'3km Week 2', '5km Certification'... "I Don't Want to Be a Lonely Runner" [Cheongchun Report]

Running Popularity Rises Among 2030 Generation
Uploading SNS 인증샷 After Running
Local Governments Sanction Running Crew 'Minpae' Behavior

Recently, running has been gaining popularity among the 2030 generation. As the weather cools down, more people are starting outdoor exercise, and running is easy to start since it does not require special equipment. With the rise in running's popularity, it is not difficult to find people sharing their running records on social networking services (SNS). In particular, some actively join so-called 'running crews' that run in groups, but there are also voices of dissatisfaction regarding this.

Popularity of 'Running' in the City... Running Shoe Market Size Increases

[Image source=Pixabay]

Interest in running in urban areas continues to grow. According to a survey conducted last year by the market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor on 1,000 adult men and women about their 'preferred daily exercise,' 61.3% of respondents (multiple answers allowed) said they most preferred 'light outdoor exercises like jogging or running.' This seems to reflect a renewed interest in bodyweight exercises that are relatively low-cost and easy to try, instead of high-cost sports like golf and tennis that were popular during the COVID-19 period.

Park, a 28-year-old office worker who runs more than three times a week, said, "Now is the best weather for running. Running in the cool breeze feels refreshing, and while running, I can forget all the stress from work." He added, "If you gradually increase the distance, you can also experience a sense of accomplishment." He continued, "Recently, I ran 5km without stopping. Once I tasted that sense of achievement, I wanted to challenge myself to run longer distances."

The popularity of running has also brought attention to related products such as running shoes. According to the Korea Federation of Textile Industries and others, the domestic sneaker market size is about 4 trillion won. Among this, the running shoe market is estimated to have surpassed 1 trillion won. This is because the number of runners participating in marathons and office running clubs has increased. Last month, the style commerce platform Ably also announced that its athleisure category transaction amount increased by 495% compared to the same period last year as of August, with order volume and number of ordering customers increasing by 525% and 465%, respectively.

'Fun-running' Coined as a New Term... Popularity of 'Running Crews'

[Image source=Getty Images Bank]

As running's popularity continues, a new term 'fun-running' has emerged. Fun-runners focus on enjoying the act of running itself rather than improving their records. Especially with the spread of SNS culture, the number of fun-runners who certify their runs has increased. In fact, Instagram posts tagged with 'running' and 'runstagram' approach 3.7 million and 1.24 million, respectively.

Given this situation, the popularity of running crews, groups that run together, is also increasing. Since last year, Seoul City has been operating the '7979 (7 PM to 9 PM) Running Crew' program. It recruits about 60 participants weekly and has been conducting running programs throughout Seoul, with a cumulative total of over 2,700 participants. In particular, the number of participants increased from 329 in May last year to 898 in the same period this year, more than doubling.

Local Governments Take 'Special Measures' Against Running Crew Nuisance Behavior

However, recently, public perception of running crews has not been favorable. This is because crews block narrow pathways, hindering pedestrian traffic, or block roads to take 'certification shots,' causing nuisance behavior. Additionally, shouting at citizens enjoying walks to "move aside" or running as a group occupying all lanes of public sports grounds have also been problematic. Running with speakers playing music late at night has also been criticized.

As complaints from citizens continue, local governments are taking measures. Seocho-gu in Seoul has implemented usage rules from the 1st of this month restricting group running of five or more people at Banpo Comprehensive Sports Ground in Banpo 2-dong. The Banpo Comprehensive Sports Ground has five lanes, each 400m per lap, and has been a popular spot for running crews.

However, due to excessive noise and other complaints from running crews, Seocho-gu established rules requiring a minimum distance of 2 meters between runners on the track and banning running in groups of five or more.

Songpa-gu also hung banners requesting runners to refrain from running in groups of three or more on the Seokchon Lake walking trail, and Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province recommended that running crews refrain from entering the walking trail at Dongtan Lake Park.