MEET AND MOVE

Running especially used to be a pretty solitary sport, whereas working out with a crew not only gives added accountability to show up, but much-needed support. Side by side movement creates conversational ease and many runs end with beers or baked goods, which is not only a just reward for the miles, but a chance to solidify friendships. Walking too has had a social, and fashion, makeover, swapping mud-crusted boots and hiking poles for hip Japanese outdoor brands and colourful HOKA shoes – while data from tracking app Strava found that hiking clubs grew sixfold during 2025. Both are attracting a new generation to get outdoors, and helping them make new friends while doing it.

‍

Walk this way

On mountain trails, gorpcore crews are giving walking a hip new image – see @gorpgirls globally or @walk__this___way who organise monthly community hikes from London. Aethos Monterosa is the perfect place to break in your Salomon trainers with guided summer hikes through the Aosta Valley to crystalline lakes and panoramic ridges high in the Italian Alps. The benefits of walking together – slowing down, seeing a destination in a new way, clearing your head and putting one foot in front of another while meeting new people – aren’t just confined to remote footpaths, however. Down at Aethos Milan, hiking clubs get an urban spin at their ‘Walking Fast’ events with Ciaomondo. These sociable walks are a brisk morning stomp around the city, starting at Villa Necchi Campiglio and ending at the hotel with breakfast.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

^{Keep on running}

From London to LA, city streets around the world are increasingly filled with run clubs too, and you’re more likely to find Gen Z on an early morning 10K than in a late night bar – as exemplified by London’s hit hybrid run-rave Friday Night Lights. There are run clubs for everyone: long runs, tempo runs, track runs, beginner runs. Whenever you land in a new city, running shops are a great place to start to find your PB people, but now Aethos is launching run clubs at their hotels across Europe too as part of its community-focused wellbeing programme. 

Aethos Milan has partnered with Eleganza Running to tap into the city’s rhythm, exploring its natural surroundings as well as its rich architectural landscape. On the Portuguese coast at Aethos Ericeira, Alfa Humans put guests through their paces with cold plunges after a communal jog, while over on Mallorca at the Aethos Club Palma, Foco House leads members on pacy loops of the city in the sunshine. Just don’t forget to pack that Garmin watch.