I get it, but this just means I will remember to carry my own water next time.
Overall though — a really really great race. The course is pretty good except b/​c of the construction we were running on the road a lot but thankfully there weren’t many cars. Certain parts of the course we were on the sidewalk and had to share so it was a bit of an obstacle course at times. But I really like that it’s $ 5 (you really can’t beat that) and it’s a small group so you don’t have to fight through the crowds too much. I will definitely be coming back in future months!

I’ve been running for more than half my life, and I’ve been part of running clubs on the East Coast, the Midwest and the West Coast, from CT to MI and on to WA and CA. I would say I have some perspective on running clubs.
LMJS (short for Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders) is a social running club, that emphasizes running as part of your life, not just for competition. From my perspective it does a very good job of rallying behind and helping new runners with training programs, classes etc.
While the club does have fast runners, it is not somewhere you show up to «face off» against highly competitive runners. The races the club hosts like Tilden Tough Ten are competitive, but still emphasize individual accomplishment with time goals (under 60 minute t-​shirts etc). On the other hand the Time is on Your Side Run emphasizes controlled running where the slower more controlled and tuned runner can beat the frantic fast runner.
A lot of the membership associates with other running groups as well, some with more competitive clubs to balance the need for a good running throw down (competition) and a party with runners (social).
The Fourth Sunday Runs are a great deal with the cost, the accessibility and the vibe, but if you really want to get an idea of the vibe of LMJS, check out a group run, potluck or one of the more social events. Even with the low key nature of the 4SR you’ll still get more interaction with the club at a more social event than a race.
They have a special discounted rate for under 25 year old members, the family membership is an amazing deal. There are many benefits to membership, but some things need to be a surprise, see you on the streets and trails!

LMJS is awesome!

Disclaimer. I’ve never checked out another running club, so I’m not sure how others compare to this one. I have done one of their Sunday runs, but none of their training runs. There was the option to run a 5k, 10k, or 15k. FYI — The runs go around the lake, and if you are doing the longer distances, the only water stop is at the finish line.
I got the vibe that most people knew each other and they had known each other for a long time. They were not rude, but they were not friendly. I was running as a tune-​up for another event, and I was surprised to realize that no one was running at my pace. The race registration was cheap and there were sufficient amounts of water/​bagels, etc., at the end of the race.

Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders is one of the oldest (and friendliest) running clubs in the East Bay. I’m new to running and while I can go the distance, I’m slow as molasses. I’ve always wanted to try a 5K but have felt intimidated given my slow speed.
I discovered LMJS, whose mission is to promote running to all age groups and abilities, and golly, do these folks do a great job of it! I’ve never encountered a nicer, more knowledgeable and encouraging bunch of running nuts. The club Ducks got me through runner’s knee, explained why my fingers swell during long runs and assured me that it’s very common to lose a toenail here or there. And before I knew it, the director had me signed up for my first 10K relay, assuring me that I would do just fine (I did very well indeed!), and that I, too, would become addicted to racing. Sure enough, this month alone, I’ve run 4 5K races, even setting a personal record.
The club hosts 4^th Sunday races at Lake Merritt every month, as well as speed clinics, lectures and other social activities. They publish a great newsletter, as well as a very informative monthly bulletin. There is a very authentic spirit of camaraderie, community and volunteerism among members, and it’s been a real pleasure bumping into fellow Ducks on the trail or at local racing events – they make running that much more fun!