Will the run club replace the pub? Why choose when both can help fight a deeper issue?

Run clubs vs pubs: the title of this article is likely to spark some debate. As a new wave of social fitness clubs and sober raves sweeps the nation, and more nightlife venues shut their doors for good, public opinion seems to be swaying in favour of a healthier approach to socialising.

But despite this boom in health-conscious events, and the fact I recently ditched drinking and ultimately feel better for it, I still feel the pub remains a British institution. As a fitness writer, I also love the gym, CrossFit and the various fitness communities I’m part of – that includes a couple of run clubs.

In the process of weighing up whether one social setting might soon replace the other and why, I stumbled across a bigger issue – one that the founders of pubs and run clubs were seeking to combat in their own ways: the issue of loneliness.

We live in a world that actively discourages us from interacting with others. High streets are declining in favour of online shopping and when we do venture to a store, we’re met with self-checkouts. Working from home is the proverbial “new normal”, and you can use public transport with zipped lips and a tap of your card.

Not that leaving the house is essential anymore. Whether you want a film or a fling, there’s an app for everything, and streaming services invariably ram takeaway ads down your throat.

Loneliness is worryingly common, with the Office for National Statistics reporting that one in four adults experience feelings of loneliness at least “some of the time”, and seven per cent feel lonely “often or always”. The pandemic has surely played its part in how isolated we’ve become as a nation, but given the UK appointed a minister for loneliness back in 2018, I’m not sure we can place the fault solely at Covid’s door.

In my eyes, run clubs and pubs can provide part of the antidote by encouraging us to leave the house, see other people and develop a sense of belonging. On that basis, can we really say that one is better than the other or that one might replace the other entirely?

How lonely is the UK?

According to data from the newly released Global Flourishing Study, Britain ranks among the poorest countries for “human flourishing”. The survey, which looked at the populations of 22 countries on six continents, rated the UK 20th based on levels of happiness, health and financial security. Of course, relationships with others and feelings of social isolation were an important factor in determining this score.

“I tend to liken loneliness to being hungry or thirsty,” says Professor Andrea Wigfield, a leading researcher and the co-director of the Campaign to End Loneliness. “Social interaction is an essential thing, and as a human being you need people around you.”

Transient (or temporary) loneliness is unpleasant, but it’s quickly fixed by reaching out to people, Wigfield says. The deeper issue lies in chronic loneliness, where you’re “lonely often and it’s persistent”.

Long-term loneliness has been linked to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as other conditions including cardiovascular disease and dementia.

“Through these various mechanisms, there’s a higher risk of mortality [or death] – you’ll have seen the research comparing it to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,” Wigfield tells me.

Older people and young adults are most likely to suffer chronic loneliness, data suggests. In recent years, the 16-29 bracket has consistently reported higher levels of loneliness than other age groups.

I’m 28 years old, placing me at the upper end of this demographic, and it’s easy to see why it might be so prevalent. Until the age of 21, I lived with people – first family, then housemates. Throughout this time, school, university and various sports clubs served me a smorgasbord of would-be friends.

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Then, at 22, my partner and I moved from Dorset to Brighton. We knew no one and, while we were lucky to have each other, you can’t form a social circle by joining just two dots. Without structures in place to introduce us to potential friends, we didn’t know where to find them.

“Every one of us at some point in our life is going to feel lonely because loneliness is triggered by life transition points,” Wigfield says. “That could be moving school, moving home, bereavement, retirement, becoming a carer or ceasing to become a carer. All these key moments in your life lead to a change in your social connections, and can lead to loneliness.”

During this period of my life, social media seemed to suggest people my age were permanently surrounded by a huge network of friends. Having access to others’ highlight reels in this way can be overwhelming and increase feelings of loneliness, explains Stephen Buckley, head of information at mental health charity Mind. But he encourages people to remember that “things aren’t always what they seem from the outside”.

“We often think that friends are just going to be there, but that’s not always the case,” Wigfield adds. “I think that’s where a lot of young people struggle at the moment; they see others on social media and they expect to have friends.” The solution, as prescribed by Wigfield, is to take things back to basics: “Reach out and connect with other people.”

I recently spent a day working from home alone. By lunchtime I felt flat; by 6pm transient loneliness had started to set in, making my head a less than pleasant place to be. At this point, I shut my laptop and started readying myself for the run club at my gym.

Within seconds of walking through the gym door, my silent streak was broken. Several familiar faces gave a wave and a cheery “hullo”, while another friend gave me a hug and asked how I’d been. I felt immediately and significantly better, and this trend continued throughout the hour-long session.

