Clubbing is out, fitness is in: How millennials and Gen Z are swapping out heels for Hokas.
The 2000’s and 2010’s have been all about clubbing, drinking and dancing, whether it’s A List celebrities like Paris Hilton attending the hottest new clubs in LA or British University students big nights out, its undeniable nightlife has dominated our society. Has the sudden shift in focus to fitness and health killed the nightclub industry? Why have people traded binge drinking on weekdays for matcha latte’s and 10ks?
Lets uncover this:
Cost of Living
Everything is expensive, cost of living is forcing people to establish necessities in life and eliminate excess costs. In this economy people are choosing to allocate their money elsewhere than alcohol, club entry and late night Ubers, highlighting the sudden shift towards hobbies focused on wellness like running.
Running has become a pandemic with record number applications for events like the London Marathon from 163,926 applications in 2011 to 840,000 for 2025. One of the main positives of running is the accessibility it provides in this economy, with just a pair of trainers anyone can get outside and run, its undeniable that running alone is one of the most cost-efficient hobbies.
Bettering Ourselves
Older runners often describe the activity as ‘free therapy’ as they chase endorphins and a ‘runner’s high’. With less stigma around mental health, both individuals and societies like running clubs focus on bettering their mental wellbeing and completing activities like running which release serotonin and happy hormones rather than clubbing and depressant inducing alcohol. Many people are now speaking out on their relationships with alcohol and partying describing their clubbing as a distraction and a form of repressing their feelings. Clubbing can be used as a numbing technique to promote temporary happiness, whereas running has been found to improve sleep, mood and body. It seems to be an incomparably positive alternative.
In the era of infinite self-help podcasts newer generations have an undeniable drive to better themselves which is likely synonymous with the rise in popularity of exercise such as running. As a society we know exercise is good for you but the effort it takes to get there is what puts many of us off. However, in line with self-improvement and creating a happy mind as well as a happy body, running can achieve this. Whether people are striving to run their first 5k without stopping or complete a sub 4-hour marathon, running can easily be about improving yourself, suggesting why everyone you know is into running at the moment.
All aboard the running train
It seems everyone and their mum is running these days, has there really been some mass euphoria about the benefits of running or is this simply the newest trend? All over social media there appears to be an unspoken running uniform of running vests, brand new Hoka trainers and Oakley running glasses. Are these products going to elevate your running game or simply show off at the local parks that you mean business? It has to be admitted that every activity holds the chance for major retailers to make profit and the running industry is no exception. Do you need to buy the newest trainers on the market? No. Is buying the newest trainer going to do any harm? No. Whether people started running to buy all the gear and fit in or genuinely trying to better themselves, both typically lead to the same result, a new found love of running.
So is clubbing in or out?
I would like to state that I am not anti-clubbing, I love to dance just as much as the next person and it does appear that clubbing and exercise can live alongside each other. Yes it seems everyone is running these days, but night clubs are hardly empty either, millennials and Gen Z just seem to have found a happy median between the two. Both clubbing and running can have a positive aspect on an individual, whether its dancing to Taylor Swift with your friends or running to brunch on a Sunday morning, they both seem here to stay. What can be seen is that running is easily accessible, requiring no expensive membership and the opportunity to meet people through run clubs. Whether you run 1k or 40k, the accessibility of running makes it society’s latest addiction.