Bournemouth run club celebrates four years of community
Sole Clinic, a Westbourne based social run club, is entering its fourth year bringing together runners of all abilities through fitness, friendship and community.
The club was founded to offer a welcoming space for people who may feel intimidated by traditional running groups, placing connection and community above pace and performance. An organiser said the club’s ethos and approach was simple:
“We run slow. We run social. We run easy.”
The club brings together runners of all abilities, and they have emphasis of the social aspect being just as important as the exercise itself. Their mindful miles ensures no one is left behind and that newcomers feel comfortable joining even if they are alone.
The run club has routes that often end with a catch up at local coffee shops.
“It fills me with joy”
says William Vaughan, a member of Sole Clinic, who spoke about how he was going through a tough time, 3 years ago, and the club helped him power through whilst finding friends from all different age groups.
He is now currently training for the ‘SuperHalfs Series’ set to take place throughout Europe during the year.
For others, like Grace Ashton, who wanted to get back into running, she found doing exercise in a “social group setting” made it easier to stay consistent as she made friends within the community and it made fitness “feel less like a chore.”
The weekly runs have become less of a challenge and a keyway to meet new people and build friendships whilst doing something active. Andrew Mace highlights that everyone attends for the same reason “they want to have a good time and do something fun.”
He says that “the connections built make it fun and are a good reason to run.”
The community has grown steadily over the years and have become a familiar part of the local wellbeing community and a regular meeting point for people looking for both movement and connection.
They have taken part in numerous fundraisers for Bournemouth Foodbank (BFB) and are now entering their fourth year. As social run clubs continue to grow, Sole Clinic’s focus on inclusivity show how fitness spaces can prioritise belonging as much as wellbeing
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