Why are so many people in their twenties meeting in a park at 7 p.m., wearing running shoes, instead of meeting in a bar?

Here is the surprise. In ACSM’s 2026 fitness trends, adult recreation and sport clubs, including running clubs, entered the top 10 at number nine because they mix fitness with fun, flexibility, and social connection. At the same time, ACSM ranked wearable technology number one and mobile exercise apps number four, so the picture is clear: young people still use tech, but they also want real people. Strava’s 2025 report says Gen Z is moving away from passive scrolling and toward real-world community, and running clubs on Strava grew 3.5 times in 2025. (acsm.org)

Now imagine Yuki, 24, in a new city. She does not want a hard gym class. She does not want another lonely evening with her phone. So she joins a Tuesday run club. The pace is easy. Someone talks about work. Someone else asks if anybody wants coffee after the run. Thirty minutes later, Yuki has exercised, laughed, and learned three new names. For her, the run is not only a workout. It is a soft, simple way to belong.

And this is the turn. Many people think Gen Z joins run clubs only to get fitter or train for races. That is part of it. Strava found Gen Z is 75% more likely than Gen X to say a race or event is their main reason to exercise. But connection stays at the center. In Strava’s reports, social connection was the top reason for exercising with others, Gen Z was more likely than millennials to work out with another person, and in 2024 global running club participation rose 59%. More than half of people said they made new friends through fitness groups. (press.strava.com)

There is one more reason. In U.S. public health data, loneliness is common, and young adults show some of the highest rates. A running club offers two things at once: movement and company. Maybe that is why Gen Z gathers there. Sometimes the easiest way to find people is not to sit and talk first. Sometimes it is to run side by side. (cdc.gov)