I started running this year. I never expected to say those words, and anyone who knows me never expected to hear them. 

But here I am—six months in, 600+ kilometers down, a 10K race behind me and a half-marathon in my sights. (I’m documenting that so I’ll have to commit to it.)

I followed the newbie runner pattern so predictably, it’s almost laughable. A few tentative loops around my neighborhood that felt… surprisingly good. Then came a smartwatch. A Strava profile. A pair of KEEN shoes, an Under Armour rain shell and a lululemon running belt. My entire algorithm shifted. I subscribed to The Sweat Lookbook.

And then, inevitably, came the run clubs.

I’ve been working out in some form for most of my life, but I’ve generally avoided group fitness. I considered it a self-inflicted form of torture to exercise in a herd. I said those clubs were just dating apps in disguise (maybe true, but I might hate that less now). I said it was all a cult.

I’ll eat my humble pie and admit I’m a hypocrite. But I was right about the cult thing, because whether I’m running, boxing or hiking, I keep signing up to sweat with strangers. 

Which begs the question: why are so many of us joining athletic communities for traditionally solo sports? And because I work in brand strategy, I have follow-up questions that fellow marketers are probably asking:

What’s the value in community building?

Loneliness and isolation are on the rise, but sports are inherently social. We bond over fantasy leagues. Watching the game becomes a Sunday routine with friends. We cheer with strangers in stadiums and in the streets of host cities during major events. I once woke up at 3AM to watch a gold medal hockey game from a bar—because there’s just something about the energy of rooting for something together. 

I think we’re all looking for that in some form. Research has proven that moving with other people releases more endorphins than exercising on your own. So even if you’re a runner or swimmer or cyclist whose form of movement isn’t driven by a team, joining a group with common interests and goals changes the whole experience. 

There’s a reason climbing gyms and yoga studios exist; there’s a reason run clubs have skyrocketed, apps like Sportamii are optimized to match people based on outdoor hobbies, and we’re attending watch parties instead of streaming alone. Community building is valuable because it makes your brand part of your audience’s real world. You become part of the story of how they found their people.

 Brogan Graham built a workout club roster of over 300,000 members around that joiner mentality. The founder of Outward Agency and king of community talks about what made it successful in this My Best Campaign podcast episode, but this is the number one thing he wishes other clubs would steal from the November Project model:

“Hosting a run club doesn’t really bring people together for that many minutes. Ten minutes at the beginning, five at the end… It’s not inclusive. November Project…found ways of staying audibly within shouting distance and encouraging distance. If you’re the slow kid in gym class, you can hide with us.”

Brogan calls it “shortcuts for togetherness.” Brands can’t actually take shortcuts to foster real inclusivity, but intentional, repeated efforts go a long way to building it. 

How do you decode what your audience cares about?

Running culture has a reputation for being a little obnoxious, and part of that is because runners simply will not shut up about it. Being in a group gives us even more chances to yap about upcoming races, our latest injury and the apparel we’re loving or hating (active brands, please get it together on the women’s shorts front…)

This is not unique to runners. Fan communities and subcultures have been spawning for centuries because humans are hardwired to share experiences—we want to talk about the things we enjoy, and we want to do more of them together. 

As the FIFA World Cup hits Canada, Mexico and the US, the athletic community that’s top of mind right now is soccer (or should I say, football). Vancouver is a host city, so I’ve got bookmark after bookmark of activations and viewing parties to check out—including Centre Court Kick-Off at Guildford Town Centre and live music at the new PNE Amphitheatre. 

Even though I’m not a regular season fan, the chance to gather IRL and the endorphin rush of cheering simultaneously at this scale feels pretty special—and if it’s anything like the collective energy of the 2010 Winter Olympics, it’s going to be a great excuse to talk to a ton of fútbol diehards, casual spectators, tourists and locals. 

Just like runners who won't shut up about their shins or hydration vests, World Cup fans are about to launch a public group chat of their own. The smart brands will be listening. Decoding what your audience cares about can happen through traditional brand R+D like focus groups and surveys, but at the core it just means paying attention to what they’re already venting about or obsessing over. The real question is:

How do brands join the conversation organically?

Your audience is forming opinions, and they’re talking about them with or without you. Brands need to tap into this kind of open-source market research and translate their learnings into action. This is what more marketers should be doing to join the conversation:

• Solve real problems. Spend less on swag bags (people are over this, FYI) or expensive ad buys and more on reducing actual barriers to entry. Subsidized gear loaning for an outdoor workshop or sponsored transportation to a match will earn more loyalty than co-branded swag ever could. 

• Listen online. Reddit is where the truly unfiltered feedback is happening—if you don’t already have this channel on your social listening dashboard, please add it immediately. Even better if you take cues from Durston Gear, whose founder routinely contributes to Subreddits. (But if your founder or your social team is strapped, a well-briefed agency is your community engagement secret weapon. We know people.)

• …And take it offline. The rise of spaces like The Offline Club tells us people are keen for a digital detox. Whether it’s hosting a phone-free longtable dinner or a Strava-free 5K, be the brand that normalizes human connection over tech—at least for an hour or two. 

• Make PR genuinely grassroots. If recent trends are telling us one thing, it’s that runfluencers are down and inner circle recs are up. Stop reserving all your PR boxes for elite influencers and get product into the hands of real people who will be real advocates.

• Be consistent. One-off events feel like obvious marketing tactics; a consistent drumbeat feels like brand values in action, which builds natural trust. I recently signed up for a Halfdays-sponsored hike because I’ve seen them do similar series (and post great content about it) for years, and I’m going to the Centre Court Kick-Off I mentioned because GTC has a stellar reputation for free community events.

Call it a cult or blame it on endorphins, but here’s what I know to be true: we all want to belong to something. I love running by myself, but what I love more is seeing firsthand how sports and movement give people so much—as Brogan puts it—togetherness. I got a DM recently from someone I haven’t seen in years, asking if I’d join her at a local brewery run club because she was nervous to go by herself. My brother and I suddenly have more in common; we celebrated both our birthdays this year by running together and swap gear tips nonstop.

Your audience is seeking out spaces to share the sports they love. Meet them there as more than a logo on a banner. Remove the barriers, show up consistently and prove that you’re listening. 

Community is the brand buzzword of recent years for a reason—competitors can copy your product or outspend your ads, but it’s a lot harder to earn the loyalty that comes with genuine human connection.

Want more ideas on how to reach your fans? Here’s a shortcut to connection.