The New club, run club

The women come dressed to the nines, with their best matching two piece sets, light makeup and flawless silk-pressed hair. The men are shirtless and baby oiled up. Music is booming. Conversation is flowing, Bottles are opening. If you thought I was talking about the club, well you're close. I am talking about Houston run clubs.

Run club is exactly what it sounds like, an organized group of people who meet up to run, jog or walk. I wonder if it is just the Houston heat but it seems like all of the feral singles of the city are lining up to pop metaphorical balloons under the guise of fitness.

Without a doubt, running is a more respectable way to meet a romantic partner. It is likely to find a gem, a person who is fit and is a consistent friendly face of the weekly routine. I enjoy watching the interactions among run club goers, the mingling and avoidance. In a way, it brings me back to high school gym class. The biggest differences being that now I can run without my heart exploding, and there is a larger, more attractive group of people.

Even without the romantic or sexual undertones, people are making friends, working out and engaging with the community. From the disciplined handsome businessman, to the beautiful intelligent nurses, I almost always leave with a little something, or someone, to remember the experience by.

Personally and statistically, people are stepping away from dating apps more and more. It is frustrating swiping endlessly, until you think you have found an end, only to be right back on the apps. Instead, I want to find connections more organically, and I know I am not alone in this thought. Which makes a lot of sense out of how run clubs got so popular so fast.

Although, I am curious to know what run club was like before it gained popularity on social media. Did it feel high stakes or casual? Did the people who went to run club solely run, or were there walking pace groups as well?

The focus of run clubs was always fitness but the energy or aura felt a lot louder. I have tried two different popular run clubs in Houston and my experiences have been really positive and eventful. 

I am thrilled to see a fun, safe place where people are exercising, regardless of their motive behind it. Run clubs, or similar environments, are at a huge deficit within Black communities. Shout out to Houston for creating spaces like run club and I encourage anyone, at any fitness level to give one a try.

Light and Love, 

Kadaysha