Joining the Team

How do I join?

Join us for a 90-day free trial through our Dashing Whippets Running Team Meetup page. There is a calendar of group training runs and upcoming events. Also, head to the Manage notifications section of your Meetup profile and ensure that Email Updates are turned on to receive weekly training emails from Scott Batten and Chris Forti, and team updates from Matt Wong. Meetup also contains our team deals and discounts, which are “behind the wall” and automatically accessible when you log in as a team member.

What pace do I need to run to be part of the team?

We welcome runners of all pace groups. Our team has runners from ranging from 5:30-11:00/mile. If you are new, feel free to post your expected pace on Meetup. In most cases, there will be someone running your pace, but it’s helpful to ask in the comments section of the actual training run page if there’s someone around your planned/expected pace. You might be surprised by the responses you get!

What’s the best way to meet my teammates?

Come to our easy runs! These are a great way to meet your teammates. We host easy group runs on Mondays at 7:00 pm in Greenwich Village and Wednesdays at 6:45 am in Central Park. They are at conversational/recovery pace (7:30-11:00/mile) and we intend to keep it that way! See Meetup and below for details.

Training & Coaching

When and where are your group runs?

We host group runs every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Mondays and Wednesdays are our social runs for new and existing members to mingle over five easy miles. Drop your bags with our hosts Amity Hall and enjoy happy hour specials following the run. For morning folks, we have a 6:45 am run on Wednesdays that meet in Central Park as well.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we meet for a training run that may be hill repeats, intervals, race-pace runs, and/or track-based intervals. Bag drop is available so visit Meetup for details regarding location-specific options. Be sure to do 1-2 easy miles as a warm up ahead of time.

Saturdays are reserved for long runs and typically cover distances ranging from 12-20 miles, depending on the training plan calls.

Check our Locations page for more details on where we meet. Please RSVP if you plan on attending. The more RSVPs there are, the more it encourages others to attend. In rare cases, we may cancel the run due to a race or inclement weather, so please be sure to check Meetup.

Monday at 7:00 pm

  • Amity Hall, 80 West 3rd Street

Tuesday at 7:00 pm

  • Central Park – Bethesda Fountain
  • Prospect Park – Grand Army Plaza

Wednesday at 6:45 am

  • Central Park – Bethesda Fountain

Thursday at 7:00 pm

  • Central Park – Bethesda Fountain
  • East River Park Track (East 6th Street and the East River)
  • Prospect Park (meet at Grand Army Plaza)
  • Queens – Astoria Park Track, Astoria South & 18th Street

Saturdays at 8:00 am (summer) / 8:30am (winter)

  • Manhattan – Time Warner Center
  • Prospect Park – Grand Army Plaza

What types of training plans do you offer members?

Team training plans range from the mile to the marathon, and are mostly geared toward New York Road Runners (NYRR) points races and other regional and national races, i.e. cross country races, Boston Marathon, New Jersey Marathon, and many more.

What if I am interested in a more competitive training program?

We also provide coaching and training programs for highly competitive runners, and we are proud of all that they have achieved. Our coaches are happy to help reach your goals, which might be regional, national or international. For our most competitive members, we offer a Performance Team, which provides support for race entry costs and other benefits.

If I’d like one of the coaches to tailor a plan for me, can I arrange for additional coaching, and work out a fee with that person?

Yes, absolutely. Our coaches would all be happy to work with you individually, either within or outside of the team training plans. Email to inquire.

Am I permitted to wear headphones during a workout?

We recommend leaving the headphones at home and enjoying the run.

Racing

How do I run NYRR races for the team?

To run NYRR races under our team name, please log into MyNYRR and edit your profile by selecting Dashing Whippets Running Team from the drop-down menu.

Where do I send race results if I want to share them with the team?

Good news: All NYRR race results automatically update to our race results database. If you have a non-NYRR race result, submit your results here and you’ll be featured in our Weekly Wag, our official email newsletter. The submission will inform our Weekly Wag editors. Use the comments to highlight something about the race. (If you do not want to be featured in the Weekly Wag, however, please say so.)

