When Ricky Hughes picks up the phone, he’s still running. His heavy, deliberate breaths slow as the sounds of city construction fall behind him. By the time he reaches a quieter corner, the cadence of his answers has slowed to match his new pace.
Five years ago, Hughes started running again. When he didn’t find a running club in St. Louis that made him feel he belonged, he created his own. St. Louis Run Crew began as a one-man operation, but today, the club boasts from 50—300 participants on any given Sunday or Tuesday run, at routes widely spread throughout the St. Louis area.
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“I was an athlete in high school and in college,” Hughes says as his heart rate falls into a normal rhythm. “But then somehow, after that, there was probably a 10-plus-year span when I wasn’t moving at all.”
During the pandemic, when Hughes was forced to work from home, he experienced depression from the isolation, he recalls. “My depression caused me to need to get out my house a little bit. I needed to walk; I needed to jog,” Hughes says. “I hadn’t even run a mile ever at this point. But when I saw the video of Ahmaud Arbery [a 25-year-old Black man who was killed while jogging in Georgia in February 2020], I bought my first pair of actual running shoes. It sparked something in me to really take running seriously in terms of being grateful for being able to move my body. I quickly realized how much it was empowering me through this depressive state that I probably had been experiencing for a long time. And then I was hooked.”
The Beginning
Hughes decided to seek out community to enhance his running experience but says he discovered a lack of inclusivity among existing clubs. “I searched on Instagram and found some run clubs,” Hughes recalls. “I wasn’t expecting it to be super diverse because I know that running—especially distance running—is historically a white space. But for my very first run with a club, what struck me is that nobody really spoke to me. I’m big energy. I’m there ready to receive love and give it back, and I didn’t receive that; I was handed a route on a piece of paper, and they took off.”
After falling behind the other club members on the path, Hughes ended up getting lost on his route. “In hindsight, I could have gone to another run club and tried it, but I was already upset, and I just didn’t like how I felt,” he says.
The experience inspired him to make a change. “’The obstacle is the way’ is what I always say,” he says. “I truly believe that that happened because there needed to be more diversity in St. Louis running, and that experience was the catalyst that helped me to create that.”
After visiting Detroit in October 2022 and experiencing the city’s WERUN313, he felt recharged to put himself out there again–but this time, on his own terms. “I wasn’t really worried about trying to create a big run club at the start. I planned a tour that fall where I picked five locations [throughout St. Louis], and I made a flyer just to see what would happen.”
At the first meet in the tour, no one came. Then, at the second meet, one other person showed up. At the third, five people ran. At the fourth, there were eight people.
In January 2023, Hughes founded St. Louis Run Crew.
The Evolution
Today, with hundreds of regular club devotees, eight leadership members, and a four-seasons calendar of events, the mission that sparked Hughes’ passion is still the motivation of the organization in 2025.
“What makes us different is just diversity in every sense of the word,” Hughes says. “Not just race and age but ability. We have STL Run Crew, STL Walk Crew, and STL Stroller Crew. Anyone can come, no matter how far or fast you want to run or how long you’ve been running. Every week, we have tons of first-timers.”
The social and community elements of St. Louis Run Crew are just as important to Hughes’ definition of success: “Being an adult and going somewhere like by yourself can be very intimidating. We’re very mindful of being open and welcoming and high-energy to make sure that we make everyone feel welcome.”
Hughes has also added events beyond running meets, such as trail hikes, breath and exposure workshops, yoga classes, boxing events, and cold-plunge treatments. “You don’t have to be a runner to be concerned about your health and community,” Hughes adds. “That’s why we try to be diverse in how we move as well.”
The Inspiration
St. Louis Run Crew is the manifestation of Hughes’ passion and favorite coping mechanism. “Running is my outlet,” the recent Chicago Marathon runner says. “It’s my conversation with myself and with God. A way to check in on myself. Before running, I know how I coped, and it wasn’t in any healthy way, whether it was drinking or any other extracurricular activities. Running gives me, like, a healthy tool to be proactive with my mental health. And St. Louis Run Crew gives me community.”
Hughes credits his family—the Ricky Hughes Crew—including his wife and three kids, with giving him the support that he needed to propel this dream to its current state. “Introducing my kids to a community where health and inclusivity is at the forefront is changing their narrative of what it means to be with community and have fun as an adult. It’s so important.”
Hughes’ favorite area routes include Gateway Arch National Park, downtown St. Louis, and several Great Rivers Greenway trails. He encourages those who are cautiously interested in joining the St. Louis Run Crew to jump in despite the initial discomfort.
“Running can be intimidating, no matter who you are or where you’re from,” Hughes says. “I mean, you’re gonna pop up with a bunch of strangers, and that’s already uncomfortable. And then you’re gonna run, which is something that’s uncomfortable, too. But you can start by walking; we have just as many walkers, especially on Sunday. So just come lean in to the uncomfortability. Again, the obstacle is the way: The things that you don’t wanna do or that are tough, that’s usually the direction you need to lean in.”
The most positive and surprising part of it all, he adds, are the ways that St. Louis Run Crew has impacted the community far beyond Hughes himself. “I ran because I was depressed, and I started Run Crew because I wanted to run with other people,” he says. “I didn’t expect it to have such an impact on other people as it has. What I love the most is seeing other people connect through Crew and become friends, and then they’re running on a Wednesday together, or they’re going ice skating together, or they’re running a a 5K when they didn’t know how far a 5K was a month before. I want this to be St. Louis’ connection to the city, to health, to wellness, to community. It really is the people’s Crew.”
