Why slow run clubs are on the rise as social running groups take over Aussie streets
A new wave of Aussie run clubs are popping up across the country — and if you’ve been too scared to join so far, you’ll want to know about these ones.
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If you can do a kilometre in less than 6.5 minutes, you can’t run with us – that’s the cut-off time to join the slow running revolution.
This Adelaide group is among a wave of run clubs redefining what it means to be a runner — one slow, steady step at a time.
After many failed attempts to get into the sport, self-described slow runner Isabella Reed decided to form a new group.
Ms Reed said she was motivated after some uncomfortable experiences trying to start running.
“I tried to get involved in a couple (run clubs) but I was always in the back getting lapped,” she said.
It was either quit or keep going at her own pace and Ms Reed quickly found others felt the same pressures, both with running slow and also socially.
The Casual Runners Collective was born in June 2024 with a diverse mix of people hitting the track with any thought of pace or competitiveness left at the non-existent starting line.
Ms Reed said the objective was summed up in a simple motto, “no one left behind”.
With the club’s fastest pace 6.30 min/km, she said it was bridging the gap between beginners and intermediate runners with a focus on slower runners.
“We have continuous runners, people who do intervals, walking,” she said.
“One of our regulars said the very first night she was so anxious she sat in her car for 15 minutes not knowing if she was going to actually get to know people.
“We have a monument at the end, it’s really cute, we have a debrief circle and everyone is talking to each other.
“There’s been some friendships formed which is really great.”
Running in numbers is also key for safety for the group that meets on Sunday afternoons at Adelaide Uni loop.
“The loop design means every one can be seen at all times, no one is going to be left alone -we’ve got people in front, behind, or next to them and it adds to the freedom and security and safety,” Ms Reed said.
“A lot of runners, particularly slow runners, want to be running alone and that creates a problem for safety, but that’s okay, you don’t have to run with anyone, you just always have people watching.
“It’s important to us, we have quite a few female runners and it’s important to them.”
But what happens when slow runners get too speedy and are ready for the next challenge?
Ms Reed said some members had transitioned to the growing number of other clubs and they return the favour referring runners to the Casual Running Collective.
Why are run clubs booming?
Run clubs are taking over Aussie’s streets in a social fitness explosion.
They’re everywhere with their colourful shoes speeding around the Adelaide Parklands after work and in their matching singlets drinking post-run coffee on Saturday morning.
It’s far from a new pastime; after all, running is the original and most simple way to keep fit.
However, gathering a crew to participate in organised social running has exploded as a fitness trend encapsulating all walks of life.
Unley Run Club founder Henry Young said his popular running group had humble beginnings but soon had the suburban streets flooded with people pounding the pavement.
Mr Young started the group with his brother Nick Young in June 2023 and it began with 15 active participants for the first six months before an explosion in numbers saw numbers swell over the 100 mark.
“About summer last year it just went off … and never really dropped back down,” he said.
“It’s developed into this really cool community.”
So, why are fitness buffs who have traditionally shunned on-road cardio for the safety of the gym now lacing up their Asics, middle-aged men venturing off the couch and friendship groups of women taking up running?
Mr Young said the appeal of run clubs was their accessibility with little barriers to entry; they can be free, cater for all fitness levels and provide a friendly environment.
“I run with four different run clubs and they’re all extremely welcoming,” he said.
“And of course there is the coffee and chat afterwards.
“Rec running has just come out of nowhere coming out of Covid.”
Social running and social media worlds collide
Adelaide-based runner Amy Robb believes the drive for a healthy lifestyle mixed with the safety of moving in groups had propelled the running club craze.
Ms Robb has become a face of SA’s running scene and said social clubs had a broad appeal from athletes to amateurs.
She cringes at the thought of being called a running influencer but the Largs Bay Parkrun regular’s Instagram following of 28k shows just how popular it’s become.
“I think since Covid has happened there has been a massive shift with running,” Ms Robb said.
“They’re just getting bigger and bigger – so many different run clubs, it’s really amazing.
“It’s so good how it’s just evolved and it’s become a real social outlet for a lot of people.”
Growing up as a sprinter Ms Robb said she was the odd one out spending her weekends running.
“I remember running in school and people would be like ‘oh, what are you doing on the weekend – an athletics competition, oh, feel sorry for you’,” she said.
“Now those same people are out running each weekend.”
She said once people got a taste, they discovered just why running was such a good hobby.
“With fun runs, I think people see their friends doing it and see it looks like they are enjoying it so they decide to give it a go,” Ms Robb said.
“And it really is quite an addiction – once you start, you kind of just want to keep doing it for sure.”
And for Ms Robb, the emergence of organised social groups broke down major barriers to entry in the hobby.
“I did a poll with followers just asking what was it that was stopping them … and a lot of the comments were they were embarrassed to start running or keep running because they were very self conscious with how they looked, whether they felt like how they looked, body wise, or feeling slow,’ she said.
“And I guess that’s been one of the important things about the positive, positive aspect of these run clubs, where people are encouraged to forget about that”.
Originally published as Why slow run clubs are on the rise as social running groups take over Aussie streets
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