SOCIAL MOVEMENT

Second only to a runner’s urge to put one foot in front of the other is the desire to do so with likeminded souls. The social aspect of our sport brings motivation, support and advice, and forges bonds that endure long after we take off our trainers. That’s why we gravitate to other runners, but what happens when some among running’s ever-evolving and increasingly broad demographic feel that they don’t fit in with a traditional running club? Answer: they start a running crew and do their own thing.

The idea of a crew began in 2004, when New Yorker Mike Saes organised nighttime runs over the East River into Brooklyn. They were unstructured, with exploration and community building as important as the actual running. They called themselves the Bridge Runners.

Soon, crews began popping up elsewhere. London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris all saw run crews arrive and thrive.

As the movement grew, what differentiated crews from clubs wasn’t just where, when or how they ran (in urban areas, often at night), but who was running. Frequently, they didn’t fit the traditional runner profile, though many took running very seriously. They were skateboarders, DJS, street artists. They had tattoos and piercings before everyone had tattoos and piercings. They were not necessarily white, not necessarily skinny and not necessarily straight.

Today, urban run crews abound, each with its own identity, each organising and drawing in new members via social media, but all united by a love of running, a defiant independence and a respect for individuality. On the following pages you’ll find profiles of six crews, a snapshot of a thrilling global scene. For more, check out runnersworld. co.uk/crews.