Diplo’s Run Club debuts in San Francisco 14,000 people strong

How the Grammy winning DJ is building a fitness army with his run club.

DJ Diplo performing / Priscilla Rodriguez

Over 14,000 runners from 15 countries and 38 states – ranging in age from young to old – gathered in San Francisco on Sunday, September 8th for the sold-out debut of Diplo’s Run Club.

This new event series, created by the Grammy-winning artist (whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz) and lifelong athlete, combines 5K runs with outdoor concerts suitable for all ages. After completing the 5K course alongside Olympian Alexi Pappas, Diplo performed a DJ set at a mini music festival at the finish line.

The course led runners through Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, and featured additional DJ sets from J. Espinosa and DJ Vice, along with a speech from San Francisco Mayor London Breed to kick off the race. 

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Running is a long time passion for the 3-time Grammy winning DJ, who makes it a point to go for a run in every city he stops at when he’s touring. He told Sports Illustrated that running is “really the best way to explore a city because you can see so much in such a short amount of time, even this year alone I've run in so many cities all over the world from Japan to South America to Europe and Kenya. I even did a run on the upper deck of a cruise ship in Antarctica last year when I helped organize an expedition there last year. “

The 45-year-old also frequently attempts to run in Las Vegas where he has a residency at the Wynn saying, “I ran around the Sphere in 15 seconds but that's about as long as I can run in that Vegas heat!”

Although his DJ schedule can be difficult, he does his best to balance it, saying, “I'm not sure if I've mastered it, but I've definitely gotten used to it just because there is no other option for me. It's the way I have to operate in order to feel my best and maintain the schedule that I do, so I make it work."

Diplo continued, mentioning how running helps after a long flight. "More often than not going on a run or getting a workout in is one of the first things I'll do when I get off a long flight to help me acclimate to a new time zone. I have done many things on no sleep, and running is definitely one of them. I never regret getting out there and getting a run in though no matter how tired I am!” he noted.

Diplo performs on the Palomino Stage during the Stagecoach country music festival in Indio, Calif., Sunday, May 1, 2022. / Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

His run club wouldn’t be complete without proper merch. The DJ turned athlete said, “The merch for Diplo's Run Club was so important to me and I'm so happy with how it turned out and definitely want to continue to expand our product offerings. I wear fitness apparel and athleisure a lot as you can imagine!"

The idea for Diplo’s Run Club was born after Diplo ran the Miami half marathon and found himself celebrating post-race with other runners at a club. Recognizing an opportunity to merge music and fitness in a family-friendly, daytime setting, Diplo launched this event series.

When asked about expansion for the project he said, “I want to see events all over the U.S. and across the globe, with more people running and more music too. We already have plans to expand significantly in 2025 that I can't wait to announce. The way we're blending music and fitness with Diplo's Run Club has really never been done before, especially in this family-friendly way, so I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the world catch on and come out and join me.” 

For more information visit Diplosrunclub.com

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