Spiridon Generation: why a whole generation is rediscovering free running, without a bib

On Saturday mornings, in every major city around the world, the same ritual repeats: about thirty runners meet in front of a café, run together for forty minutes or more, and then head off for breakfast. No race bibs. No posted times. No rankings. Just the desire to move and connect.

This is no isolated fad. In Europe, more than 40,000 running clubs are now listed on social networks, and hashtags related to "run clubs" account for tens of thousands of posts. The phenomenon primarily affects a young, urban generation that is not seeking competition, but social connection.

Running without a bib: a choice, not a lack

For a long time, running was structured around performance: a time to beat, a license, a ranking. New running communities are reversing that logic. People come to run just as they would attend a group fitness class with friends: without pressure, without the obligation of results. The outing often ends with a coffee, a conversation, and sometimes a project started together.

These are weekly, free gatherings, open to all skill levels. The pace is adapted to the group. No one is left behind.

A generation saturated with screens, searching for the real

Smartphones, tablets, video games, binge-watching series: this generation grew up with constant demands on their attention, dozens of notifications per hour, and entire evenings spent in front of a screen without even realizing it. The paradox is that this same generation, often called hyperconnected, is also the one that most feels the lack of real-life presence.

The run club is an opportunity to cut all that off for an hour. No notifications, no infinite feed: just a group, a shared stride, a real conversation after the effort. You come to run, and you often leave with a new contact, a friend, sometimes more. It is one of the rare spaces today where you meet people in real life, without filters or algorithms between you.

And that is precisely what makes the phenomenon so positive: in an era that isolates people behind screens, these collectives recreate physical, spontaneous, and sincere connections. A stride, a coffee, a meeting—running is once again becoming a pretext for friendship, and perhaps even more.

The paradox of merchandising

Another sign of this new running culture: clubs increasingly love having their own merchandise—sweatshirts, t-shirts, caps bearing the collective's logo. It’s a way to show belonging, finance outings, and create a visual identity. So far, nothing surprising.

The drawback is the origin of these garments. Most are not custom-made; they are "ready-to-wear" models purchased by the thousands from textile wholesalers based in Europe, which import the bulk of their production from Bangladesh or China. All that remains is to add flocking or printing before selling the piece in the club's name.

It is a paradox worth pointing out: many of these runners, often very aware of climate issues and among the first to demand strong commitments from governments, do not always apply the same rigor to their own consumption choices. China remains the world's largest CO2 emitter, and Asia and the United States also figure among the biggest contributors to global warming. Bringing in thousands of items from these production zones to outfit a club that claims to be conscious of its impact is a dissonance that cannot be ignored—though without pointing fingers: it is primarily a subject of collective awareness, one still largely under construction.

The Spiridon spirit, ahead of its time

This return to free running, without performance pressure, without sophisticated gear, without rankings to defend, is nothing new to us. It has been the very DNA of Spiridon since its origins: running for pleasure, freedom, and connection, not to check a box or beat a time.

That is the entire spirit we want to bring to life in this new section, Spiridon Generation: giving a voice to these collectives, these clubs, and these runners who are reinventing running in their own way—far from official races and rankings.

Want to run free, without pressure? Discover our Sportswear collection, designed for daily movement, without the flash.

Photo taken in Liège, Belgium, with our friends from the Fox Running Club.