How run clubs are getting the city moving

On a weekend around 5:30 a.m., the Elliot’s Promenade is one of the most active neighbourhoods in the city, with clusters of people from different run clubs turning up for their mornings runs.

If you think back a couple of years, you would not have seen as many run clubs as there are now in 2026.

“From 18-year-olds to 40-year-olds, people across demographics attend our run club that is entirely free. There is a difference between running alone and running with people. When running with people, it pushes you to do more,” says Sathish Ashwin, who founded the Vamos Run Club in June 2025, along with Keerthana Rajendran and Santhosh Gunasekaran.

He says he has always been into fitness since childhood and wanted to bring an accessible fitness community to Chennai.