Running is a sport which has sprung onto the student scene and quickly risen to the top of the social agenda. To better understand the fitness phenomenon, PDBY sat down with Amish Kooverjee, the founder of one of Pretoria’s most popular running clubs: The Coffee Run.
How did your running journey start?
I’ve been a sportsman my whole life, but running wasn’t ever first on the list. It only really started to form part of my life during Covid as a way to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I’m a very social person, so being allowed to see other people out running during the lockdown was a massive benefit. Also at that stage in my life, I was forced to stop playing cricket, and running was a way to keep in touch with my cricket friends.
And The Coffee Run itself?
As I mentioned, I was running with my cricket friends, and we started a Whatsapp group where we added people, planned a quick five [km] run, and grabbed a coffee afterwards. People started to add people, and the group started to grow. I started the Instagram page as a digital journal to look back on in a few years’ time, and suddenly it was bringing a bunch of new people to run with us. The Coffee Run just took off from there!
How often does the crew run? And what is the attendance like at the moment?
We run three times a week: Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Wednesday evening run is our most popular – we have easily over 100 people weekly – and the Friday and Sunday runs get between 30 and 80 runners weekly.
Why do you believe running has exploded amongst young adults in the last few years?
I think running used to only be associated with the older generation and running lost-distances – like the Comrades and full marathons. It was something that was seen as boring. The shift from that mindset really started in the way that social media portrays running [as] positive, young, and social. Whereas in the past partying and drinking were idolised, running has become a social space which people admire. As with me, Covid also played a massive role. It was all people could do to get out the house, and the lifestyle which was built continued post-virus.
Do you have any advice for people looking to get into running?
Just start! People are often scared that it’s fast and people will watch you running, but in reality it’s not a judgemental space. By starting and showing up regularly you’ll start to see immediate improvement and grow as a runner – both physically and socially.
For more information on The Coffee Run, check out their Instagram page: @running_to_coffee.
