Thousands of runners gathered early Sunday morning for the return of Diplo's Run Club to San Francisco, where the 5K began and ended at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park before turning into a full-blown dance party. The event, which started early Sunday morning, took place in front of at least 12,000 people, according to figures reported by KRON4.
A Founding City Welcomes the Run Club Back
The race traces back to 2024, when Grammy-winning DJ Diplo conceived the idea of leading thousands of runners through a city route before performing afterward, an idea that took root right here in San Francisco. As KRON4 reports, the club's first edition unfolded by the water on the Embarcadero, a course that, per SFist, wound runners along the waterfront, through Oracle Park, and back to Piers 30-32 for a morning rave. That sold-out debut drew 13,000 registered runners, the outlet reported at the time.
The series moved to Golden Gate Park in 2025 and has held events there in both 2025 and 2026, per KRON4's reporting. This year's course measured 3.1 miles, starting and finishing at Robin Williams Meadow, according to event details posted on diplosrunclub.com. The run was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.
Jax Jones and Diplo Close Out the Morning
Once runners crossed the finish line, the party started. Jax Jones performed a DJ set after the run, with Diplo closing out the event around 10:30 a.m., according to KRON4. Ahead of the event, Endurance Sportswire reported that Jax Jones was set to open the main-stage music at 9:30 a.m., with Diplo following at 10:30 a.m., and that more than 12,000 runners were expected for the event's third year in the city.
A press release estimated about 12,000 participants, while Diplo himself put the number higher in a social media post, writing that “the future is uncertain but 15,000 people dancing before lunch in the bay is a good sign ✌️,” per KRON4's reporting. Diplo, 47, is a three-time Grammy Award winner who typically runs the 5K himself before performing a live DJ set, according to Endurance Sportswire's earlier coverage of the series.
Muni Riders Felt the Detour
The gathering wasn't just a music and fitness story — it also reshaped transit in the park for a few hours. Muni rerouted the 44 O'Shaughnessy line from 8 to 11 a.m. to avoid the event area within Golden Gate Park, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The agency's travel advisory lined up with the run's 8:30 a.m. start and the concert that followed.
A Bigger, Busier Season Across the Country
San Francisco's race is one stop in a run club that has grown well beyond its Bay Area roots. The series expanded to Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles, per KRON4, and this season alone included stops in Denver, Philadelphia and Chicago before the tour circled back to San Francisco, according to Endurance Sportswire. The Chicago debut, held two weeks earlier at Humboldt Park, drew more than 9,000 participants, per a report from Running USA, which noted Diplo joined runners for the timed 5K before taking over the DJ booth there as well.
The run club's growth has been steep. Endurance Sportswire reported that the series attracted more than 20,000 runners in its San Francisco debut after launching in 2024, then expanded to eight U.S. cities in the 2025–2026 season, with the second season alone pulling in more than 100,000 runners. More than half of participants across the series are first-time 5K runners, the outlet added. Diplo has said the whole concept traces back to a personal moment: “I ended up running the half-marathon in Miami, and I showed up in the club afterwards,” he told SFist, describing the spark that led to the run club's creation.
Diplo's ties to San Francisco go beyond the run club. He also performed at the Stern Grove Festival in July as part of Major Lazer, according to KRON4. Next up for the run club: New York, where the series returns Saturday, October 24, this time at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, according to diplosrunclub.com, with KRON4 similarly confirming the New York date as the tour's next scheduled stop.
