Blog

Run Clubs and Walking Groups: 'The Third Place' Is Making a Comeback

Published 2026-07-29 · 2 min read

For years, everyday life revolved around two places: home and work. What got lost along the way was the third place: the café, the sports club, the neighborhood spot where you kept running into the same people without ever having to plan it. Now the third place is being rebuilt, just in a new form.

Run clubs as a social space, not just training

Run clubs have grown sharply in recent years, and many people joining are doing it mainly for the social side. A run club is a low-stakes, recurring reason to meet the same people at a set time, without anyone needing to take the initiative for something new each time.

Walking groups and everyday community are growing even faster

Walking and hiking groups are now growing even faster than run clubs, partly because the barrier to entry is even lower. You don't need to be in shape, just show up. For many people, especially those working from home a lot, it's become one of the few standing reasons to get out and see other people during the week.

• Find or start something with a fixed, recurring time, not a one-off activity.
• Keep the barrier low: anyone should be able to join, regardless of level.
• Let the activity be the main reason, with the social side as a natural side effect.
• Give it a few weeks to become a habit before judging whether it works.

You don't need a club to build your own third place

The principle behind the trend is easy to copy on a small scale: a fixed, recurring reason to meet, with a low barrier and a concrete purpose. That can be a friend group's own walking group just as easily as an organized club.