The smell of the city, its lights, the people, a new perspective on the city. This is how we can summarize the advantages of running in a group according to Mike Saes, founder of Bridge Runners, and Charlie Dark, creator of Run Dem Crew. After having created two of the most important running crews, in Manhattan and London respectively, the two founded the Bridge the Gap movement to connect their “followers”, even before letting them run together.
“Why train alone when you can turn jogging time into a traveling party?” is their motto and it’s no surprise that the New York Times defined running clubs as “the best alternative to dating apps”. The charm of running in a group, in fact, has attracted more and more amateur runners, transforming a sport into a cultural phenomenon. «The same principles are at the basis of the growing success of events such as the Deejay Ten (the non-competitive races organized by Radio Deejay, ed.) and socialization also ends up benefiting sporting performance», explains Francesco Guerra, running coach and founder of the community Running forever. «I like to say that running is the most individualistic team sport that exists, because even if the pace is personal, running in a group helps motivate you and overcome the most critical moments: one day you are the person who needs a hand, the next you are the supporting hand.”
For women, running together also has other advantages: «Unfortunately, safety is a big problem and training in a group makes us feel much safer», says Jessie Zapo who in 2014, to encourage women to run in company, founded the crew the female Girls Run Nyc (one of the few remaining to have never accepted sponsors). «My goal has always been to create a safe space for friendship and companionship, where jogging is the main activity that unites us. In fact, over the years, lasting friendships have been created and many participants have become coaches over time and have in turn created their own training groups.”
His “pride”, he tells us, is precisely that of having introduced women to running who, without a space in which to feel protected, would most likely have given up. Contrary to what it may seem, in fact, finding the time and having a pair of shoes is often not enough to start running: you need motivation, courage and confidence. «From the beginning I wanted to remove the barriers to entry into this sport for beginners and we succeeded with inclusive training, so as not to leave anyone behind». Today, as the crew turns ten, Jessie Zapo celebrates a result achieved also thanks to the role of women’s sports clubs like hers: «On this tenth anniversary, women with leadership roles in sport have grown. This is excellent news because it means that running is now also a powerful tool for empowerment.”
