Name: Running booms as more Kiwis hit the pavement
Uploaded: 2025-01-03T08:22:36.000Z
Duration: 4 min 24 s
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Hundreds of eager runners hitting the pavement before the break of dawn.

This is the 445 Run Club where runners set off at 5am for a 40 minute run before returning back here at the Akaranga Yacht Club.

Adverbs of degree

The Auckland event's one of more than 10 held every Friday morning in locations across New Zealand, Australia, the UK and even New York City.

I started probably August last year and for me it's just like being around this environment of people is just a really great start to the day.

So it's kind of been a new thing for me but I've met so many new people, new friends through the running communities and all the different running groups that you can be a part of, it's a massive thing.

I always consider running is like a virus, you spread it and there you go, you start sending it and then your communities start growing.

The popular Run Club's just one of many that's seen a recent boom in numbers.

Around last August I'd say we really saw quite a bit of growth.

There'd be like 40 to 50 people showing up each week and then from October it will really boom.

We've had mornings where there's been like over 300 people showing up.

And it's not just these weekly get-togethers expanding, with record numbers of Kiwis flocking to race events up and down the country.

The Auckland Waterfront Half Marathon attracted 3,500 participants this year, just 300 short of its most ever.

And when I say lots of new faces I mean thousands and thousands of brand new runners, never seen them before.

It is cool, it's trendy to do a half I think.

It's the new marathon, right, in New Zealand, it's really the new cool thing to do and it's much more accessible for a lot of people as well.

A smaller investment of time which means you can have more fun, more community and then still get something really cool at the end of it.

Big name sports retailers like Rebel Sport have meanwhile seen a significant increase in sales of running shoes over the past 12 months.

More customers are also snatching up gear such as hydration belts and packs.

It comes amid a so-called running revolution on social media as running content trends on apps like Instagram and TikTok.

Social media is very, very important, especially with the community that run clubs are building.

I watch everybody at events nowadays getting very involved with taking the photos and the videos and telling the stories.

I think storytelling has been a really big thing.

We see things pop up on TikTok, on Instagram, everyone's reposting and sharing and then the next week new people will come along and they'll be like, oh I saw you on TikTok or I saw you on Instagram.

So I definitely think it's been a big part in the growth.

Meanwhile there's calls for those new to running to be aware of injuries.

Last year almost 13.5 new ACC claims were lodged for running-related injuries, up slightly on the year before.

January and February of this year saw just over 2,500 new claims lodged.

In some years there's close to 14,000 or there are over 14,000 running-related injuries.

In others it's around 13,000 and it kind of goes up, down, up, down.

The most I've seen so far is ankles and knees.

You get some hips sometimes and then some occasional lower backs or upper back pain.

But a lot of the times it's usually soft tissue injuries from knees and ankles.

There's a number of easy ways to prevent injury such as investing in a decent pair of shoes.

Another thing that's really important is some people once they get into running they want to do it all the time whereas it's actually much better for your body and even for your performance to take rest days.

But in the unfortunate case injury does strike.

So whether it's a physio, whether it's a podiatrist, whether it's a running coach.

Surround yourself with people who can give you the right amount of resources, the quality ones, that really will help you personalise your progress and your planning.

Simple steps to keep go-getters like these guys moving.

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