I’m running a race but it’s not listed on Meetup. Can you post it?

We welcome all team members to post races they’re doing on our Facebook group. We will put the event on our team calendar if there are multiple Dashing Whippets running the race and if you or someone is willing to host the event. If you’re doing an out-of-town race, we can create a Meetup event to see others from the team who have signed up to race and arrange to meet for dinner or brunch. Just let us know at and we’ll set you up as host.

What about these out of town relays?

Yes, many team members are involved in relays such as Ragnar and Hood to Coast, which are well-organized and insured races. The team has an exclusive deal to get $150 off a Ragnar team at four of their regional events. If you are interested in doing something similar, asking around at a training run or on our Facebook group are generally good places to start to see if there is interest!

Membership

How do I pay membership dues?

Dues are $30 per year to cover administrative costs. The easiest way to ensure that your membership dues are paid is to save your payment information before the 90-day trial lapses. If your trial has ended, follow this link to pay dues and you’ll be set for the year! Meetup will automatically renew your membership annually. To talk with us about payments, just email , and we’ll be sure to address them.

What deals and discounts are available to members?

Deals and discounts are available behind our membership wall on Meetup. When you log on, Meetup will detect that your dues are up to date, and you’ll have access to our current deals and discounts. Discounts currently can be found at Running Wearhouse, Finish Line Physical Therapy, Swerve, and many more. This link takes you to our Deals and Discounts.

Team Gear & Apparel

Where can I buy team apparel?

The team encourages you to wear team colors at workouts to increase our club visibility! Check our inventory list here to see what apparel is currently available. You will pay for each item through Meetup.

Checkout the Store page for apparel!

Social, Media & Communications

How can I interact with the team?

We’re on social media! We highly encourage you to use our team’s Facebook group to see the most up-to-date team announcements, ask for recommendations, and set group runs that are not available in Meetup. Please note that we have a team Code of Conduct that requires members to remain respectful of our teammates and competitors, both online and off.

In addition, make sure you follow us on Instagram and Twitter. We also have a Strava group which is a great way to see what other members are training for and to give kudos to each other for our work!

If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Garmin, or Strava, please join our communities:

If I have an idea for a blog post (such as a race recap), whom should I contact?

Fantastic, we always welcome content for our blog, Running Dog. If you have an idea, please reach out to .

Whom should I contact on any type of feedback?

As a team that is constantly striving to improve and better serve the needs of the members, feedback is always welcome! If you attended a Dashing Whippets event/run/race and have some comments or have suggestions, please email , and we’ll be sure to pass along the feedback to the appropriate individuals and committee leaders. If you’re interested in getting involved with the committee and/or volunteer your skills and time, we’d be happy to chat.

Club Policies

How can I contact a Board Member about a violation of the team Code of Conduct, a violation of race rules, or other concerns?

We take concerns seriously about code of conduct violations, which include buying, selling, giving, accepting or transferring race numbers, or any other violations of the rules of competition (please see our Code of Conduct for full details).

All members are expected to be familiar with the Code of Conduct. The Code is applicable to all persons as soon as soon as they join the Meetup roster.  The best way to bring a concern directly to the Board is to write to these two emails (address your note to each): , and .  If you have not received a response within 48 hours, please write again.

Sponsorship, Fundraising, and our Charitable Matching Program

I work at a restaurant, and I think I can arrange gift cards that could be prizes for the track meet, or raffles at a team party. Is the team interested?

Yes, absolutely! Send ideas for sponsorships and partnerships to: .

I am running a race to raise money for a charity. Can I post my Crowdrise/First Giving appeal on the Facebook group?

Certainly — all members are welcome to say whatever they like on the open Facebook group. See “Charity Partners” on the website for details of the DWRT Charitable Matching Program.

If you are running to raise money for a charity, you are eligible for a team matching grant of $50. Facebook is an open social media platform used by the team for community building. Feel free to discuss upcoming races, post relevant news, share event photos, raise funds for race-related activities or to ask for interest in an out-of-town race. The Facebook group is for the exchange of ideas of any kind (hopefully, relating to running).