‘Rain, hail, shine or hangover’: The group chat encounter that launched a 5000-strong run club

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays – “rain, hail, shine or hangover” – thousands of Sydneysiders don their running shoes and descend upon the beachside suburb of Coogee in search of connection.

Widely touted as a combined source of fun, fitness and friendship post-COVID, run clubs have emerged as younger generations’ go-to method for creating community – and one club co-founder is now credited for helping over 5000 regular attendees feel just that little bit less lonely.

Tara Meakins moved to Sydney from Perth in 2022, years before the current run club craze fully took hold, and found the options for meeting new people to be decidedly scarce.

“There was nothing around,” she told nine.com.au. “It wasn’t like it is today. The trend hadn’t taken off yet, and the run clubs [were] kind of few and far between.”

But that all changed when Meakins was added to an unassuming WhatsApp group chat, from which she met Coogee Run Club co-founder Hannah Gandevia.

From humble beginnings on a cold, dark autumn night in 2022, the pair’s “casual” run club – which initially sported a grand total of three members – then gradually ballooned into the 5000-strong behemoth it is today.

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Meakins largely credits this growth to the large percentage of overseas immigrants choosing to set down roots in Coogee, and one enduring question: how do we find our people in a brand-new place?

Running events across the country have also seen a major spike in participants, frequently selling out as millions of Australians embrace the post-pandemic fitness boom.

According to Meakins, endurance races are now viewed not just as fitness milestones, but also as essential social outlets amid a notable decline in community groups.

According to a report shared by peak body Ending Loneliness Together, one in seven young people in Australia is enduring “persistent loneliness”.

“It’s been an incredible journey, and it just never ceases to amaze me at how much people don’t just want to get fit, but they also want to be part of a community and feel that sense of belonging,” she said.

According to Meakins, Coogee Run Club’s appeal lies in its consistency, boasting a total of five meetups per week (four in Coogee, and one on Saturdays at Centennial Park’s Park Run).

“It’s most likely you’re going to see someone tomorrow or the next day... so it’s that repetition that creates familiarity, which creates a community, which creates the friendships.”

She describes the club as “more of a social club, with a bit of running on the side” – and was quick to add that it avoids the typical “toxicity” some associate with run club culture – embracing inclusivity of all fitness levels.

Meakins also alluded to the sociological concept of the “third place” – a social surrounding separate from the two primary environments of home (first place) and work (second place) – as a driving factor behind Run Clubs’ booming popularity.

“We’re seeing such an increase in young people not drinking, for instance. People are drinking less, they’re going out less, but it doesn’t mean they’re not doing anything,” she said.

“They’re not staying at home, they still want to find ways to connect.”

As opposed to alternatives such as fitness classes, Pilates or yoga, running, according to Meakins, is an accessible approach to finding your people.

And no longer are nightclubs and online dating apps the go-to method for meeting your soulmate, either; an increasing number of young people are now in hot pursuit of that evasive run club romance.

In lieu of dating apps, Meakins began a spin-off of sorts to Coogee Run Club, with particular emphasis on meeting your match.

Their inaugural Valentine’s Day event drew a crowd of around 1000 single runners, proving young people are “so sick of the dating apps.”

“I know the dating apps inside and out, they are awful.”

The event is now a monthly occurrence, consisting of a three-kilometre run, followed by a round of singles bingo.

Ultimately, the Aussie run club craze is showing no signs of slowing, having now cemented itself as a place where connections, fitness and romance intersect, and belonging is built.

“They’re creating these social lives and these social communities and hubs, and this is life-changing stuff.”