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Header images courtesy of Midnight Runners
Finding the motivation to work out is not always easy (and most of us cannot afford a PT to whip us into shape). Let’s be honest—how many of us subscribed to a gym membership, only to never set foot in the place after one or two visits? How many times did we set the alarm for an early morning run, only to grumpily snooze it as it dared to wake us up? The fitness journey can be a lonely one, but it doesn’t have to be! Even if you do not enjoy group sports, there is a community for you out there. Welcome to midnight running!
Midnight running is an international fitness movement that thousands of people have adhered to. Created in London in 2015, it started off with two friends running after nightfall with a bit of music. They were quickly joined by more and more runners, and the movement has kept growing since. Now officially gathering in 18 cities as the Midnight Runners, the groups meet up once a week, run together, and then wrap it up with a drink or two.
The free weekly bootcamp is the main activity that defines midnight running. It entails running six miles with bodyweight exercise “breaks” (quotation marks intentional) every two miles. But don’t run away just yet! Wait until you’ve tried it before you judge—midnight running is all about the community. Each meet-up is welcoming, friendly, and full of energy. Expect a lot of people, a lot of smiles, speakers blaring from front to back, and high-fives along the way. Very few workouts beat the feeling you get when hundreds of people run together every week and have immense fun while they are at it.
In Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Milan, Sydney, Barcelona, Hong Kong (yes, Hong Kong!), New York, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Paris, Toronto, Bogota, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Mexico City, and Santiago, midnight running has brought people together from all around the world. We will say it once more—the community this movement has built is inspiring.
Midnight Runners Hong Kong brings the fun (and sweat) to Victoria Harbour. Meeting up weekly at the AIA Hong Kong Observation Wheel on Thursdays at 7.30 pm, the group runs westward to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, where the first round of bodyweight exercise happens. They jet back to Pier 9 for the second one, run off to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai for one last team effort, before ending their run back where they started in Central. If you need any more reason to start midnight running, the group also gathers for party runs and an occasional junk boat party (it is a Hong Kong-based community, after all). See you Thursday evening?
Born and raised in the French countryside, Lily arrived in Hong Kong looking for an adventure. Passionate about books, she spent some time in Parisian publishing houses and is the author of an illustrated book about hair. Life in Hong Kong for her entails looking for seaside places to eat and a lot of hiking.
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