Should You Join a Run Club to Get Dates?

I always have folks ask me for fresh ideas about where to go to meet new people and get dates. Frankly, everyone’s pretty sick of online these days and ready to focus on real life again. (we’ve got some folks who are still killing it on apps, but… a lot of readers are over it)

We have plenty of articles on Girls Chase recommending various places you can go to meet people and get dates in the real world. Here is one such example. In fact, we have an entire section of the website dedicated to the topic.

However, one phenomenon we have not previously covered is run clubs. In particular, singles run clubs. I think it’s worth covering: what are singles run clubs, and should you bother joining a running club just to get dates?

 

What Are Singles Run Clubs?

Running clubs for singles started becoming a major phenomenon in 2023 and continued to gain steam in 2024.

Combining fitness, the outdoors, a sense of community, a host of new people to meet, and perhaps a little bit of a runner’s high (in place of the liquid courage one relies on in bars), run clubs as a source of new potential dates quickly turned trendy.

CBS reports hundreds of runners gathering for running clubs in Chicago, Miami, and New York.

The running club in New York, called Lunge Run Club, even features a social at a bar after the run where single folks can mingle (not to mention set up some dates).

While the average age of attendees is early- to mid-20s, there are single runners up to their 40s and beyond attending these run clubs. The co-founder of New York City’s Lunge Run Club, Steve Cole, says this about his club:

We wanted to create this kind of event where it is a lot easier to meet active and like-minded individuals. What we really are is a social club that runs. The one underlying factor that everyone has in common is that they are willing to put themselves out there.

Runners’ groups are getting so popular they’re running into size constraints (pun intended). USA Today’s reporter said making it into the bar for the after-run social took quite a wait:

With the record numbers in attendance, the line outside Houston Hall was excruciatingly long, only worsened by the blistering New York heat. Once I got inside, I was thrown into a swarm of speed daters, so I made a beeline for the bathroom.

The lesson there would be “Make sure you’re at the head of the pack so you reach the bar first, and not at the back stuck waiting in line like the peons!”

Outside Online’s reporter went on a run in London where it started raining. At the end of the run the group converged on a café – but the group was too large to fit everyone inside, and since it was raining outside, many of the runners (those unlucky enough to make it inside, that is) ended up forced to disperse.

Once again, the lesson is “be among the first to reach the venue, not the last!” – particularly if the weather is inclement.

San Antonio’s Downtown Run Group grew so large the San Antonio Zoo had to ask the club to stop using its parking lot to meet up in because the runners were clogging up the parking lot for zoo attendees.

So, these run groups have gotten pretty big.

Are they truly any good for getting dates from though?

 

Singles Run Clubs as a Source for Dates

So how solid are these singles clubs in the first place?

Can you actually get dates from them?

One reporter claims the makeup of attendees consists of “a mix of runners, joggers and ‘hot girl walkers’” – typical hot girls. Not running hard in the gym, and not running hard at the singles run clubs either!

Outside Online’s American reporter in London reports that she “went [to the run club] not because I wanted to run, but because I was looking for dates.” Sadly for her the run club she picked was a little more competitive than she was ready for, saying, “They were all much faster than me, and so I gave up,” whereupon she grabbed a seat, hoping a slow, dashing runner might stumble on her and ask her out (though, at least on that outing, such did not occur).

About socializing at a singles run club, she notes that:

There was definitely some awkwardness at the beginning of the Thursday singles run, as attendees divided themselves along gender lines … But people did mingle eventually, and the vibe was much lighter and friendlier once we all finished the 5K, high on endorphins. A few people I talked to seemed to be serious runners, but many were like me: curious about running, but more interested in dating.

Rachel Lansing, Lunge Run Club’s other co-founder, says

I’ve gotten multiple testimonies from people being like, “I went on some of the best dates I’ve been on in so long.”

So romantic connections definitely are taking place.

Honestly, it seems like there are more women in attendance at a lot of these running clubs than there are men. Which sort of makes sense – if a guy wants to run, he’s probably more likely to just strap on some sneakers and head outside and go for a run. Women are the more communally focused sex, so it makes sense that they are finding these clubs via social media and heading to them with their girlfriends to go run (and search for outdoorsy men).

