Hundreds of Singles Meet in New Dating Scene – NBC New York

Nearly a thousand singles, most dressed in black, packed New York’s Washington Square Park on Wednesday to jog or walk briskly in a new meeting of the running club, quickly becoming the city’s most popular place to find new love or new friendships.

Lunge Run Club is a free running group for those looking to meet new people, whether for a date or to make friends. The club was founded in May by Steven Cole, 28, a New York native, creator of Lunge, a dating app for singles who work out at similar gyms.

Rachael Lansing is the Lunge Run Club’s leader and says the group started with about 30 participants, quickly gaining attention across the boroughs, with the last meet having about 1,000 guests.

“We’re basically a social running club. We do a 3-mile run or a 1.5-mile brisk walk. People come alone or with friends. You wear all black if you’re single. You wear colors if you’re taken, and then we have #beersafter the run,” Lansing told NBC New York ahead of Wednesday’s race.

Everyone is invited to participate in the free weekly runs every Wednesday at 6:45pm. The location and updates each week are available on the club’s Instagram account, @lungerunclub.

Cole explains that what makes this meetup experience unique is that those who meet at the race venue can then meet through the Lunge social app to help continue the conversation.

“The Lunge dating app allows you to meet exclusively people who are in the same workout location. We will be connecting all Lunge Run Club members exclusively on the app, so we’re trying to help you meet people who have a lot of similarities that make us different,” Cole told News 4.

The run or brisk walk ends around 8:00 p.m. at a designated bar, such as Houston Hall, where runners can enjoy a drink and have the opportunity to socialize after the workout.