By
.jfif)
It seems
like I can’t scroll through one of my many feeds for thirty seconds before
coming across a run club. Exercise is popular right? DAH-DUM. WRONG. People
aren’t going to run clubs for mental and physical positivity, dumbass. They’re
waking themselves up early on a Saturday morning after way too many accidental
homemade margarita mixes at the previous night's girl’s catch-up, shimmying into
spandex and running a makeup wipe across their eyelids, in the hope they can
find a special someone who will look at them lovingly after they… wake up
hungover wearing last night’s makeup from too many aforementioned margaritas at
girls’ night.
Run Clubs
are the new dating apps, they’re the new speed dating, they’re the new hope of
a generation fatigued by modern dating culture and keen on pinning someone down
who can’t really ghost them because you both have to go to the same run again
next week. Unless, he cheats on you and goes to another run club. Now, THAT’S
low.
I did my
waiting, ten years of it… of being single! And now that I’m completely and
totally loved up with my amazing, better-than-I-ever-could-have-imagined
boyfriend (and we’ve just celebrated our one-year anniversary), I have a unique
perspective on the absolute trenches of dating life which has evolved so
significantly from chatting at high school parties, the introduction of
dating apps in uni, to the collapse of in-bar approaches post-covid; meeting
someone in an already slim pickings city has dramatically changed.
Throwback
to one of my favourite accounts, @bumbling_through_adelaide, who detailed her
dating journey as a wanting wife-to-be back in 2018, and all of the ups and downs (and from behinds) that came with it. I can attest that she is married, and this year welcomed her
first child, which provides hope for any of the lovelorn women
out there in the world.
But especially
since COVID, the scene has changed. All the data shows
that now, more than ever, people are sick of dating apps and the disposable
nature that has arisen from using them. Acknowledging this, Hinge has recently introduced
a feature to cap the number of conversations that a user can have at any one
time, to focus on quality matches and avoid swiping fatigue.
Although I wouldn’t love this feature if I were still in the game, I tend to agree with the premise being set. It’s time for people to start seeing others as human beings instead of a picture floating in a sea of a thousand others who could be a potential option at any one time.
.jfif)
ENTER: RUN CLUBS
Coinciding
with the rise in running, which we all know to be true as I don’t think any of
us could traverse the streets without bumping into a friend who was gearing up
for the City to Bay earlier this month (in which over 24,000 people
participated). A large number of those people were members of run clubs, who refer
to the health benefits, combined with the sense of community that comes from
the social activity.
As modern
dating evolves, the focus is moving away from the ease of portable technology
in a fast-paced world, and moving towards a scene that embraces real, genuine
connection over activities that people share value in.
As adults,
sometimes it’s hard to answer the question when it arises… what are your
hobbies? I don’t know? Drinking espresso martinis? Not crying on the way home
from work? But in all seriousness, we know that run clubs just aren’t an excuse
to date. But they do provide a new opportunity to meet people in a world where
it’s becoming harder and harder to make new friends and to meet new potential
dating options. They provide us with a curated space to explore new hobbies and have fun while we're doing it.
It's
important to invest your time in the interests that make you feel good,
hobbies that helps with routine, gets you out of bed each day, and perhaps even creates a space where you can make a
friend or two along the way.
Are you
looking for a local run club (or your third place)? Check out some fun ones below:
Unley Run Club - Just down the road from me, I’m obsessed with keeping up with their insta posts, centered around Unley Social café.
Messina Run Club - Running celebrated with ice-cream. This one I can get around.
The Social Run Co. - for runners down south.
Adelaide Frontrunners - A run club for our LGBTQIA+ community.
Do you have a run club you love to add to the list? Email me at theiconicblonde@hotmail.com.