Starting out alone is the hardest part – this is what Viki Környei and Attila Nyári, the founders of the Running Latte Club, realized. At their latest event, more than two hundred people racked up the kilometers, then enjoyed croissants on the Budapest waterfront at the end of the running party.
In February 2024, a handful of running enthusiasts founded the Running Latte Club to bring experience, community, and support to what is otherwise a solitary form of exercise. Here, it's not the time or the kilometers that count, they feel it is their mission to use sport not only for individual development, but also to promote mental well-being and provide an answer to the problem of isolation that characterizes today's urban generation through the power of community experience – all in an environment where participants can overcome feelings of loneliness and build new relationships.
At first, the team was driven by pure enthusiasm: they hit the roads twice a week in sunshine, rain, and frost. Then, suddenly, the movement exploded: today, they have 5,000 registered members and 13,000 followers, with 80-120 people regularly showing up for weekly workouts. Of course, the bigger brands have also taken notice of this success, so now names such as Oatly, HOKA, Oakley, Red Bull, and Danone Hungary are behind the start line. This not only helps the business side, but also benefits the runners: at the Running Latte Club Presents: OATLY x HOKA – Run Fast, Drink Oats event on October 4, the approximately 230 participants were treated to a DJ set, professional running shoe trials, free shoe charms, unique running T-shirts, and signature oat drinks, before running together to LUI Rakpart to replenish their calories with a hearty breakfast.
Photos: Tamás Rozsondai