The Rise Of The Instagram Run Club

New (school) year, new you? Those of you committed to recovering your work-life balance and subscribing to the ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ rhetoric don’t have to do it alone. It’s just your luck — this coastal university town has no shortage of run clubs, all accessible via Instagram.

In the last year, five new Instagram-based run clubs began to populate the St Andrews feed: Bubble Run Club, Pastry Pursuits, Runway STA, Nowhere Fast Run Club, and Pink Lemonade. So, what are the clubs, what’s the difference between them, and most importantly, why should you break out your trainers and join?

Although all the run clubs place an emphasis on socialising, and many on a post-run coffee and treat, there are key differences between each of them. To start with, let's talk about the running itself. The vast majority of the clubs organise runs shorter than 5km, and many provide multiple options to make running as accessible as possible. For example, Bubble Run Club tends to organise conversational-pace runs that are around 3km to 4km in length. 

Jonathan Hoong, founder of Nowhere Fast, joyfully attends most of the run clubs on top of his own. He says the key difference of Nowhere Fast is their choice in the distance and pace categories, providing both a more intensive 7km run as well as a 4km run. Similarly, Runway, one of the other clubs, offers three different pace groups — 6:00 min/km, 7:00 min/km, and conversational – all running a 3.5km distance. 

Unlike the other four clubs, Pink Lemonade isn’t looking to give you an easy mid-distance run. Open to both first-time runners and ultramarathon enthusiasts, Pink Lemonade uses its background in competitive athletics to help members hit 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week with long-distance runs. “We push people to break their boundaries, turning casual 5km runners into half-marathoners,” says Felix Alexander, one of the founders of Pink Lemonade.

Some run clubs also incentivise their members by partnering with St Andrews coffee shops to provide their runners with a post-run coffee and sweet treat. If you’re of the ‘coffee first, running second’ mentality — maybe you’re a stickler about where you get your morning fix — you’ll want to know who’s with who (which clubs are at which coffee shops). Bubble Run Club starts and ends at Spoiled Life, offering runners a half-price coffee discount. On the other hand, Pastry Pursuits likes to give their runners the power of choice: members get to vote weekly via their Instagram on the cafe location and pace of the group’s run.

But if coffee isn’t your cup of tea, and maybe you’re used to running solo, you should still show up for the social scene. “The online running community has to be one of the most supportive groups of people I’ve ever seen,” remarks Runway’s Tosh Da Silva. Runway places itself at the “niche intersection between creative arts and sport,” focusing on creating soundscapes and soundtracks for their runs. Similarly, Pastry Pursuit’s founder Erin Cruickshank notes that run clubs are a great way to socialise beyond nightlife, “[taking] the emphasis off of going ‘out-out’ as the only way to make friends in your teens and twenties.” 

When I began researching for this article, I wondered if I would find that the Insta-run club scene was oversaturated, or if there was any competitive spirit amongst them. The reality is that each run club shares a dynamic commitment to building community and making exercise accessible. Ultimately, whichever run club you choose to participate in, you’ll find yourself surrounded by fellow Saints looking for new friends and solid coffee (and maybe a workout too).

Photo: Bubble Run Club