Do running clubs give daters a leg up? I dont think so

Get off the apps, and lace up the Hokas.Rumor has it, your next romantic partner will be found huffing and puffing as you jog alongside them.That’s not quite what I found, in this second installment of Harrison’s (mis-)adventures in dating.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story Others, though, seemed to take the opportunity — and the whole talking-while-exerting thing — in stride.The moment I set foot in the crowded parking lot on Dell Avenue where the Venice Running Club convenes for their weekly 4.5-mile “Mobbin Wednesday” loop, I had an eerie feeling.To me, this wasn’t a dating scene.It was the reincarnation of high school track practice.I’ve been running for a long time.

I was the worst guy on varsity cross country in high school, and I ran club nationals in college.In adulthood, I’ve settled into the habit of running a couple half marathons a year (as well as the sadistic twilight Dodgers Foundation 10K, whose steep hills in the darkness truly puts the “ravine” in Chavez Ravine).The thing about high school track practice was that it was fun in the moment.

But like most people, I really have no desire to relive the feeling of locker rooms and sweaty makeout sessions with braces at homecoming dances in the gym.But plenty of people have used the running club system as a dating pool — often, to infamous results.The unfortunately named Rawdawg Run Club in Austin — with the motto, “sexy faces and sexy paces” — notoriously became a community menace, attracting upward of 800 shirtless dudes and scantily-clad gals on run days.The group, accused of disorderly conduct and operating without a permit, was banned by the Texas capital in 2024.Time magazine recently argued that some run clubs in places as far afield as Lisbon, Portugal, had be...