Executive Summary
We analyzed 40 running communities listed on Hive Index to understand where people gather, what these groups offer, and which communities attract the most interest.
The big picture: running communities are broad and fragmented, with many small groups and a few very large outliers.
Source: Hive Index community database · Updated 2026-06-25
- Communities
- 40
- Platforms
- 6
- Avg members
- 6.3M
- Median members
- 124K
Where Running Communities Are Hosted
- Independent Platforms: 16 communities (40%)
- Reddit: 11 communities (28%)
- Facebook: 7 communities (18%)
- Skool: 3 communities (8%)
- Meetup: 2 communities (5%)
- Discord: 1 communities (3%)
- 16(40%)
![Independent Platforms]()
Independent Platforms - 11(28%)
Reddit - 7(18%)
Facebook - 3(8%)
Skool - 2(5%)
Meetup - 1(3%)
Discord
Format mix
- 34(85%)Forum / feed-based
- 3(8%)Private membership
- 2(5%)Other platforms
- 1(3%)Chat communities
Most listings are forum / feed-based (85%).
Independent Platforms leads, but Reddit and Facebook also represent meaningful shares.
Audience Size & Access
Community size
- Tiny: 0 communities (0%)
- Small: 1 communities (3%)
- Medium: 3 communities (8%)
- Large: 0 communities (0%)
- Huge: 3 communities (8%)
- Massive: 8 communities (20%)
- Gigantic: 2 communities (5%)
- 0(0%)Tiny<20 members
- 1(3%)Small20-100 members
- 3(8%)Medium100-1,000 members
- 0(0%)Large1,000-10,000 members
- 3(8%)Huge10,000-100,000 members
- 8(20%)Massive100,000-1M members
- 2(5%)Gigantic1M+ members
23 communities have unknown member counts.
Free vs paid
- Free to join: 40 communities (100%)
- Paid or apply-to-join: 0 communities (0%)
The average is much higher than the median (6.3M vs 124K), which usually means a few large groups are pulling the average up.
How Running Differs From Other Categories
Running is more free-to-join, and larger, compared with typical Hive Index topics.
| Metric | Running | Hive Index average |
|---|---|---|
| Free to join | 100% | 85% |
| Median members | 124K | 24K |
| Average members | 6.3M | 652K |
| Paid or apply-to-join | 0% | 15% |
| Discord share | 3% | 16% |
| Topic pageviews / mo | 228 | 725 |
Feature Mix
Common features appear in at least 15% of listings.
Common Features
- Forum: 35 communities (88%)
- Online/Offline Events: 6 communities (15%)
- 88%Forum
- 15%Online/Offline Events
Niche Features
- Live Chat: 5 communities (13%)
- Courses: 2 communities (5%)
- 13%Live Chat
- 5%Courses
Forum appears on 88% of listings.
What Visitors Click
- Outbound clicks / mo
- 16
Platform supply vs. clicks
| Platform | Communities | Share of communities | Outbound clicks | Share of clicks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Platforms | 16 | 40% | 2 | 13% |
| 11 | 28% | 1 | 6% | |
| 7 | 18% | 6 | 38% | |
| Meetup | 2 | 5% | 1 | 6% |
| Discord | 1 | 3% | 6 | 38% |
Share is calculated within this topic.
Facebook gets 38% of clicks but only 18% of listings, so visitors click it more than you'd expect from supply alone.
Most-clicked formats
- 9(56%)Forum / feed-based
- 6(38%)Chat communities
- 1(6%)Other platforms
Most-clicked features
- 8(50%)Forum
- 8(50%)Live Chat
- 3(19%)Online/Offline Events
Most-clicked size ranges
- 6(38%)Small
- 1(6%)Massive
Top-clicked listings
- 6(38%)Running Discord (r/running Official)
- 4(25%)Trail and Ultra Runners (Facebook Group)
- 2(13%)Nike Run Club
Most clicks go to forum / feed-based and chat communities communities.
Trends
Founded year
- 1958: 1 communities (20%)
- 2004: 1 communities (20%)
- 2008: 1 communities (20%)
- 2009: 1 communities (20%)
- 2012: 1 communities (20%)
35 communities have no founding year on file.
Most listed groups were founded around 1958.
Methodology & FAQ
Methodology
This report uses communities in the Hive Index database tagged as Running. We exclude removed or suppressed listings. Member counts, traffic, features, reviews, and ratings may vary by source and are updated periodically.
- •Last updated 2026-06-25