So there is probably a bit more opportunity here for the average guy than there is for the various women who are writing about it online. Although there seem to be enough men in attendance that the women have guys to talk to, at least.

Honestly, I haven’t found any other guys writing about these run clubs. Haven’t heard anyone talking about them. Aside from a couple of guys posting TikToks on them, it seems like it is mostly women telling other women about them.

 

A Few Suggestions Before You Go Running

Before you, uh, run off to sign up for the next run club meet in your town, I do have a few suggestions for you:

1. Check the dress code. Some run clubs, like Lunge in New York City, have specific dress codes (for Lunge, it’s “singles wear black; attached runners wear colors”). Check before you show up whether there’s a particular ‘uniform’ you’ll want to throw on before you show up and start your socializing.

2. Focus on breaking the ice. Some run clubs, like the Chicago Run Collective, have some (clumsy, but better than nothing) ways to break ice between singles, such as holding up cardboard “I’m Single!” signs. Here’s what I recommend for you: just be social. Start off talking to people, warm up socially, and build some social momentum. You’ll get a lot more out of it if you’re socializing throughout the run rather than waiting till the mixer at the end.

3. Frequent different run clubs. Not every run club is beginner-friendly, as Outside Online’s reporter discovered. Some might not be very busy yet (and thus, not have many singles to choose among). Some might have a sex ratio that does not work in your favor. How do you figure out which running clubs are better sources of dates for you than others? There’s only one way: you have to visit them and try them out.

4. Keep your screening in mind. Not everyone attending run clubs is a super outdoorsy person. The ‘hot girl walkers’ are a prime example of this (or who knows, maybe they’re just low on fast twitch muscles). On the other hand, there is going to be a large contingent of VERY outdoorsy people in attendance, too. It’s not a big deal whether someone is or isn’t into the outdoors if all you end up having is a quick fling. But should you really hit it off, one partner being very outdoorsy and the other not at all outdoorsy will be a flashpoint later on in a relationship – so screen for that early. Here's a good question to ask any prospective dates: “So, are you here because you’re the outdoorsy type or more just to meet new people?”

5. Consider bringing a wingman (or wing woman). Particularly when you’re new to something (like… going to a singles run club), having a friend along to share the experience with – as well as to help do double duty on opening conversations with new prospects and drumming up new social opportunities – can take some of the stress off and make you more likely to get value out of the event… not to mention come back and try it again. Plus, a lot of the other singles there are with a friend or two; your wing will make dealing with these groups a fair bit easier!

6. Stay at the head of the pack if you don’t want a wait at the end. A lot of run clubs have mixers for singles at the end of the run. But many run clubs are so big now that not everyone always fits inside the end-of-the-run venue. These mixers admit runners on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis, which means if you don’t want to be stuck out in the heat or cold (or rain, if you’re in jolly old England), you’re going to want to stay close enough to the front of the running pack that you can make it in without waiting an egregious amount of time to get inside.

When you’re ready to run, check your favorite search engine or social media site for ‘[YOUR TOWN/CITY] run club’ and unless you’re in a tiny hamlet you’ll probably find something.

If not? Well, perhaps you can be the one to get things going in your area!

 

Running Clubs Are an ‘In’ Way to Meet Right Now

Just like salsa lessons were once among the hottest ‘casual singles’ way to meet (and still can be decent – though they’re not as trendy or popular as they once were), running clubs have emerged as a popular, mainstream-y way for people to meet in a low pressure environment that is NOT a bar (well, at least not until the after-party at the end of the run!).

A lot of the women sharing TikToks and writing news articles on running clubs are disaffected ex-dating app users, so that may give you some inkling of the type of attendee you’re more likely to meet here. People are sick of doing things digitally, they want to get outside, get some fresh air, some real world interaction, actually do things face-to-face – which is where run clubs come in.

So, what’s YOUR verdict?

If you decide to give a singles run club a spin, or you already have, I’d be intrigued to hear your run club experiences in the comments below.

I’m sure the other readers who’ll be continually stumbling upon this article will be grateful for more perspectives & anecdotes, too!

Cheers,
Chase Amante