In 2024, Owen Akhibi moved from London to New York for his job in algorithmic trading sales at JPMorgan. He wanted a social circle that did not revolve around the city’s nightlife, so he did something simple: he started a free run club, Peak and Pace.
According to HR Katha, the club drew more than 30,000 attendees to its events in 2025. The regular runs stayed free. The club earned its money elsewhere, through ticketed parties and organised trips such as hikes and ski weekends, bringing in over $640,000 (about ₹6.1 crore) in a year.
The money makes the headline, but it is not the lesson. The lesson is how ordinary the beginning was: one person, one time, one place, and an open invitation that repeated every week.
Why a Free Weekly Club Works
Most attempts to make friends as an adult fail on logistics, not on willingness. People are busy, plans drift, and “let’s meet sometime” rarely becomes a date in the calendar. A club removes most of that friction.
- The same time and place every week. Nobody has to negotiate a plan. If you miss one, you know exactly when the next one is.
- Free and low-pressure. There is no fee to justify and no skill test to pass. Walking, jogging and running at different paces can all fit in one group.
- The activity does the talking. Running side by side is easier than sitting across a table from a stranger. Conversation starts on its own and has a natural end.
- Showing up again is the point. Familiar faces turn into friends because people meet repeatedly, not because the first meeting was perfect.
The Same Idea Works in Bengaluru and Gurgaon
Indian cities already have the ingredients. Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park and Lalbagh fill with runners and walkers every morning. In Gurgaon, the Aravalli Biodiversity Park and Leisure Valley Park have their regular early crowds. Many of those people run alone, often because they do not know anyone running at their pace or time.
A club gives them a reason to come together: “Sunday 6 AM, Cubbon Park main gate, easy 5 km, every week.” That single sentence is enough to start.
A club is not a big event. It is a small promise that repeats.
How to Start Your Own Club
- Pick a time you can keep for six weeks. Consistency matters more than the perfect slot. Early weekend mornings work well for most people.
- Choose a public, easy-to-find meeting point. A park gate, a landmark or a well-known café nearby.
- Make it beginner-friendly. Say the distance and the pace. “All paces welcome” brings more people than a target time.
- Keep it free. A free club is easy to say yes to. Anything paid can come later, if the group ever wants it.
- Turn up even if only two people come. Every large club began with a few people who kept coming back.
The same playbook works beyond running: a weekend cycling club, a Saturday founders’ coffee, a Sunday walk for people who just moved to the city.
How AldSocial Helps You Run a Club
AldSocial gives a club a home without turning it into a WhatsApp group full of strangers’ phone numbers.
- Recurring plans: set your club to repeat every week, so people always see the next one.
- Host approval: people ask to join and you decide who comes.
- Chat inside the plan: coordinate the meeting point and timings in one place.
- Privacy First: your phone number and email aren’t shown to other members.
A Word About Money
Peak and Pace earns from optional, ticketed extras while its runs stay free. If a club you find anywhere asks for money, make sure you know who is asking and what it pays for. AldSocial does not verify clubs, claims or payment requests, and does not handle payments: do not pay anyone you do not know, and never share bank or card details in a chat.
Start a Club This Weekend
Pick a time, a place and an activity you enjoy. Make it weekly. The first few people are all it takes.
Start a Run Club