Despite being in the freezing cold with legs that turned to lead after a few kilometres, the camaraderie kept me going. Members cheered each other on, and there was a constant thrum of excited chatter in the brief intermissions between lung-busting efforts. By the end I was socially sated, and enjoying the bonus perk of having a wave of feel-good endorphins whizzing around my body.

Buckley says this is symptomatic of a run club member. Exercise can boost mood and reduce feelings of stress and anger, alongside its well-documented physical benefits, he tells me. It also provides opportunities to meet new people, helps manage mental health problems and forces you into the great outdoors.

“The colours, sounds and smells can provide a welcome distraction, allowing us to switch off from everyday pressures,” he says.

I’ve seen people roll their eyes at the rise of run clubs in recent years, and many will have scrolled past this feature with a groan. But I can’t help but feel their disparagement is misplaced.

If a group delivers the physical perks of exercise and the mental health benefits of a social setting, surely it’s a positive thing? This is particularly true if younger generations are turning their back on nights out. In the eyes of experts like Wigfield, interaction is a human need, so social alternatives are a must.

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Is the pub on its way out?

Now I realise that, as a fitness writer, I’m inclined to enjoy gyms and run clubs more than the average person – exercise is a hobby for me rather than an obligation. And while I’ll always sing the praises of movement for mental, physical and emotional health, Wigfield makes it clear that battling loneliness isn’t a purely physical pursuit.

“The way I like to think about [fighting] loneliness is by talking about creating meaningful relationships,” she tells me. “Meaningful relationships with other people, meaningful relationships with places and spaces around you, and meaningful relationships with yourself. Those meaningful relationships are essential for human beings. Obviously we’re all different and some people will need more of that human connection than others, but we all need some.”

For this reason, she prescribes any activity that brings people together, be that running, music, singing, eating or otherwise. The key is having a central point of connection.

This is also why I’m not keen to celebrate one form of social enrichment over any other. Yes, I love to exercise, but I believe it should be accessible and fun, not exclusive or connected to some moral high ground. Playing padel with friends or joining a running club doesn’t make you a better person than someone who prefers the pub – both have their merits for mental health. Healthy social events and activities may be on the rise, and I approve of that, but we still need other social spaces like pubs and clubs.

Despite the fact that I don’t drink, I headed to the pub with friends at the weekend after my chat with Wigfield. I was there with people I knew, but I also found myself having chats with people at the bar, around the TV screen showing the football and even briefly at the urinals.

A chef warned there would be a delay on food, holding up a badly bandaged hand in explanation, and the barman laughed at my partner for several minutes when she asked for a latte. By the time I left, my cheeks housed deep divots from laughing and I had a raft of new stories in my back pocket – any thoughts of loneliness were off the radar.

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Combatting loneliness

Wigfield explains that chronic loneliness can change our perception of others, making it harder to socialise.

“If you’ve been lonely for a long time and someone smiles or says hello to you in the street, you’re more likely to see that in a negative way. That changes your behaviour, so when you walk past people you might look away rather than looking at them. There tends to be a spiral with chronic loneliness and it’s harder to get out of.”

After spending plenty of time trying to figure things out following my move to Brighton, I was fortunate to meet some amazing people through work, sports clubs and the gym. But these relationships didn’t just happen, as social media suggested they might – I had to push outside my comfort zone to find them, then work to maintain them.

Run clubs provide a container of sorts for friendships to germinate, in the same way your local bar or pub might. They streamline the socialising process and set us up for success, providing a powerful potential tonic to chronic loneliness.

Both run clubs and pubs provide a sense of belonging to a place, and connection to the people there, Wigfield says. By talking to others, you’re also more likely to receive positive messages and build a better sense of connection to yourself.

Running naturally offers the bonus benefits of exercise, both physically and hormonally, but for combatting loneliness she struggles to pick a winner. “The mechanisms are different, but I don’t see one as more beneficial than the other; it just depends on the individual and what you like to connect to,” concludes Wigfield.

It’s also important to recognise that, if you’re feeling lonely, there are other options on the table. “The most important thing is to find a type of activity you love and can stick with,” concludes Buckley. “A run club might be best for you if you like running socially with others, but it’s okay if you try it and it’s not the right fit. Don't feel that you have to stick with something that's not working for you – you're much more likely to keep doing it if it's fun.”

In my mission to discern whether the pub might soon be replaced by groups of social runners, I learned a few important things – 

Tips from mental health charity Mind

Mind has several helplines available for advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem:

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