Bailey Ness never intended to create a run club. In fact, the former University of Minnesota harrier’s priority was to create a running apparel brand.

But when introducing her clothing brand took longer than expected, Ness initiated a slight detour in September 2022 and launched a Denver-based running club called cooldown.

What followed was unimaginable to Ness: cooldown chapters in New York City and Austin and, now four years later, 20 other cities. Cooldown also holds year-long exclusives with Altra and Garmin and recently entered into a strategic partnership with Fleet Feet that makes the national chain the official retail partner of cooldown and includes collaboration on select in-person experiences, product education and more.

That’s quite the outcome for an alternative plan.

Cooldown’s soaring growth tracks with the overall explosion of running clubs across the county. New groups are forming every month and thousands of runners are participating in events from Seattle to Savannah.

Run clubs have brought an undeniable influx of energy and participation to the sport. At the same time, however, frustration has emerged around some running clubs’ involvement with brands or lack thereof with run specialty retailers, many of whom seek to harness the momentum of run clubs and cultivate synergistic relationships.

The run club surge

Strava’s 12th annual Year in Sport: Trend Report released last December said run clubs more than tripled over the previous 12 months – and that comes on the heels of already rampant growth this decade. Run clubs have tapped into the zeitgeist, blending wellness and social connections at a time when many prize precisely those elements.

When Scott Dvorak co-founded Charlotte Running Company (CRC) in 2000, he says the North Carolina metropolis had “maybe” two active run clubs. Today, he counts well over 100 organized and well-attended run clubs in and around Charlotte, many of them more socially oriented than performance driven.

“The growth of run clubs has been great because it’s gotten people into the sport and doesn’t feel elitist,” Dvorak says. “Isn’t bringing people into the sport a good thing?”

Earlier this year, Brooks released results of a study conducted with YouGov exploring how run clubs were shaping the running experience of people ages 18–35. Of the nearly 1300 young adults surveyed, two out of three reported significant improvements in wellbeing since joining a run club.

“Runners frequently pointed to reduced stress, improved mood and having something to look forward to each week as key benefits of being part of a running community,” Brooks noted.

The running industry should celebrate such data, which underscores the myriad physical and mental benefits of the sport, particularly when done in a group setting.

Of course, something else has driven the run club boom – something even more powerful in the age of Siri and screens and AI: personal, in-the-flesh connection.

According to the Brooks survey, 91 percent of young run club members formed a relationship through their run club, including friendships, closer social bonds and romantic relationships. A recent Zappos survey, meanwhile, saw nearly half of run club members identify a run club as their primary way of meeting new people. Even more, 84 percent of run club members said they prioritized a run club over a night out.

With figures like that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that run clubs have been called the “new nightclub” as well as “the new Tinder,” increasingly embraced by those suffering from dating app fatigue. (Our favorite: “A drinking club disguised as a run club.”)

However they might come to running – an earnest hunger for physical activity, the promise of a free beer or the hope of securing a mate – the truth is run clubs are inviting people into the sport, which should be a resounding win.

“We all need more runners and run clubs are creating more runners,” says Greg Koch, owner of 605 Running Co. in Sioux Falls, SD.

Love/hate relationship

The rise of run clubs, however, hasn’t come without its frustrations. Dvorak, in fact, called the run club surge both a “good thing” for running and “a bear.” Other running retailers expressed similar sentiments, some even describing a love/hate relationship with running clubs.

A veteran retailer on the East Coast said he was thrilled run clubs in his area continued bringing attention to the sport and driving participation. At the same time, he lamented a lack of genuine partnership with clubs.

“We do our best to try and promote them, but we don’t see a ton of reciprocation,” the retailer said.

One long-time industry member referred to run clubs as the “wild west.” As clubs start to grow, some leaders look to monetize the operation or otherwise capitalize on it. After all, they have a captive audience and (largely) a prized demographic. “That’s gotta be worth something?” many wonder.

