Nearly 400 people turned out at Green Lake Park for the debut of RunBudz, a new run club launched by Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman that welcomes runners and walkers of every fitness level. The gathering circled one of Seattle's busiest urban trails, turning a WNBA player's personal marathon training into a full-blown community event.
According to FOX 13 Seattle, Hiedeman started the club and drew the crowd to Green Lake, with photojournalist Michael Driver capturing an inside look at the community-forward event. Secret Seattle reported that Hiedeman envisioned RunBudz as an accessible way to connect with local fans while training for a marathon, building the group so that non-runners could take part alongside dedicated athletes, according to Secret Seattle.
A Name Rooted in an Existing Fan Base
The club's name is not random. RunBudz plays directly off StudBudz, the Twitch livestream channel and digital brand Hiedeman launched in 2025 with former WNBA teammate Courtney Williams, as reported by Sports Illustrated. That platform attracted more than 70,000 followers and half a million views during WNBA All-Star Weekend, giving Hiedeman a built-in audience ready to show up in person once she opened a run club to the public.
The StudBudz brand has carried weight beyond basketball and streaming numbers. Out.com included Hiedeman and Williams on its 2025 Out100 list for using their platform to promote LGBTQ+ and masc community representation in professional sports, with the pair emphasizing authenticity and community empowerment through their media. That existing following helps explain how a single run club meetup could pull nearly 400 people to a city park on short notice.
From Minnesota to a Quick Seattle Homecoming
Hiedeman signed with the Seattle Storm in April 2026 after two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, where she helped lead the franchise to the 2024 WNBA Finals and a 2025 semifinals run, according to a team announcement from the Seattle Storm. She shot a career-high 49.2 percent from the field during her final season in Minnesota. Before that, Hiedeman was unanimously named the 2018-19 BIG EAST Player of the Year at Marquette University, where she finished her career with 1,913 points and still stands as the program's all-time leader with 301 three-pointers made, per Marquette University Athletics.
Community involvement has followed Hiedeman throughout her career. In September 2025, she received the Minnesota Lynx's Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award, an annual honor recognizing selflessness and community engagement, according to the same Seattle Storm release. Landing in Seattle just months later and immediately organizing a public run club fits a pattern the award was designed to recognize.
Why Green Lake Made Sense as a Starting Point
Green Lake Park offers a 2.8-mile paved inner loop around a 256-acre glacial lake roughly six miles north of downtown Seattle, and it draws thousands of daily visitors as one of the city's premier urban running sites, according to route data from Great Runs. The park has long served as a hub for local road races and recreational running groups, making it a natural launch point for a new club aiming for a big first turnout.
Organized social running there is nothing new. Neighborhood retailer Super Jock 'N Jill has hosted a weekly Monday night run club at 7210 East Green Lake Drive North for years, a tradition Hoodline previously covered as part of the lake's role in Seattle's neighborhood running culture. The park keeps drawing crowds even amid ongoing infrastructure work, including a multi-year renovation of the Green Lake Community Center, according to the Henry Shim Group, which noted the park remains an active hub for summer community events.
Next Stop: Lake Washington Boulevard
RunBudz is not stopping at one meetup. Following the Green Lake gathering, the club has scheduled its next session for Thursday, August 27, at 6:30 p.m. along Lake Washington Boulevard South, moving the route from the lake loop to the waterfront corridor, per the same Secret Seattle report. For a club built around inclusivity, the shift in scenery gives both runners and walkers a fresh stretch of Seattle to explore together while Hiedeman keeps logging miles toward her own marathon goal.
