Partying is out, run clubbing is in – but what is my generation running from?

Running clubs are now the place to be seen, socialise – and even date, but as a third of entries for next year’s marathon are from those between 18-29 years old, what is really behind this surge? Lydia Spencer-Elliott takes a closer look

Go to any preppy part of London and you’ll see them: Hoka trainers pounding the pavement, Lululemon shorts blowing in the breeze, Salomon running vests bobbing in unison as hoards of under 30s log their latest run on booming fitness app Strava, alongside a sweat-sheened selfie. You can’t miss them. In fact, of the 1.1million people that have entered the ballot for the 2026 London Marathon next April, more than a third of UK entries are between 18-29-years-old.

For many young people, the itch to pound the pavement formed in the first Covid-19 lockdown spurned on by the “Run for Heroes” campaign that saw hundreds of thousands of people run five kilometers, donate £5 to the NHS and challenge five friends to join in. It raised over £7m. What kept us running, though, myself included, was fear. I’d recently graduated, had no job, and the world had succumbed to a deadly virus. Nothing was in my hands – other than how many kilometers I rallied myself into jogging each day and what time I got up to do them.

Similarly, Kesli Agolli, 29, first laced up her trainers when she moved from Surrey to London. She saw streams of people her age jogging down the Thames riverside in the sunshine and thought they must be onto something. She also wanted to feel less guilty about how much alcohol she was drinking as a result of living in the city.

“Sometimes you’re at home, you’re depressed, you don’t want to do anything,” she says. “London is so gloomy. Then you go out and run and you feel so good afterwards because you’ve moved your body and got some fresh air. It helps so much.”

Of course, it’s well established that exercising in the fresh air is great for our mental health. “Running is therapy” is not a new mantra; it’s a bonafide healer for heartbreaks. It stimulates a natural boost of serotonin, which regulates our mood, appetite and digestion, as well as the peptide hormones endorphins, which alleviate pain, improve mood and lower stress – a big draw to those recently thrust into the chaos and relentlessness of the corporate world. While fight or flight was once triggered by life-threatening attacks from predators, many people’s stress response systems are now triggered by urgent emails, task deadlines, full calendars or flurries of Whatsapp messages.

“Running can be used as a coping mechanism,” says Inner Drive sports and exercise psychologist Tia Prior. “You can control your fight or flight – decide you’re not going to have a breakdown, or eat a load of junk food, and do something that’s going to help you instead.” She adds: “It reduces cortisol [the body’s main stress hormone] but running can also help with better sleep and clearer cognitive function. So, if you’re going to work the next day and have a load of busy appointments coming up, it will help with that.”

Alongside stress, low mood and general intrigue prompting under-30s to give running a try, social media plays a huge role, with #Running content flooding TikTok and Instagram. Notable content creators include the likes of Anya Culling and Savannah Sachdev, who’ve garnered hundreds of thousands of followers respectively posting their running routines.

“The thing that stands out to me with these influencers is they look really happy,” says Agolli of the appeal. “They’ve got a big social circle. They’re really selling it. You’re like, ‘Oh my god I want to be like you guys. It looks like fun. It looks like a good lifestyle. It’s something I want to be a part of.”

Track star: Kesli Agolli after completing the 2025 Lisbon marathon (Kesli Agolli)

Plus, they’re decked out in some serious kit. Thanks to brands like Lululemon, who led the way to making running fashionable with their “Swift Speed” and “Fast and Free” lines, running is just as chic now as it is sweaty. “Being outside and being seen outdoors is the new luxury,” says Polly Evans, 29, who returned to running after a childhood of athletics when a friend took her to an event that introduced her to a track club community during a “transitional time” of her life that saw a “lot of change” and uncertainty.

“Me and my friends always say, wearing something you love and feel good in only motivates you to run more. Win win,” she says. Agolli echoes: “My friends joke you can’t get a PB if you don’t look and feel good when you’re running. The clothes make such a big impact.” And, admittedly, new purchases also trigger a hit of mood-boosting dopamine.

So do “Kudos” – the equivalent of likes on the activity tracking app Strava – that encourages you to share your run stats and photos with your friends, as well as analyse your performance and progress week to week. “It’s satisfying,” says Evans. “There’s something more informal about Strava compared to other social platforms. I’m much more likely to put a sweaty post run photo up or a screenshot of the Girls Aloud Megamix I’ve been listening to [while moving] than I would [on an app like Instagram].” Over 150 million people worldwide now use the app, which has turned running into a social trackable and competitive experience. “If I wasn’t tracking and seeing the progress, I don’t think I’d have stuck to running the way I did,” admits Agolli.

For Evans, it’s the people that have kept her going. “When I got back into running, I immediately made friends who I still have now. That's what made it stick,” she says. “I think there’s a deep want from my generation for connection. It’s almost like we’ve gone the complete opposite way since Covid…You get a chance to form real relationships and connections away from technology. Yes, there are people making content but not everyone’s like that.”

‘Running is freedom’: Polly Evans running the 2025 London Marathon (Polly Evans)

Run clubs are a huge way people are shaking off loneliness and seeking community, with the latest data from Strava finding 58 per cent of people made new friends at exercise groups. One in five Gen Zs have gone on a date with someone they met through exercise – which is exactly why Agolli stopped attending run clubs like Park Run or Friday Night Lights (a fitness alternative to a big night out) altogether. “They’ve turned very datey and they’re a bit scary now,” she says. “I want to enjoy running without worrying about what my hair and makeup looks like.”

As the miles rack up week by week, most runners eventually feel like they need a goal. Marathons, now jokingly considered the new quarter life crisis have managed to draw in both Evans and Agolli, with the 29-year-olds completing 26 miles races in London and Lisbon respectively.

“You think, ‘I’m not going to do this, I can’t do this, I’m not fit enough, I shouldn’t have booked it so soon,” says Agolli. “Then when you get to the finish line you think, ‘Oh my God, I actually fought all these negative self thoughts during the training and during the marathon. You can relate that to anything in life; Keep working towards something, put in a lot of time and effort and energy into it and you can do it. It’s mental and physical exercise.”

Of course, once you’ve proved your toughest critic (yourself) wrong once, it’s hard to stop. If you just keep moving, self doubt can stay somewhat stifled.

“It helps self-efficacy improve because you've ticked off that achievement – but what next?” Prior asks. “That’s where the running bug comes from.” Evans affirms: “Running is the one hobby I know will be a constant in years to come. There’s no limit to what you can achieve. You constantly prove to yourself that you can do things you didn’t think you could. For me, running is freedom – the way it makes me feel, the sense of achievement I get, the routine it gives me – there isn’t anything comparable.”

Read more: Can run clubs really replace pubs? I immersed myself in both communities to find out