Shane Tan is Making Running Social 

A few weeks ago, my colleague traded his usual solo run for a run with a group of people he had never met before. The run itself was nothing unusual — he runs regularly anyway. But what came after was an ice bath, new friends and the chance to try something he probably would not have done on his own. He came back talking about the people he’d met, the things he’d tried and wondering about when the next one was happening.

This was his first run with Easy Pace* Run Club. The second came sooner than expected, almost by chance.

He was invited to a media run session by Hoka, where he found himself within the Easy Pace community again. There was a new pair of running shoes to try — and bring home — and a run to join. The shoes were, of course, a media perk, but the second run confirmed something else: He had found a group he wanted to run with again.

It was a small example of how run clubs and brands are increasingly intersecting. Run clubs are nothing new, but their popularity is increasing rapidly, and brands are beginning to see them less as just groups of people who run together and more as communities built around a shared interest — and hence a natural place for brands to introduce products and experiences.

Before Easy Pace became part of that ecosystem, it was simply a way for founder Shane Tan to relieve the stress of his then nine-to-five job. Two years ago, he put up an Instagram Story asking if anyone wanted to join him for a run, with the Red Dot Design Museum as the meeting point. Four people showed up.

He did it again. Then again. For the third run, 120 runners turned up — one of Easy Pace’s biggest runs to date. Today, Tan caps the number of runners for crowd and safety control, although that cap can increase when Easy Pace collaborates with brands.

Why join a run club when running can so easily be done alone? As running soars in popularity, more people are picking up the sport, but newbies can find it hard to make decisions about distance and pace. “They don’t know what pace is sustainable for 5K,” says Tan. Some are also looking for a running partner, for company or simply because they don’t feel comfortable running alone.

That is where Easy Pace comes in. You don’t have to figure everything out yourself. Someone has already worked out the route, the pace, the date, time and location —and all you have to do is show up. “You don’t have to worry about how fast to run,” says Tan. “Just come and join us, and we will get you to run your first 5K. We’re beginner-friendly.” 

Easy Pace has since grown beyond getting people to show up and helping beginners find their pace. The club now has a team of pacers and a regular schedule catering to different levels of fitness and run types, from Social Runs, described as a “5K at a conversational pace”, to Easy Ovals, “track intervals for all abilities”, and Easy Distance, an “8-12K, long and slow” run. These are part of the club’s five base runs, each assigned to a fixed day or two each month so runners can plan their schedules around them. Exact locations and timings are announced through its Telegram channel.

The choice of Telegram is perhaps the first clue as to who Easy Pace is talking to: Gen Z. Tan says many of its runners are looking to improve themselves physically while finding like-minded people who share an interest in casual fitness. With almost 5,000 subscribers, the channel has become the club’s announcement board, covering everything from regular runs to upcoming collaborations.

And there have been plenty. From an eight-week training series with New Balance to weekend morning social runs that end with free sandwiches and coffee, collaborations have become another way for Easy Pace to give its runners more than just a place to run. There have also been fresher formats, including a Date Night Run with Coffee Meets Bagel and Conscious Clubbing, where a run ends with drinks at Nova Bar. Tan has also worked with Sony Pictures for the premiere of its live-action film Masters of the Universe, with a 6K run featuring themed costumes and challenge stations. 

At its core, the idea is simple: make fitness a little more fun and a lot more social. For people who want to stay active but need that extra motivation to keep going, having somewhere to turn up with things organised for you can make all the difference. 

The regular Easy Pace runs remain free to join. But as the community grew, so did the resources needed to keep it running. Brand collaborations have helped Tan bring in the support needed to organise bigger events and create more experiences for the community. “So it’s no longer just a run and go home,” says Tan, who has noticed higher sign-ups when a brand collaboration comes in to provide more curated activities and a stronger social element.

Still, the collaborations are only one part of Easy Pace. For its regular runs, the bigger challenge is simply maintaining the quality of the experience and making sure everyone has a good time. Tan points out that everyone — the social, performance and production team in the club — plays their part. “The run club is not fully mine. It belongs to every single one of them,” he says.

For anyone who wants to start running but doesn’t know where to begin, or is worried about being unable to keep up, Tan has some advice: “A real runner will never make fun of you for running slowly. It’s only those people who are not actually running who will judge you. All you have to do is to take the first step.”

And if you’re thinking of taking that first step, it might help to have the right shoes. Tan’s picks? “Adidas EVO SL or New Balance Rebel.”