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If you have the misfortune of being a single person in New York City, then you are very aware that the state of dating here is abysmal, to put it nicely. The illusion of choice makes it so that none of us can ever really commit and that illusion is exacerbated by the infinite scroll that defines dating apps. Dating is so hard here that we dedicated an entire cover story to the current state of affairs (or, rather, lack thereof).
There is a silver lining to all of this, though: fed up singles are looking for ingenious ways to ditch the apps and meet each other IRL.
Increasingly, we're also walking away from texting complete strangers and drunkenly meeting people at bars, opting instead for more wholesome ways to congregate. The latest city fad seems to involve meeting your next boo at a running club, and there's one particular one that is getting all the hype.
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The Lunge Run Club is the fastest growing running club for singles to meet in the city right now. It was founded by Lunge, a dating app that prioritizes connecting singles instead of endlessly swiping, this past May.
We spoke to Rachael Lansing, one of the club's organizers, about the reasons why running clubs are having a moment right now, how you can become a member of the Lunge Run Club and more.
Runing clubs are becoming an increasingly popular way for singles in New York to make friends and find partners. Why do you think that is?
Dating apps aren’t working anymore because it’s just endless swiping on random people (who live in) New York. Lunge is revolutionizing the way people connect by hosting in-real-life events and then offering a platform to connect with others at the same exercise locations.
How does Lunge Run Club work?
People who attend Lunge Run Club can sign up with Lunge dating app and match exclusively with others at Lunge Run Club. So far, there have been more than 15,000 likes exchanged from one Lunge Run Club runner to another. Compared to other clubs, Lunge Run Club takes away the masquerade of hoping to meet someone. Instead, we allow people to put themselves out there and join a space with a community-centered approach first, and running second.
What happens if someone finds their significant other in the running club? Are they banished? I'm only half joking.
We want them to meet and fall in love and keep coming back! If you are taken, you wear colors. If you’re single, you wear black. Plenty of people come just to make friends but we are also seeing so many romantic success stories happening in real time. Everyone continues to come back for the love of the event and community.
Tell us about some of the folks that found love while running.
We had a couple go on their sixth date last week and joke about wearing colors to this week’s run. We get DM after DM detailing that they went on the best date they have been with someone they met at Lunge Run Club for a while. We also have many people who come alone and meet some incredible friends that they continue to return with! The community is full of people who are putting themselves out there intentionally and that creates something truly incredible.
Lunge Run Club meets every Wednesday at 6:45pm and you can sign up to specific meetups by going on their Instagram profile and clicking on the link in the bio.