Group running can be more fulfilling that running alone

A running community can help you to be accountable and focused. When you feel you are too busy with work or school, it provides a platform to check in with one another and maintain discipline.

While some might argue that such support is unnecessary, the same can't be said of runners who are either new to the sport, or who see running as a long-term undertaking to improve and maintain fitness.

You will also have a safe space in which to grow without being impeded by fears of inadequacy, where you can receive feedback and well-intentioned advice to improve your running.

A runners' community allows everyone to journey together through training, injury and races.

Lessons learnt and shared help members avoid repeating the growing pains. Your friends will also be the ones who constantly help you discover and rediscover your aptitude for running, by being your pillar of support and motivation.

As you build on each other's experiences through the highs and lows, it creates a tapestry of memories that enrich and elevate the running experience.

Being in a group helps to redirect and drive the group's purpose outwards, towards the community and people around us.

Recently, I got to know a group who come together to run every Saturday. Eventually, they started asking themselves what more they could do with their time and love of being active and outdoors.

This sparked an interest in volunteering (to assist children with cancer) after their training sessions.

They were able to look beyond their group's needs and serve the needs of another community, through simple acts of planning games that helped these ill children be more active. One of them mentioned that Saturdays were "deeply satisfying" as a result.

While every group is likely to identify with its own sense of purpose and motivation, they are all bound by their love of running.

posted Monday June 24th
by Jed Senthil