Prospective Member FAQs
Q: “I am thinking about joining Prospect Park Track Club, but I would like to go on one or two runs with the group before I commit. Is this possible?”
A: Yes! We would love to have you join PPTC for a trial group run. We realize many people interested in joining PPTC have never run with a group before, or want to make sure our club is a good fit. We welcome you to join 1 or 2 runs at the days and times listed below. Please email in advance because there are occasional changes to this schedule for special members-only events. Also, when we know there are prospective members expected at a run we will be on the lookout. Many running clubs meet at our meeting spots.
Wednesday at 7 PM at Grand Army Plaza. Usually 1 loop of the park. Some weeks we go to a pub afterward.
Friday at 7 AM at the Southeast Corner of Prospect Park (the intersection of Ocean Ave and Parkside Ave, kitty-corner from a McDonalds): this is usually 1 or 2 loops of the park
Saturday at 7 or 8 AM at Bartel Pritchard Square: this is usually a longer distance with people splitting up by pace
Sunday at 9 AM at Grand Army Plaza: this run is sometimes a smaller group with people interested in a variety of distances from 1 loop of the park to 12 or more miles
Q: “I run at a [faster/slower] pace right now, is Prospect Park Track Club a good club for people at my pace?”
A: PPTC currently has about 1,650 members who run at a variety of paces, including some walkers and power-walkers. In 2021, 150 members of PPTC completed the New York City Marathon at every pace between 6:00 min/mile and 23:00 min/mile. That being said, we are always trying to improve the inclusivity of paces. We have an active Discord and other social media messaging sites, which is the way many members coordinate meetups by pace outside of normal group run times.
Q: “After I pay for the membership, is there anything else I need to do?”
A: No. The only obligation is the yearly membership fee, which helps fund our annual races, members-only events, and generous grants program. We hope every member will find events and resources that benefit their lifetime of running, but you are not obligated to do anything else. Beyond regular group runs we have monthly general membership meetings with free pizza, group runs to special events (like the Coney Island fireworks in the summer), social meetups, and opportunities to volunteer and give back to the running community. But if you want to pay $25.00 and never see any of us, then that is also fine and we won’t take it personally.
If you have any questions, please email membership@pptc.org.