Cold legs, warm coffee. Run club runs all year.

Every Saturday at 9am, a group of people meets at Queenstown Marina and runs together along the lake. Some of them know each other. A lot of them do not.

That is Boat Shed Bakery Run Club. It has been going since we opened, it runs through winter, and if you have been meaning to come along, this is the nudge.

Image Credit: Tempo Journal

A run club built around showing up, not pace

When we started The Bakery, we knew early on that we wanted a run club. Not a competitive one. Not one that required a certain fitness level or a particular kind of Saturday morning personality.

Just a group of people moving together around one of the more beautiful parts of Queenstown, with the understanding that coffee and pastries were waiting at the end.

All paces are welcome. Whether you are getting back into running after a long break, training for something, or just want to move your legs before the weekend properly begins, there is a place for you here.

Scenery at every turn

We meet at The Boat Shed Bakery at Queenstown Marina, right on the lake. The routes follow the Frankton Track and the Queenstown waterfront, which means you spend most of the run looking at mountains and water. It is, genuinely, one of the better places to run in New Zealand.

You're in good hands

Every Saturday, Izzy leads the run. She is a personal trainer who brings the good vibes, a Saturday morning alarm has nothing on her. Before you set off she runs a warmup that actually works, so by the time you hit the track your legs are ready regardless of what the temperature is doing. And she keeps the energy going the whole way around which means that the pastry at the end is still a very good motivator, but Izzy is the other one.

We run year-round, including winter

Queenstown in winter is pretty spectacular. The lake is still. The hills have snow on them. The air is sharp in a way that makes you feel like you earned the coffee afterwards (you definitely have). We keep the run club going through the colder months because community is so important during these colder months, and the people who show up on cold Saturdays tend to be the ones who are most glad they did.

After the run, we get the treats

Runners get $4 regular coffees and 10% off pastries at the bakery after every run.

But the bit we love most is not the discount. It is the minutes after. People standing around still in their kit. Talking about the route, or nothing in particular. Not rushing off. That is the part we had in mind when we started this.

Join Boat Shed Bakery Run Club this Saturday

Every Saturday. 9am. Queenstown Marina, Queenstown.

Wear whatever you have. Bring whoever you want. All paces welcome.