Some clubs have started charging for events; others, like college football players entering the transfer portal year after year to score a bigger payday at the next school, actively – and sometimes with a heavy hand – solicit sponsorships and exclusives from brands at a pace creating a degree of unease amongst those on the other end.

To be certain, running clubs’ involvement with brands’ direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses has emerged a thorny sticking point among running retailers, in particular. In some cases, it’s the clubs leveraging their group’s size at both runs or on digital platforms to score beneficial arrangements; in other cases, brands are pursuing these deals themselves, fueling frustration among their run specialty accounts in the market.

“That undercuts retailers who have built their businesses serving and developing new runners and promoting these brands,” a retailer told Running Insight.

Admittedly, too, there’s also a twinge of envy with the momentum run clubs are riding. Many feature lively vibes and have developed strong, loyal followings.

“You’ve worked so hard to create something with your own group runs and then, someone comes along and does it better – that’s hard to swallow,” one long-time run shop owner says.

Creating connections

As run clubs have become more commonplace in Sioux Falls, Koch has worked hard to turn any frustrations into solutions.

“Run clubs have gotten people running curious, now it’s my job to figure it out – to curate good product, to put on a compelling race and position 605 Running Co. as the running solutions center,” he says.

Dvorak has adopted a similar solutions-oriented mindset at CRC. The company hired Dan Keller and specifically charged him to connect with Charlotte’s burgeoning run club scene. Keller attends multiple events each week and is CRC’s face with run clubs.

“We jokingly call him a professional drinker,” says Dvorak, adding that Keller’s presence has helped CRC create inroads with run clubs.

In April 2025, meanwhile, CRC started The Sole, which Dvorak describes as “a running club for running clubs.” Every Thursday morning at 6:00 a.m., upward of 300 people gather at CRC’s Dilworth location for a morning run. Dvorak says The Sole is intentionally not transactional and focuses more heavily on support and community, such as openly celebrating “wins” within the group like individuals who earned a World Marathon Majors medal, set a new PR or completed their first Hyrox event.

“If people feel good about us, then they’ll buy from us,” Dvorak says.

Others have similarly worked to strengthen ties with local running clubs. In northern Virginia, for instance, Pacers has formalized official partnerships with two prominent crews, District Run Collective and WeOffTheCouch.

Such engagement can increase awareness of the local running store and also reduce the intimidation factor some newer runners, in particular, feel with run specialty shops.

Getting strategic with clubs

To counter DTC offers, CRC leadership has engaged in conversations with its vendors about including CRC in interactions with local run clubs. Others, including Koch at 605 Running Co., have similarly worked to foster ongoing, honest dialogue with brands and drive collaboration.

“We’ve tried to impress upon our vendors that if clubs reach out to them, include Charlotte Running Company,” Dvorak says. “We should be the ones there to support.”

Spurred by earnest conversation, one East Coast retailer noted “some pullback” with brands in his market. Now, he says, a number of brands have committed to only doing run club demo runs through his store.

“That’s a positive development,” the retailer says.

In its earliest years, Ness says cooldown worked with local running shops in various markets, including promoting group runs from stores and post-run parties. She encourages running shops to see run clubs as an ally, not competition, and to reach out to them with a collaborative spirit.

“I think 99 percent of running clubs are down for that, so long as you allow the run club to still be the run club and meet at your location versus folding them into your run club,” she says.

With some strategic intent, running retailers might even have an opportunity to capitalize on the growth of running clubs to foster new relationships and invite purchases. For instance, perhaps shops bring a remote POS to demo runs held in conjunction with a club, provide a bounceback offer to encourage in-store visits or tout complementary store programming to help runners elevate their performance.

“In an era when these folks can shop anywhere and most are especially comfortable shopping online, run shops can’t lay back and wait for people to come through their doors,” one footwear brand executive says. “As run clubs continue to grow, running stores have to give serious thought to how they get in the game.”