Daniel Llao Calvet/Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
- In an increasingly online world, young people are feeling lonelier than ever.
- Business Insider spoke to Millennials and Gen Zers who have found mates and dates at run clubs.
- They said run clubs offer regular, real-life interactions with people with shared interests.
When Justin Shields started the Venice Run Club in August 2020, he wasn't looking for love.
Shortly before, he had deleted all the dating apps on his phone because he felt they were a "waste of time," he told Business Insider.
And besides, Shields, now 34, who works in tech sales in Los Angeles, was focused on his new endeavor: a nonprofit that the run club was meant to drum up support for.