Skip to Content
Top 101 Women-owned businesses in greater Philadelphia award badge America's fastest growing private companies Inc. 500 award badge Certified WBENC Women's Business Enterprise award badge

The Connector: Edition 125

Aug 27th, 2025 | The Connector

The Running Club Revolution: How Corporate Wellness Found Its Stride

Like many of you, I love seeing trends backed by data. Recently, I noticed something surprising: on Friday nights, Millennials and Gen Xers are skipping dinner out to join running clubs.

Here’s why companies should pay attention: 

  • Corporate wellness is a $64–$ 70 billion market, projected to reach $85 billion by 2030.
  • Companies with wellness programs see 25% less absenteeism and 20% higher productivity.
  • Running clubs and group workouts eliminate the #1 barrier—lack of motivation

Running clubs build community, reduce stress, and improve retention (10% higher in companies prioritizing wellness). Best of all, they cost virtually nothing. Creative approaches include walking meetings to spark fresh ideas, team 5ks, and virtual challenges to engage remote teams. We have a lot of fun with our step challenges and are currently using FITON for our August Wellness Challenge.


With 77% of workers stressed and 91% of companies increasing mental health investment, wellness isn’t a “perk” anymore; it’s a business strategy. Running clubs demonstrate how simple, low-cost programs can deliver significant returns in terms of engagement, retention, and culture.

So, if you start seeing more people running around your office or neighborhood, maybe it's time to ask yourself: what's keeping me on the sidelines? The world is an amazing place to explore on foot, and the running community is waiting with open arms.

I just got my sneakers. Who’s ready to lace up with me?

 

This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. The O’Connor Group makes no representations as to the completeness, suitability, or validity of any information contained herein and will not be liable for any errors or omissions.

Let’s start with a conversation.