'A lovely way to socialise': Meet the Cork running club that wraps up each run with a pastry

We tend to exercise more and push ourselves further when we’re part of a group that makes time to socialise. All the more reason to join the fast-growing Croissant Run Club, which has a 5k limit

Fri, 12 Jan, 2024 - 15:59

Emily Crowley

Picture the scene: Your running app is sending you passive-aggressive notifications along the lines of, “don’t forget your run today!”

You swipe to clear the notification, feeling a tinge of guilt because you promised yourself that in the new year, you would definitely take up running and stick to it.

But what if you took a more community-based approach to running? And what if you used running to socialise rather than going for a new best time or a podium position at an upcoming race?

A new phenomenon has been gaining worldwide momentum with people running for exactly that reason.

The Croissant Run Club (CRC) has gained a lot of online traction, with participants meeting at the weekend, running no more than 5k, and crossing the ‘finish line’ at the door of a cafe or bakery for a croissant, coffee, and chat.

During the summer, having seen the CRC gain momentum in a few locations across Ireland, I contacted its founder, online personal trainer and fitness influencer Tara Gallagher about setting up a CRC in Cork city.

After Gallagher emailed me a comprehensive welcome pack on what is entailed as a host, CRC Cork City was up and ‘running’ a few days later.

Since its establishment in July 2023, each week has seen strong turnouts, with participants ranging from Cork natives joining with their pals to others who had just moved to the area and hoping to meet new people. The group meets at the multi-purpose venue, the Marina Market, and the current route takes runners in along the quays, through the city centre and finishing up on Washington St, where they are greeted with a range of sublime pastries, cakes, and treats, as well as plenty of coffee and drink options at The Grumpy Bakers.

It’s approximately 3k (CRC community guidelines stipulate that the route be no longer than 5k), and all fitness levels are catered to, with all genders, ages, and abilities welcomed every week. The runs are always free to attend, but participants are asked to cover the costs of their food and drink. As the group jogs along, participants get to know each other, discussing topics such as where they’re from, what they do for work, where they went to college, and, as happens more often than not in Cork, who they know in common.

Those who come with friends/partners might use the time to catch up on their week, and those who come alone make new friends in jig time. For non-locals (some members are from as far away as New Zealand), participating is a means to settle into the city; they can learn about the best restaurant to bring visiting family members to, get tips on where to go on a day trip at the weekend or more simple things, like where is the best place to get furniture and bedding for the room they just moved into.

Emily Crowley of Croissant Run Club, Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins

Buzzing afterwards

The CRC is one of Gallagher’s “biggest blessings, but it was also an accident”.

“It blew up very quickly. I didn’t expect that, but I also think run clubs have just blown up in general,” says the Fermanagh native who originally trained as a radiographer.

While working in London, she started the run club with her friend Caireann (‘Caz’), on January 22, 2023.

“I texted her, ‘Hey, do you want to go for a croissant?’ [and followed up with] ‘It’s only 1.5k away’. We just ran it ... and chatted the whole way. We wouldn’t call ourselves runners … but we were buzzing after,” she says. “Then every week, we would meet on Sundays and do the same thing. And because I had my Instagram page, I was sharing it all on there and people were [asking], ‘Where is the CRC going next week?’

“So that’s where it started, kind of by accident.”

Having moved back to Fermanagh from London as a stop-off before moving to Australia, where she now lives, Gallagher brought the CRC to her hometown. However, she found it harder to get locals on board with the idea of a run club.

“One of the hardest things I found at home was breaking down the barriers of a small village and getting [runners] there,” Gallagher says, adding that she was keen to encourage any locals interested in joining that they could “all do this together” as a rural location would ordinarily be seen as “somewhere where it might not be as accepted”.

But fast forward a few months, and now there are nearly 30 other CRCs worldwide. Explaining that her “passion lies in the community side of” the run club, Gallagher is keen to make the CRC as accessible as possible to everyone.

“The point of the run club is to keep it open so anyone can do it. That’s why the guidelines are to keep it under 5k because there are so many running clubs out there. And what I love about our club is that it’s not a ‘traditional’ running club — anyone can put their trainers on and go out for a run, and there are no restraints.

