00:00 More than 100 people meeting at the crack of dawn.
00:06 All of them chasing a runner's high.
00:09 We don't concentrate on like a pace or a time or anything like that.
00:13 It's more about just getting out and moving your body.
00:16 This weekly run club in Adelaide's inner north has seen its numbers double from 50 to 100
00:21 over the past six months.
00:23 COVID and lockdowns has had a positive influence on running.
00:27 Running's definitely having its moment.
00:28 It's really picked up.
00:30 In the 80s it was really quite significant.
00:32 Then it dropped off in the 90s and early 2000s and you can see it now.
00:37 It's coming back with a vengeance.
00:39 Social media has allowed clubs like this to take off across the country.
00:44 The popularity of major events is also booming.
00:47 The Sydney Marathon last year recording tens of thousands more entries than in 2022.
00:53 Devices like smart watches have also changed runners' habits.
00:57 As humans we do like to compare and contrast.
00:59 Even if we argue that we're not competitive, we like to compare ourselves to others and
01:04 see how we're going.
01:06 Exercise expert Murray Drommond says while social media posts and wearables can be good
01:11 for tracking results, obsessive use can quickly take away from the other health benefits of
01:16 running, especially for beginners.
01:19 Comparing yourselves to others when you don't know their background, their history, their
01:23 running background and so forth, it can be fraught with danger.
01:28 This run club says it's created a positive environment, focused on wellbeing, not times.
01:34 You don't really need a watch, you just need to follow the group.
01:36 A movement showing no signs of slowing down.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments