Tampa Run Club
Every Wednesday, hundreds gather at a new location to move their bodies in any way they choose in the community
Run Club 4 MFs who don’t Run meet at Nueva Cantina before their group exercise
Feb. 4, 2026 – Tampa, FL – It’s a Wednesday night in Tampa, and a sea of people is dressed in athleisure from head to toe. Runners and walkers gather along a lively downtown strip, where conversations grow louder than the music booming from nearby speakers. Some chat in groups or pairs, while others stand alone, waiting to start moving.
Run Club 4 MFs Who Don’t Run is a popular informal club where members can run, jog, walk, or do a little of everything. After completing their steps, a social hour is hosted at a different local business each week.
Run clubs are expanding rapidly across the U.S. A 2025 report from fitness app Strava found a 50% increase in organized run club events compared to the previous year. Today, these clubs are not just about fitness—they also provide opportunities to meet new people and build lasting connections.
Loneliness has emerged as a growing public health concern. According to the U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30% of U.S. adults reported feeling lonely in January 2024, a condition linked to premature death, cardiovascular disease, and depression. In the Tampa Bay region, roughly 29% of residents experience loneliness.
Run clubs aim to address this problem. In Tampa Bay, up to 400 people attend their local run club each week. Founder LA Ayala said more than 100 people showed up for the club’s 27th event.
As a loud microphone cuts through the chatter, Ayala announces the start of the run. Cheers erupt, generating contagious energy as participants begin moving toward the Riverwalk. Runners lead the group, followed by joggers and walkers, each guided by leaders wearing high-visibility vests. The 1.5-mile loop winds through downtown Tampa, including stops at Nueva Cantina and Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, before returning to the starting point. Some members bring leashed dogs, and one attendee even carries a cat.
Courtesy: Tampa Run Club for MFs who don’t Run Instagram page
Post-run, participants met inside the restaurant, enjoyed margarita specials and ate Mexican food.
Ayala said he intentionally designed the club to be inclusive, especially for people who aren’t runners.
“I legitimately don't run. Like, at all,” he said.
LA Ayala, Run Club for MFs that don’t Run Founder
Ayala said he wants to spread love around Tampa by connecting the community while also supporting local businesses. One past collaborator told him that hosting a club event boosted their sales by roughly $20,000.
Originally from Queens, New York, Ayala has lived in Tampa for five years. He founded the club about seven months ago, and it quickly grew from roughly 30 members to over 1,200. Viral posts from attendees of the first event helped propel the club’s popularity, and its Instagram account now boasts more than 24,000 followers.
Looking ahead, Ayala is planning to expand the club to St. Petersburg next month. Through organizing the events, he has also made some of his closest friends and knows at least one couple who met through the club.
For the Nueva Cantina event, Ayala said about 20 to 30 participants came alone. University of Tampa senior Laila Anderson attended solo as well.
“I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and make new friends,” said Anderson, who is from Washington, D.C. Experiencing homesickness, she successfully connected with another University of Tampa senior and now regularly hangs out with them.
Taj Phillips, who recently moved to Tampa from California, also attended alone. He noticed that younger generations are often absorbed in their phones in public and rarely introduce themselves to strangers.
“A lot of people are very online all the time,” Phillips said. “It’s nice to actually communicate face-to-face again.” After attending three events, he keeps in touch with friends he met while running and jogging.
Interview with club member Taj Phillips
Natalia Vazquez, a Tampa resident for four years, attended the club with a friend. She was drawn to the group because of its unusual name, especially since she doesn’t typically enjoy running.
“I enjoy something that I typically wouldn’t,” Vazquez said. She added that she now looks forward to exercising, noting that running alongside her friends gives her the motivation to keep attending.
Zane Cooper, a Tampa resident for three years, came with two friends. He said the weekly runs help him stay consistent with exercise.
“I figured this would be a good way to force myself to go each week,” Cooper said.
Both Vazquez and Cooper emphasized that staying active with friends, while being part of a large, energetic group, made their workouts feel easier and more enjoyable as they ran and jogged the route.
Post-run social hour at Nueva Cantina
Nueva Cantina owner Raul Medina said he’s a big fan of how the club brings people together and spreads awareness about being healthy. He said the club achieves the goal of exposing people to new businesses.
Medina said some of his employees attend the club’s events and many club members dine with them often.
“It became an opportunity to support each other in building a good community in Tampa Bay," he said.
For more information on the club, refer to their Instagram page.
