Meet the man who invented Run Club

21 years ago, NYC Bridge Runners became the first run crew on the planet, and its inspirational founder Mike Saes has been the figurehead we need from the very start

Run clubs. Boy, oh boy, are they in the news these days. Blocking traffic, alternative speed dating, filling bars and ruining them for the non-running patrons. They’re hot topics, and exponentially increasing numbers of people are trying to join or create a run club. Some say too many.

In a time when more people are working remotely, however, and more of those third spaces I like to talk about – parks, bars, places of worship, libraries – are either disappearing from our neighborhoods or are too expensive to frequent too often, run clubs offer a place outside of home and work to socialize and build community. Run clubs have become more and more important.

Last week, at The Running Event in Austin, Texas, I had the distinct honor of sitting down with the man who invented run clubs: Mike Saes, founder of NYC Bridge Runners.