12 October 2026

Bring less than you think: shoes you already own, a bottle of water, your phone and your keys. That is the whole kit for a first run with Hills Run Club, because the one thing you genuinely need to sort out happens the night before, when you register in HRC+.

The night before: register, then stop worrying

For a new runner, the biggest worry before run one is not gear. It is getting through the door, and registering in advance removes most of it. Hills Run Club is a free community running club in the Hills District of Sydney, and every run is booked through HRC+, the club's free membership program. Make your free account, open the runs page and register for the run that suits your week, ideally the night before.

Registration done, the morning is simple: wake up, get dressed, drive to the start. The upcoming runs are the Thursday Morning Run and the Tuesday Night Run, and both welcome runners, joggers and walkers. If you want the full picture of how a first run unfolds, our guide to joining a running club walks you through it step by step.

Your first run checklist

Here is the whole list, written down so you can check it at the door:

• Shoes you already own and have walked in
• Clothes that suit the weather, whatever you would wear for a brisk walk
• A bottle of water
• Your phone and your keys
• A light layer for before and after the run
• Your registration, sorted the night before in HRC+

That is it. No uniform, no pack, no equipment to buy. If you arrive with shoes, water and a way to get home, you have everything a first run asks for.

Shoes you already own are the right shoes

New runners often assume a first club run needs new running shoes. It does not. A pair you already walk and move in comfortably is exactly right for a lap of an oval. The Thursday Morning Run offers 2.5 km or 5 km, and the Tuesday Night Run offers 3 km or 6 km, so your first outing might be shorter than a walk to the shops and back. If running becomes a habit, new shoes make a great reward for later. They are a treat for run ten, not a hurdle before run one.

Water and the small stuff

Water comes next on the list. A small bottle is enough for a short group run, and you will want a few sips before you start and after you finish. Keep it with your bag at the start point rather than carrying it, unless you prefer it in hand.

Your phone and your keys ride in a pocket or stay with your bag. The phone matters less for tracking than for the practical things: your maps, your music if you like it, and a photo at the finish. As for a watch, plenty of members run without one, and nobody at the start line checks anybody's wrist.

What to leave at home

Half of preparing for a first run is knowing what to skip. A run club asks for less gear than almost any other sport, and the short lap options mean you are never far from your things.

Getting there on the day

Thursday Morning Run: every Thursday at Glenhaven Oval, 78 Glenhaven Road, Glenhaven. Meet at 5:45am for a 6:00am start. Choose the 2.5 km lap or keep going for 5 km, and stay for coffee and a sweet treat afterwards.

Tuesday Night Run: every second Tuesday at Castle Hill Showground, under the lights. Meet at 6:45pm for a 7:00pm start. Enter via Doran Drive, the entrance closest to the metro, take the first left and follow the road to the lit oval. The group meets at the large shed, with plenty of parking around it, and the lap options are 3 km or 6 km.

Both runs are free with your HRC+ registration, walkers are welcome at every pace, and one lap is a full run in its own right.

Afterwards, stay for the coffee

The checklist ends where most first runs do: with a coffee. After the Thursday Morning Run the group stays for coffee and a sweet treat, and there is always time to talk. Bring nothing extra for this part. The conversation is the point, and it is how a first run turns into a regular one. For a fuller walkthrough of what happens from arrival to warm down, read what actually happens at your first run club.