Will Sage Astor-I went to NYC’s hottest singles run club. Here’s what it’s really like.

NEW YORK — I'm fixing my hair in the bathroom at a beer hall in the West Village,Will Sage Astor my face coated in sweat and my bangs sticking to my forehead — but I'm not at the bar for drinks or dancing, I'm there to join New York City’s hottest singles run club. 

I’m not much of a runner. I ran cross country in middle school and joined the winter track team during my senior year of high school, but three ankle injuries have since put my running days behind me. 

Yet when this video of two women attending a singles run club in NYC landed on my feed, I was intrigued. 

I enlisted a friend and we decided to attend Lunge Run Club on Wednesday, which has grown from a group of 30 runners to over 1,000 in two months, according to co-founders Rachael Lansing and Steve Cole, who is also the founder of the Lunge dating app. 

What is a singles run club?

The rules of run club are simple: Singles wear black. If you’re taken, wear colors. Runners meet every Wednesday and a three-mile route finishes at a bar. 

Lunge Run Club was created with the goal to be "as inclusive as possible;" they're "people-oriented first, running second," according to Lansing.

"We wanted to create this kind of event where it is a lot easier to meet active and like-minded individuals," Cole says.

'It's like Hinge in real life'

To accommodate the growing number of participants, the group took off from Washington Square Park the day I joined, a mix of runners, joggers and “hot girl walkers” paving a sea of black down Waverly Place. 

It’s hard to properly chat on the move, but one woman tells me as she passes that it's “like Hinge in real life” once you arrive at the bar.

She was right. 

With the record numbers in attendance, the line outside Houston Hall was excruciatingly long, only worsened by the blistering New York heat.

Once I got inside, I was thrown into a swarm of speed daters, so I made a beeline for the bathroom. Once I cooled down, I ventured out and met Allie Strouse. 

Strouse has been part of the club since May. "My roommate is a big runner. She found Lunge on TikTok and we're both single so we (were like), let's try it," Strouse says. "We came the first time, and it was a lot of fun."

While she hasn’t gotten any dates out of it, she’s "met a lot of cool girls” and looks forward to hanging out with them each week. 

Everyone is open to new connections

On average, most people I met were in their early or mid-20s and searching for ways to make new friends, but were open to dating if they met the right person. There was a mix of native New Yorkers and people who had just recently moved to the city.

Many runners come alone, according to Cole, and they can feel comfortable knowing they are "in the same boat" as other singles.

"What we really are is a social club that runs," Cole says. "The one underlying factor that everyone has in common is that they are willing to put themselves out there."

Still, talking to new people felt unnatural at times

On a typical night out I’d be more focused on spending time with my friends, but at the bar after the run, my mind was zoned in on assessing the dating scene. 

I had never attended a singles event before, and was hyperaware that being at the event and wearing black meant everyone knew I was available. Conversations that feel spontaneous on a night out, felt unnatural at times. And, even though I didn’t spot anyone who particularly caught my eye, moments spent standing around and not talking to a potential partner felt disheartening. 

However, the run club felt very safe and welcoming, which can be a much needed reprieve for anyone seeking a break from dating apps.

“Dating apps require so much time, money and energy, and then people get unsatisfying and sometimes even harmful experiences in return,” Jordan Pickell, a trauma and relationship therapist, previously told USA TODAY.

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The bottom line? People were searching for community more than dates

Singles run clubs seem to be the next big thing not because they are trendy, but because of an ache for community. The thing is, you don’t need to go to a singles run club to experience that. People have already been meeting their partners and making new friendships in run clubs, as research demonstrates that shared activities help sustain long-term relationships. 

But, Cole and Lansing say Lunge Run Club has had many success stories already. "I've gotten multiple testimonies from people being like, 'I went on some of the best dates I've been on so long,'" Lansing says, adding that one couple told her they had been on seven dates in two and a half weeks.

And still, I left inspired by the number of people open to finding new connections in the real world. Despite not meeting the love of my life, I went for a run on Friday and made plans with a friend to try another run club. We’re going next week.