The best London running routes and clubs around Elephant and Castle

If you’re based here in Elephant & Castle (or just have your finger on the pulse of quality music and radio) you’ll know all about Run Dem Radio. But did you know about Run Dem Crew? 

Now operating out of Brixton Street Gym, a charity-based community gym, Run Dem Crew are a 500 strong group of creative minds that organise runs which facilitate creativity and conversation, as well as fitness. 

Suitable for all runners, the runs work with a group-based approach to pace, and everyone runs together – the first rule is no one is ever left behind. To give an example, those who are running at 9-10 minutes per mile will run with the Hares group, while those running less than 7 minutes per mile (a 10k route in under 40 minutes, phew!) will run with the Elite group. 

You have to be a member of Brixton Street Gym to take part, but at £12 a month it’s pretty cost-effective and you’ll be supporting all the wonderful work Run Dem Crew do in local communities.

Every Saturday morning, the Burgess Parkrun takes place – a great option for those who are fairly new to competitive running or starting your fitness journey. The 5k route takes you around the park using shared pathways (always remember to give way) and takes you from one end of the park to the other. You can go at your own pace and register your times on a regular basis to track your progress! The route itself through the park is mapped out for you, so there’s little to no navigation required. 

It’s one of our London running routes that’s completely free to take part in – all you need to do is register with Burgess Parkrun. There’s also a post-run coffee social that takes place afterwards, so you may even meet a new running buddy or two while you’re there!

For those who are more experienced when it comes to running, London Frontrunners are an inclusive running and triathlon club for the wider LGBTQ+ community and its allies. 

On Monday nights, they meet at The Castle Centre at 6.45pm to begin a 14km run around London. The route itself takes you through Lambeth, along the Thames, through Vauxhall, through Pimlico, around Battersea Park and back. 

The run ends with a post-run social at The Three Stags on Kennington Road. Visit the London Frontrunners website for all information about the route.

A circular route that takes you from Elephant & Castle Station, over the Vauxhall Bridge, through Victoria, into Westminster and back, this 8km route is a good one to try once you’ve mastered the 5km. 

From Elephant & Castle Station, run along Kennington Lane, over the Vauxhall Bridge, continuing along Vauxhall Bridge Road until you reach Victoria Station. Then turn right and head along Victoria Street, through Westminster and over the Westminster Bridge, following Westminster Bridge Road back through Lambeth, onto Borough Road before turning right onto Newington Causeway. 

The route itself will have you running through and admiring spectacular views of The Tate Britain, The Palace of Westminster and the London Eye. One of the running routes to attempt when you’re revelling in all the delights of living in the city!

If you’re feeling creative or in the mood to explore, remember you can always create your own London running routes! That’s what @coderunnerguy does all over London – as he goes, he creates GPS art using the Strava running app, all for a good cause.

Also known as Jeric Yuen, coderunnerguy has set himself a fantastic challenge to run a series of marathons to raise money for Spinal Research, including the Berlin, New York, and London marathons in late 2022 and early 2023.. So far, he has raised almost £700 out of the £1,500 target by creating over 50 GPS art items, which he achieves by running 12-18 miles per piece.

He even did a loop round Elephant & Castle and drew an elephant! Why not get creative and plan some of your own?