Mile High Run Club: Treadmill Running Classes in NYC
Video
Description
Mile High Run Club is the first indoor running studio in New York City, and there’s buzz that it could be the next SoulCycle. Asking people to pay to run inside on a treadmill can be a tough sell, but Debora Warner was sure that she’d get runners to come to her studio and was able to convince friends, family, and some angel investors to back her plan and get Mile High Run Club off the ground.
One of Warner’s missions when she founded the club? Take the “I” out of running on treadmills. Warner says people have been alone on the treadmill for so long, that she wanted to great a group fitness class where people would really take advantage of the energy in the room and push themselves harder than they would on their own.
She came up with the idea for a treadmill studio after coaching runners for years and realizing they needed a place to perfect their speed runs, improve their performance, and build endurance. She believed if she built the studio, both runners and non-runners would come. And they have.
From middling marathoners to Olympians like John Trautmann, Mile High Run Club on East 4th Street downtown has built quite a following. Warner says they’ve had 60,000 customer visits, 15,000 customers, 1,700 weekly customers, 3,000 classes, and an average of about 70 classes per week — all in their first year.
Mile High is celebrating its first anniversary this November, and Warner is opening her second studio early next year in the Nomad section of Manhattan. She is also expanding Mile high’s outdoor running program to include 12 and 16 week half marathon and marathon training.
You don’t have to be an experienced runner to join the club. Beginners are welcome, too. Warner suggests new runners try the Dash 28 class. It’s only 28 minutes on the treadmill and covers 2 to 3 miles.
If you’re brand new to running, you don’t even need to bring your own shoes. Thanks to a partnership with Nike, Mile High Run Club offers free trial sneakers.
If you think you’ve run on a treadmill before, chances are, you’ve never run on treadmills like these, in an environment like this. Mile High uses the Woodway treadmill, which you won’t find in most gyms. Warner swears by it because it’s built like a tank and makes you feel like you’re running on a trail.
The Mile High coaches are also impressive; from an ultramarathon runner to Ironman athletes to a pro athlete. They’re available for one-on-one training and running advice.
First classes at Mile High Run Club are $25. Single classes start at $32. MHRC also has discounted class packages and an unlimited monthly plan for $199. The studio is also a member of ClassPass.
–ALISON MORRIS
