Why Running Is Becoming a Global Phenomenon

Runners scrolling through Instagram or TikTok encounter running apparel and Strava statistics.

Lotte van Leeuwen built an app and secured brand partnerships. She has nearly 400,000 followers and was early to the trend just before the latest running wave. “Acht jaar geleden begon ik met hardlopen en vanaf het eerste moment heb ik volgers daarin meegenomen,” she told De Gelderlander. “Al snel merkte ik dat het publiek heel nieuwsgierig was.”

Van Leeuwen began running eight years ago before the running wave. “Na corona zijn er enorm veel hardloopinfluencers bijgekomen,” she told De Gelderlander. “Achteraf gezien heb ik gewoon een goede timing gehad.”

“Door jouw video’s ben ik geïnspired en ben ik begonnen met lopen,” Van Leeuwen told De Gelderlander, citing messages from followers. Researchers Hidde Bekhuis and Maarten van Bottenburg attribute the popularity of runfluencers to the running hype. “Je kunt denk ik hoogstens spreken van een versnelling, maar de trend was al ingezet,” Bekhuis and Van Bottenburg stated.

Only four percent of participants consider sharing performance online important. “Dat was ook echt tegen mijn verwachting in,” Bekhuis told De Gelderlander. Younger runners’ reasons for running hardly differ from older runners.

Run clubs function as meeting spots for potential partners, according to Dublin City University researchers cited by Metronieuws.nl. Running alongside a group of strangers with a red face, a sweaty shirt, and being out of breath showcases traits like perseverance, activity, and energy. Running a ten-kilometer route requires genuine effort, and showing up every week demonstrates commitment.

Clubs offer social environments to combat loneliness without gym fees. “Je hoeft geen dure sportschool te betalen of een avond in de kroeg door te brengen,” Metronieuws.nl reported. Fixed schedules and routes foster connections, while drinking coffee or eating a croissant afterward draws attention alongside the fear of missing out.

A ten-kilometer run cannot be faked.

Radboud Hidde Bekhuis found that only four percent of participants care about etaluering online performances.

Researchers Hidde Bekhuis and Maarten van Bottenburg said that the popularity of runfluencers is more a consequence of the running hype than a cause of it. “Je kunt denk ik hoogstens spreken van een versnelling, maar de trend was al ingezet,” they said.