The sky is still dark, the road ahead is long and everything hurts. That marathon race, the motivation for putting in all these miles, isn't for two more months. But at least there's someone to talk to.

``If I had to do it by myself, it just wouldn't work,'' says Audrey Campbell, 49, of Sunrise, who runs with Friends in Training.

Long-distance running may be an individual sport, but there's something to be said for companionship, especially as runners head into the South Florida race season, which kicks off Saturday with the Miami Beach Halloween Half Marathon.

Some groups have organized training systems with coaches and weekly e-mails. Others run for a cause. Then there are the unofficial groups of runners who keep each other from going back to sleep when that alarm clock hits 5 a.m. with the simple words, ``I'll be there.''

``The clubs are an essential ingredient to success in South Florida road races,'' said Matt Lorraine, of Boca Raton's Exclusive Sports Marketing, which runs the A1A Marathon. About 750 of his entrants, he said, belong to running clubs.

Campbell had never even run a 5K when she joined Friends in Training in 2002. She started as a walker and now covers 26.2 miles in six hours, not exactly fast but enough to hit the finish line. She has run nine marathons and 12 half-marathons.

``People have to be motivated,'' says Marcela Todd of Davie, who has been head coach for 10 years. ``When it gets tough and painful, people need each other to stay positive.''

She has the right idea, says Ed Eyestone, a two-time Olympic marathoner and NBC-TV track commentator who coaches at Brigham Young University.

``I hate to use this word, but there's a synergy when you have like-minded people with similar goals. There's a real energy that comes out rather than working on your own.''

The prospect of a Saturday group run, Eyestone says, can go a long way toward motivating you during the week. ``You want to be running well enough so you don't show up and stink up the group workout.''

A group of faster runners has been meeting for the past 25 years at Cooper City Hall at 6:30 Saturday mornings.

``No dues, no official training program, no cellphones. Just uninterrupted time,'' says Michelle Rubin, who ``rallies the troops'' with weekly e-mails.

Alan Miller, the lone remaining original member, says he enjoys the camaraderie.

``You need a long run each week, and that's a hard thing to do alone. The neat part with our group is we start slow, socialize and tell each other stories, then after 4-5 miles, if you want to pick it up, you can choose your pace.''

Some go 10 miles, some 20. Many have run multiple marathons. The group gets you to the key part of training, Miller says.

``If you kick it in the last five miles of training, that really helps your strength. You learn to have something left in tank.''

Charity groups are a subset of the group-running concept. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, for example, claims 390,000 participants nationwide, including three teams in Broward and one that meets at Mercy Hospital in Miami. New teams are being formed for Disney's March 7 Princess Half Marathon in Orlando, said spokeswoman Dawn Haney. (Runners may contact www.teamintraining.org/sfl or call 954-744-5300.)

At Fort Lauderdale's George English Park, Friends in Training attracts about 200 runners on Saturday mornings. The group, which charges $112 for six months' training, sometimes organizes weekday runs, too.

Slower runners arrive as early as 4 a.m.; faster ones start an hour later. The idea is for everyone to be done at 8 a.m. so they can stretch and socialize.

Members wear yellow shirts for visibility. They're training for different events.

On a recent Saturday, assistant coach Terry Meitz gathers everyone for a post-run stretch and a racing primer: Hydrate two days before a race; lay out gear the night; bring your own energy gel.

``I'm a Scout leader, and the same rule applies -- be prepared,'' says Meitz, of Coral Springs. ``Don't count on getting what you need at the race.''

The runners nod and finish their stretch. Some will head to breakfast together. The days ahead will take them in different directions, but they know where they'll be in a week.

Miami Herald staff writer Kathy Martin contributed to this story.

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