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Running is enjoying a boom in popularity in the UK, with a report by SportsShoes suggesting almost one in six of the UK population say they run outdoors at least once a month.

Leading the running trend are Gen Z (28%) and Millennials (30%), who are looking to lead a more active lifestyle than previous generations.

Several running clubs now encourage social, active lifestyles around the country, encouraging participation in running around the country.

James Moles, a running coach at Longford Athletics Club, has seen the boom first hand, he said: “It doesn’t have to be about racing anymore, it can be about the social side.

“So when we think about parkrun and these new run clubs popping up everywhere, their numbers are huge, and particularly among younger generations.

“A lot of places now have a coffee van, which is heaving after the race.

“They’re building communities rather than just a running club, and I think that’s why people are gravitating towards them.”

Also building these communities are influencers such as Mary McCarthy (300,000 followers) and Alistair Almond (405,000 followers), who have picked up sponsorship deals along the way.

Influencers such as these have helped propelled running back into the mainstream.

James sees this as a blessing, and a curse in running:

“The challenges are two-fold, I think people are seeing influencers entering a marathon and thinking ‘I could do that’, not recognising how hard it is to train for that kind of event.

“The other issue is lots of races used to be owned by running clubs, but now it’s become very commercial, so the cost of entering a race has gone through the roof.”

Parkrun is the biggest out of these all running clubs, with 1,406 races taking place around the country every weekend.

The report suggests these clubs has increased in popularity by 2% from the previous year.

James has been running a Parkrun for ten and a half years. He said:

“We had about 350 people, which dropped to 200, and around the pandemic started to grow to 500.

“We’ve had to be really mindful of local residents now because of the demand.

“Last Saturday our final finisher was an hour and five, so it goes to show people of all abilities are welcome now.”

The report, which surveyed 5,000 people, ranks Manchester fifth for cities chasing the adrenaline rush, with 19% of residents classing themselves as runners.

Only Belfast (24%), London (22%), Birmingham (20%) and neighbours Liverpool (20%) are more active than Manchester.

He said: “It’s become a hugely social thing, with people linking it in with going for a coffee, which makes it a really nice activity to go out and do.

“Equally, I think because of the cost of living, people are looking at activities they can do for free.”

Unsurprisingly, the report suggests just under a third of runners do it to improve fitness levels (37%), but people also said running they feel benefits such as: better sleep (30%), improved mental health (32%) and to take time away from devices (17%).

The biggest challenges runners face remains a lack of motivation (24%), lack of time (14%) and even the weather (20%).

Concerns for women remain around safety, with more 72% of women feeling unsafe, compared to 60% of men.

Manchester ranks fifth on cities where runners feel most unsafe, below Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham and London.

With many young people choosing fitness over alcohol, they have turned to run clubs to find community.

Running has enjoyed most of this growth, along with attending the gym or exercise classes such as Yoga.

James said: “I think my generation used to smoke, and drink heavily, and this generation is realising that actually those days of waking up on a Sunday and being able to get up is actually a waste of a day, and it’s not doing your health any good.

“People are becoming much more active, and conscious of their mental health.”