RUN clubs have seen a significant boom over the past year, as a way to stay fit, meet friends - and even find a potential partner.
According to fitness app Strava’s annual Year In Sport: Trend Report, which examined data from over 135 million people across more than 190 countries, there was a 59% increase in running club participation in 2024. The report also revealed that 58% of participants made new friends through fitness groups.
However, it isn’t just friendships that this new fitness craze is forming as some people are even opting to find romance through running rather than in a bar or on an app.
Of the Gen Z respondents, nearly one in five went on a date with someone they met through exercise and were four times more likely to want to meet someone through working out than on a night out.
Belfast-based photographer Jonathan Porter met office manager Kathy Gill at Belfast Run Club in 2018. The pair are now married with two young children.
“I joined the Belfast run club about 10 years ago just because I wanted to get a bit better at running,” Jonathan explained.
“It was just something I enjoyed doing and all my friends at the time had started to settle down and have families, so the club allowed me to find a new social circle.”
Jonathan said that the club enabled him to establish an initial connection with Kathy but it was a chance encounter at the Errigle Inn on the Ormeau Road that cemented their relationship.
“I was watching an Ireland rugby match and was about to leave and then she came in with another girl from the running club, so I stayed on... and now here we are,” he laughed.
He believes that the couple’s shared interest in running helped “relieve some of the pressure” when they first got together.
“Being in the club took away the initial awkwardness and I think you get to know each other better – definitely better than online.”
However, this is not a new phenomenon as Belfast’s Juice Jar, which set up its own run club in June last year, has said “a fair few” of its runners have found romance since joining.
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“There’s definitely been a fair few blossoming love interests in the run club as it stands,” said Juice Jar founder Sam Shepard.
“My staff had been saying to me for years about getting the club up and running and the response has been such a surprise.
“We only started it in the summer, and we’ve had as many as 50 people turn up on occasion - it just seems to be a huge thing at the moment.
“And people have met people, which was another surprise, but it’s been great to see.
“I suppose it’s like anything these days - it’s something different as opposed to meeting someone on the dating apps or on a night out – it’s not the intention of our run club but it’s nice that it’s happened.”
Sam believes another reason run clubs are becoming increasingly popular is due to the fact they create a “safer environment” for runners, particularly young women.
“I read a few weeks ago about how a lot of young women who go out running are being subjected to catcalling.
“And when our run club was out a few weeks ago doing a half marathon with seven girls and four guys we must’ve been shouted at about 10 times,” he recalled.
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“Including one instance where it was probably the most horrific language that I’ve ever heard come out of a young fella’s mouth.
“And I think part of our run club’s popularity is that it is a safe space, there’s multiple other runners there, we can go anywhere in Belfast even on these darker nights and no one feels like they’re going to get into any kind of trouble.
“I’d say it’s the same with these dating run clubs; people might feel more comfortable meeting someone in a group where they’re not one-on-one with a person like at a speed date event.”
He was also keen to point out that although the club has been known to set challenging distances it’s “not just about fitness”.
“Even 5km might seem fairly daunting to most people but the whole point is literally just to have something to do on a Wednesday evening other than going to the bar and having a pint,” said Sam.
“People want that alternative and we’ve tried to fill that gap and it seems to have worked.
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“These are not people who want to run competitively or beat their fastest time, it’s more an opportunity to talk to your friends and socialise – then afterwards you can enjoy a free ginger or beetroot shot on us.”
Given the success of the business’s Belfast run clubs Sam is keen to keep the momentum going in 2025, particularly when it comes to their new southern premises.
“We recently announced we’ll be opening a shop on Dawson Street in Dublin which we’re really excited about,” he added.
The club was back with a bang on January 8, hosting runs in three locations including St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.
“I’m not sure how much they’ve got going on in the run club realm but it’s definitely something we’d be keen to do down there on a regular basis because it’s a really great experience.”
For more information on The Juice Jar’s run lub follow their instagram @thejuicejar.
