A decade of running: Mikkeller Running Club turns 10
Saturday the 8th of October 2024 marked Mikkeller Running Club's 10th anniversary. Founded in the autumn of 2014 by our founder, Mikkel Bjergsø, our running club blends social running with great beer.
Originally, Mikkeller Running Club started as a bet between Mikkel Bjergsø and his friend Søren Runge. Since then, Mikkeller Running Club has been maintained to spread the Danish running culture, promote physical activity, and create a community around our many bars. Today, our running club has grown to include more than 30,000 members and 250 chapters across five continents - from Ringsted to China and Kazakhstan.
“It’s incredible that something we started as a bet to lose a few pounds has organically grown into a global community centered around running and beer. The first time we met in front of our bar on Stefansgade in Copenhagen for a run followed by a beer, there were 10 of us, the next time 100, and now it has taken on a life of its own,” says Mikkel Bjergsø.
“We’re constantly discovering new chapters of Mikkeller Running Club that have opened in the most unexpected places. Recently, we discovered that someone had started a chapter in Tbilisi, Georgia, where you can’t even buy our beers. This shows how it really has developed into a truly global community,” Mikkel adds.
When Mikkeller Running Club started a decade ago, it was one of the first of its kind in the world. Since then, running clubs, alongside the growing popularity of running, have developed into a widespread trend among coffee shops, stores, and brands looking to build a community around healthy habits.
“Running clubs are now everywhere. It’s great that we can help inspire similar communities in parts of the world where running hasn’t quite taken off yet,” says Mikkel Bjergsø.
“At the same time, Mikkeller Running Club’s appeal lies in bringing beer out of the smoky bars and into an environment where you can also care about having a healthy lifestyle.”
To celebrate Mikkeller Running Club’s 10th anniversary, we organized a global run on October 4th, 5th and 6th, uniting chapters from around the world to run together and against one another over a distance of 5 kilometers - from the US to Japan, Brazil, and Montenegro.