“Once you go past the 5k mark, it becomes a run more than a social thing.”

She also points out that for her or anyone else involved, it’s not about making money. “It’s free, so there’s no money barriers ... or you’re just taking part in an event that you just show up, run together, eat together, and go.”

And while proud to see how far the run club has come in her hometown, Gallagher can turn her attention to the CRC in her new home away from home, Sydney. With a strong ex-pat community there, the club enjoys a turnout of between 70 to 120 participants each week. The club runs in a park, stopping at a cafe which “knows we’re coming and puts on extra pastries for us”.

Strength in numbers

They say if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go further, go together.

However, a 2021 joint study by Dr Pádraig MacCarron and Dr Allan Davis from the University of Limerick and Dr Emma Cohen from Oxford University found you could potentially run further and also faster in a social setting (exa.mn/ParkrunStudy).

“We were trying to see if we could identify people who ran socially and if they would run better,” explains MacCarron, who collated the data for the study. “People who said they were more social or were running to meet people, generally felt it was a lot less effort to run, and on average they had better times.”

But what’s the science behind this? Davis explains: “When we get cues that we are in a supportive or cohesive environment, it relaxes the protective brakes of pain and fatigue that we feel when we exercise.

“Those [brakes] evolved to protect our body, so when we get these signals that we are actually safe and supported, and that our body can recover from the exercise and do it safely, then these protective brakes are lifted, and it allows our bodies to do a bit more.”

It all goes back to how we developed as a species, he says. “We evolved to live in very small, tightly knit groups, and so when we get cues that we are part of this group, it changes the way our bodies function. When we are socially isolated, the body is a bit more conservative, a bit more careful, so it will be more sensitive to pain, and people feel more fatigued when they’re isolated. But when we get a cue to being socially integrated, the body becomes a bit less conservative, and in the context of exercise, that means less fatigue, less discomfort, and sometimes greater outputs.”

A runner himself, MacCarron says, “there’s a psychological push that ‘if he can do it, I can probably do it as well’.”

In Cork, participants are finding a range of positive aspects of being a CRC runner.

“As someone who is still relatively new to Cork city, the CRC has been a great way to meet people in the area with a similar interest,” says Wicklow native Kim Bartak. “It’s been really cool to see how much the group has grown since my first run in September.”

Flor Cooper, from Kerry, says, “it’s a really fun and informal way of meeting people, while also doing a bit of exercise. And it’s usually like-minded people who don’t take exercise too seriously.”

He adds that “it’s like an outlet from the more strenuous or intentional training that people do — it’s just a fun event basically, and you can get croissants at the end which is always a good shout”.

Sarah O’Mahony, from Douglas, Cork, agrees.

“It’s a lot easier, on a weekend morning, to go for a run knowing that it’s such a supportive group going with you.

“And obviously, while the croissant at the end is great motivation, it’s also a lovely way to socialise.”

See @thecroissantrunclub on Instagram

Warm-up

With the weather still incredibly cold, it’s important to warm up properly. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Gallagher suggests doing the following before heading off for your croissant.

Jog on the spot — for 20-30 seconds.
High knees — 10 each leg
Flutter kicks (or ‘bum kicks’) — 10 each leg
Hip openers — 10 repetitions in both directions
Straight-leg kicks — 10 each leg

Parkruns

The research by UL and Oxford University was conducted on participants of Parkruns, which has enjoyed massive popularity over the past number of years. Health insurance provider Vhi rewards participants if they download the Parkrun app. So if there is no CRC in your area, the Vhi Parkrun initiative is worth checking out.

Men’s group

Readers may be familiar with the achievements of Corkman Conor O’Keeffe. The ultra-endurance athlete has many sporting triumphs under his belt — including Project 32, where he ran 32 marathons in 32 days in 32 counties with 32lbs on his back in 2022. He is also the founder of Crúman, a community aimed at men that prioritises mental and physical health while exploring the outdoors.

Keep an eye on its Instagram page @cruman.ie for updates.