Why are memberships and communities growing in popularity? 

I think the growth of memberships is driven by a shift in what customers want and expect from brands – especially among Gen Z. Customers don’t just want to make one-off purchases from the brands they love anymore but are seeking deeper and longer-term relationships, which give them something more special and meaningful. That might be a sense of belonging and community, exclusive access and experiences, or the personalisation of content and services catered to a customer’s individual needs.  

What is Runner’s World Club and what makes it different to what’s currently available for runners? 

Runner’s World Club is the ultimate all-in-one running companion, combining everything runners need to take their running further – wherever they are on their journey. Whether that’s sourcing a tailored training plan for their next race from our extensive library, seeking trusted guidance and motivational stories from our magazine, or tapping into our inclusive and inspiring community at our Club events. With our re-imagined companion app, runners can access all this (and more) anytime, anywhere. We’ve poured 30 years of expertise into building the Club – and it’s this heritage that sets us apart: we have the credibility we know runners trust, value, and won’t find elsewhere. 

How have you made the Gold membership tier extra special? 

Runner’s World Club membership has three packages – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – each at different price points and offering varying levels of access to both our companion app and further member-only benefits. Our Gold membership is our ultimate package and includes access to digitised versions of all our training plans via award-winning training platform, Final Surge. Here, runners can plan their training around their schedule via an interactive calendar and sync plans with their training devices, so they can follow sessions live on their watch with guided prompts and track and analyse their data afterwards. I think our members are going to find this benefit invaluable. 

What are you most excited about as you launch the new membership? 

Throughout the year, we will be hosting a number of exciting Club meet-ups and events – and I’m really looking forward to meeting our members at these. The events will provide a great opportunity for members to get to know the RW team, and each other, and will be really welcoming and inclusive – and hopefully lots of fun!  

When will the first Runner’s World Club event take place? 

In addition to our in-person events, we also have a series of interactive webinars planned for members with our network of experts. The first one will take place on 3 April 2025 with physiotherapist and regular RW contributor Tom Goom, where we’ll be discussing all things marathon training injuries as we enter peak marathon season. Members will have the chance to put their questions to Tom during the session – and we imagine they’ll have quite a few! 

Where can people sign-up to become a member? 

If you’d like to join the Club, you can browse our Bronze, Silver, and Gold packages and sign up here. For anyone who is already a subscriber, you are already a RW Club member! Silver if you receive the print magazine, or Bronze if you have subscribed to just the digital edition.