NYC run clubs have become an oversaturated dating market, singles say

A summer marked by the boom in singles run clubs is reaching its denouement as cuffing season, when singles are looking to pair up for the winter, quickly approaches. NBC News pounded the pavement and spoke to over a dozen attendees — some said they were obsessed with the concept, but others said months of running after love had not yielded much more than a couple of phone numbers.

“You can easily get lost,” said Barbara Cheng, a 29-year-old consultant. “I think it’s better for people who are very, very outgoing.”

Are run clubs worth the hype? 

Since the beginning of summer, New York City run clubs like Lunge have become the latest playground of lifestyle influencers on TikTok. The West Side Highway, a popular running destination, is now a vast pool for young urban professionals seeking hot, athletic partners. 

“Running at run clubs until I find my wife,” one TikToker captioned a video. 

Lunge has taken advantage of a city hungry for in-real-life encounters by creating a running group specifically oriented toward dating. It’s a three-mile run (or a little over a one-mile walk) that ends at a bar in the West Village. The turnout is often so big that Lunge has to plan for a spillover bar next door. 

Run clubs have a long history, and runners have always tended to date each other, a relationship expert said. Groups like the Prospect Park Track Club have been active since the 1970s. The New York Road Runners, the organizers of the New York Marathon, started as a 40-person run club in the 1950s.