Launching city by city

Find someone to run with.

Shoelace matches women with running partners nearby, by pace, distance and when you're free. Every runner is verified by a woman on our team before she can match.

We open city by city. Your postcode tells us where to go next, and we'll email you when we launch near you.

How it works

Three steps to your first run together

1

Tell us how you run

Your pace, the distances you like and when you're free. Drop a pin on a park or landmark you run from. It doesn't need to be your home.

2

Get verified

Record a short selfie video following a random prompt. A woman on our team watches it, and it's deleted as soon as she's made a decision. Usually within 12 hours.

3

Meet somewhere public

Say hello, suggest a run and agree where to meet in chat. We suggest a first meet at Saturday parkrun, 9:00.

Safety

Feel safe from the first hello

Running with someone new should feel easy. Here's what's in place for you, from your first message to after your run.

Matching, messaging and every safety feature are free. Always.

  • Women only, all verifiedEvery runner is 18+ and verified by a woman on our team before she can match with anyone.
  • Nobody sees where you areOther runners see a distance range, never a pin or a map. No live tracking, ever.
  • Meet somewhere busy and publicWe suggest your local parkrun on a Saturday morning. Never share your address.
  • Share my runSend a trusted contact who you are meeting, where and when. The link expires after the run.
  • Block and report, one tapOn every profile, chat and run. Reports go to a person on our team, not a queue.
  • A check-in after every runWe ask how it went and whether you felt safe, so we hear about problems early.

Your profile

Exactly who sees what

Other runners only ever see your first name, photo and age range, plus how you like to run.

Other runners see

  • Your first name, photo and age range
  • Your pace, favourite distances and when you usually run
  • That you are verified
  • Roughly how far away you are, as one of four ranges:
Under 2 km2–5 km5–10 km10 km+

Nobody ever sees

  • Your surname, email or phone number
  • Your home, your pin or any map of where you run
  • Where you are right now
  • Your Strava. Only you see it, unless you both choose to share
  • Anything about you before you are both verified

City by city

Opening one city at a time

A running partner is only useful if she's nearby. So rather than open everywhere at once, we open a city when enough women there have joined to make good matches. Every postcode on the waitlist counts towards where we go next.

Opening firstSouthamptonLaunch date: [LAUNCH DATE]
Not live yet[Next city]
Not live yetYours?

Questions

Good to know

Who is Shoelace for?

Women aged 18 and over who want someone to run with. You confirm this when you sign up and agree to our community guidelines.

Why do I need to send a video?

So everyone you meet is who they say they are. You record a short selfie video following a random prompt. A woman on our team watches it, and it is deleted as soon as she has made a decision.

When will it open in my city?

We open a city once enough women nearby have joined to make good matches. Join the waitlist with your postcode and it counts towards where we go next.

Do I have to do parkrun?

No. We suggest Saturday parkrun, 9:00 for a first meet because it is busy, friendly and free. You can agree anywhere busy and public in chat instead.

What does it cost?

Matching, messaging and every safety feature are free, and always will be.

Does it work with Strava?

You can connect Strava to log your runs. Only you ever see it. Partners are never named on Strava unless you both opt in.

Your next run, with company

Join the waitlist and we'll tell you the moment Shoelace opens near you.

Shoelace is for women, 18 and over. We'll only use your email to tell you about launch.