"White-collar workers have been making deals in locker rooms for years, but in these wellness and longevity-obsessed times, fitness networking is becoming a popular alternative to traditional events - the kinds that flare up my social anxiety. According to McKinsey & Company's 2025 wellness survey, 84% of US consumers say wellness is a "top" or "important" priority, up from 42% in 2020. In recent years, young people have used run clubs to find community and love."
"So, like a child who needs their broccoli served on an imaginary airplane-spoon, I took myself to an 8 a.m. "sweatworking" HIIT class for VCs and founders, to see if working out would make the chatting easier and camaraderie the exercise less daunting. Plus, there was free food. It was the second event in a month I'd attended by Rally, a fitness networking community whose slogan is 'sweat over small talk,' the first being a summer evening 5k run through London's leafy Regent's Park."
Fitness-focused networking events pair exercise with professional socializing to offer an alternative to alcohol-centered dinners. An 8 a.m. "sweatworking" HIIT class for VCs and founders can make conversation easier, build camaraderie, and reduce anxiety about being unfit. Rally grew from a 20-person launch to free monthly 60-person HIIT classes with waiting lists, and its summer run clubs sell out in cities such as Munich and Los Angeles. McKinsey's 2025 survey found 84% of US consumers view wellness as a top or important priority, up from 42% in 2020. Millennials and Gen Z are drinking less, and groups like Pitch and Run host regular morning jogs for founders and VCs. Rally plans expansion to Dubai and additional US and European cities.
Read at Business Insider
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