Are Run and Raves the new clubbing?

The short version

On Wednesday 7 October, four days before München Marathon, more than 200 runners from nine Munich run clubs met at das Karls on Sonnenstraße: Run and Chill, NymphenRuns, Kinto Running Club, SOYL, Founders Running Club, Latin Crew, No PB Run Club, pure. movement and beatletics. We ran 8 km through the dark with glow sticks and two DJ bikes, came back to the club and danced on protein shakes until 22:30.

It was the biggest run we have ever put on. All 200 spots sold out, 78 people were still on the waiting list, and yes, we would do it again tomorrow. Maybe with a spare cable this time ;)

Nine clubs, one start line

We organised the evening together with NymphenRuns, and seven more clubs joined in: Kinto Running Club, SOYL, Founders Running Club, Latin Crew, No PB Run Club, pure. movement and beatletics.

Munich has a lot of run clubs, and normally everyone does their own thing on their own evening. Putting all of us on one street at the same time felt a bit like a school reunion, except that everybody actually wanted to be there.

Mizuno made the whole thing possible. Runners got a free event tee and could test Mizuno's newest shoes on the run. The tee says LET'S RUN MUC, the letters are filled with the Munich street map and all nine club logos sit underneath. There were neon markers at das Karls, so plenty of people coloured in their own shirt. Nobody stayed inside the lines.

First a panel, then a run

Before anyone tied a shoe, we hosted a marathon panel at das Karls. Mizuno's community lead and I asked each expert a question or two, and then the room took over:

• Benedikt Jany, Mizuno athlete, on pacing strategy and what years of racing teach you
• Peter M. Gottwald, founder of SmartRunning, running coach for more than 20 years and World Athletics course measurer, so he knows exactly how long 42.195 km really is
• Julia Rieger of Tough Cookies Running, running coach and trail runner, on getting to the start line in one piece
• Ralph Damrau, Wim Hof Method instructor and Oxygen Advantage coach, engineer, dad of two and a runner since his youth, on breathing and pre-race nerves
• PD Dr. Daniel Berthold, associate professor and medical director at OrthoCenter München, on the niggles that love to show up in race week
• Julia Cetin, sports psychologist at sportmental, on nerves, doubt and the mental side of race week

How to start, when to hold back and what to do when it gets hard at kilometre 35. Useful stuff to hear four days before a marathon, and a lot cheaper than finding out yourself.

8 km, two DJ bikes and one broken cable

The plan was simple: two DJs on two cargo bikes, music from the front of the group to the back, 8 km at a relaxed pace of about 6:30 per kilometre, through the city and along the Isar, then back to das Karls.

The plan lasted until right after the start. A cable broke and the music of one DJ just stopped. For a moment, half of the group was running a very quiet rave.

So we improvised. Bluetooth, a phone, SoundCloud and a DJ mixing on the go from a bike. Not how anyone dreams of playing a set, but it worked, and honestly it made the run better. Everybody likes a comeback.

An afterparty you remember the next morning

Back at das Karls there was a real club night, just without the alcohol. Shakes from SHAKEROOM, Be-Kind protein bars, cacao samples from NaturaleBio and mocktails at the bar. Everyone wanted to be fit for race weekend, so we closed at 22:30.

This is the part we are proudest of: more than 150 people stayed. On a Wednesday. Sober. After 8 km. If you ever needed proof that runners do not need a beer to dance badly, here it is :)

Thank you

To NymphenRuns for organising this with us. To Kinto Running Club, SOYL, Founders Running Club, Latin Crew, No PB Run Club, pure. movement and beatletics for bringing your people. To Mizuno for the tees, the test shoes and the photos. To das Karls for letting 200 sweaty runners into a night club. To SHAKEROOM, Be-Kind and NaturaleBio for feeding us. And to the DJs, who kept playing when the equipment did not.

See you at the next one

We will do this again. Until then, we run every week: an easy social run on Sunday with brunch at Convivio afterwards, and intervals on Wednesday evening. You do not need to be fast and you do not need to know anyone. Have a look at the schedule and just come along.

Photos: Mizuno Running.