Sydney’s croissant obsession crossed over to its running scene this summer, motivating hundreds of people to pound the pavement in pursuit of pastries, rather than personal bests.

The movement is led by Croissant Run Club, Unofficial Run Club and Pastry Yourself Run Club (a variation of the Pace Yourself Run Club), which offer free five- to seven-kilometre group runs, finishing at some of Sydney’s best bakeries for a croissant, a coffee and a chat.

The novel approach to group fitness first appeared in Sydney last July, and now attracts record crowds. On a recent Friday at 6am, close to 500 people turned up to Unofficial Run Club at Milsons Point. After their six-kilometre loop across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, they congregated at LouLou Boulangerie and Traiteur for French pastries.

Manager Carolina Joly says LouLou has started baking up to 200 extra croissants and opening the adjoining bistro terrace every Friday morning to accommodate the growing number of runners.

Chad Cohen, a 28-year-old managing director at Fortem Media, founded Unofficial Run Club with four mates in November, transforming what was an informal weekly marathon training session into a bona fide running community that prides itself on inclusiveness.

“It’s not just for elite runners; it’s for everyone,” Cohen says.

Pastry Yourself, an occasional running event by Pace Yourself Run Club, allows runners to tackle the six kilometres from Centennial Park to Baker Bleu in Double Bay at their own pace.

“It’s a way to meet other people, get new people interested in running, and have a sweet little reward at the end,” says 32-year-old founder and technology marketing specialist Alex Barbas.

Run clubs of all descriptions have exploded in popularity over the past six months, from the new (such as Chinatown Run Club and The Run Club at The Rocks) to the more established (such as The 440, Bondi Beach and The Coogee Run Club).

But it’s the pastry-driven run clubs (and one dedicated to cycling, the Pastries Cycling Club) that shift focus away from fitness goals and towards facilitating friendships in Sydney, which was ranked as the third-worst city in the world for making new friends, according to a 2022 survey by international digital publication Time Out.

“The pastries take the pressure off. They make the runs more approachable,” says Tara Gallagher, a 26-year-old UK expat who founded Croissant Run Club in London a year ago as a way to sample trending croissants with friends. It has since expanded to 25 chapters worldwide.

“I started sharing our runs on social media each week and I had a bit of a following, so it just grew from there,” Gallagher says.

After the diagnostic radiographer-turned-fitness coach moved to Sydney in July, the local CRC became “100 per cent about meeting people”, she says. At Centennial Park, the club welcomed a record 125 runners on its final five-kilometre run of 2023. (Its first run of 2024 happens this weekend.)

“I’ve settled into life here so quickly because of the club. People have met their housemates, gotten job opportunities, and even gathered on Christmas when they didn’t have family around,” Gallagher says.

The club now attracts a mix of locals and expats in their 20s and 30s, who run at “conversational pace” (slow enough to talk) to Bondi Junction cafe Cook and the Baker for their “incredible” chocolate-almond croissants, and nearby Hudson’s Bakery for gluten-free alternatives.

Cook and the Baker co-owner Jodie Laming gave Gallagher the thumbs-up before hosting, but still “nearly had a heart attack because of how bloody many of them” showed up.

“It’s not easy to get another hundred people come in, but we’ve learnt to cook more croissants and bring in an additional staff member,” Laming says.

“It doesn’t change my bottom line, but it’s a wonderful thing. It’s all about connecting the community and helping people to feel less lonely in a new city.”

The model has worked in other cities, with Melbourne also home to a a popular CRC chapter. In Queensland, the fast-expanding Unfit Run Club invites Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast residents to run for scoops of Gelato Messina. Their Sydney chapter is expected to launch in the coming months.