“The loneliness of the long-distance runner” goes the title of Alan Stiloe’s short-story-turned-film and subsequent Iron Maiden song. Running, the solitary pursuit of goals; at least, that is what the old adage suggests.

Counterpoint: look outside at many major cities and towns worldwide; scroll your Instagram feed. Over the past few years, running has exploded as a form of exercise, as meditation for the mind, but mostly, running has boomed as a social activity. Looking out into the parks, streets and tracks wherever you live, the rise of running clubs couldn’t be more evident.

As running continues to grow, the array of clubs, crews and collectives has become ever more diverse, catering to all levels of runner, each fitting their own niche. From the traditional competitive Athletics Clubs to even the most informal social crews, there is at least one thing in common, that we all Run Together. So what does it mean to be a part of a running club?

Forming community has been an innately human characteristic throughout our collective history, and running is no different. Getting together with a group, no matter how big or small allows us to socialise with others who are there to do the same thing as you: to go running. Instantly we have something in common with one another, which goes a long way towards forming a connection. Not to put too much of a philosophical point on it, but we want to identify with others, seeking connection with them through shared experiences. 

In many ways, running with a club also attaches something broader than oneself to the ‘why’ for running. Competitive AC runners training for a championship might be doing it for the broader success of the team as well as themselves. First-timers at a social 5km might be driven to the finish by the satisfaction of doing it with someone else. Polling our community at Runlimited, one of the most prominent responses to “what does it mean to run for a club?” was the accountability of a group. It gets us to show up, to go further, or faster, or just to keep going when we need it. At all levels, we are united by this collective accountability that comes with just being there with people doing the same thing for a shared purpose.

Speaking with people in the running space, it becomes increasingly clear that running has a power to connect with others in a new way. Time spent away from a screen can surely only be a good thing, right?  Even better to do it with a club of runners, forming friendships offline and in-person. Beyond that, we could be convinced by the idea that a collective endorphin rush further breaks down barriers to conversations with others. Post-pandemic, we have heard time-and-time-again how so many of us are looking for a new way of meeting people beyond work, beyond going to pubs and bars and in a way that encourages health. With masses of people finding running during lockdown, and then the subsequent desire for connection as we emerged, the natural conclusion was to use running as a means for socializing.

Running may mean a lot of different things to different people, and clubs all may have different aims, types of people and experience levels with the sport. But there is a consistent line of exactly what clubs provide to us as a collective of runners. On some level, we all seek an outlet for developing our own version of community. Regardless of what we run for - be that to chase a PB, to make new friends, to complete your first marathon or race at a championship - and what club we run with, it means more to Run Together.

Written by: Liam Dee

Photography: Adrian Varzaru