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Meet Aoibhinn Raleigh, founder of Dublin beginners run club, Sole Mates
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As part of our exciting IMAGE Active series, we sat down with 26-year-old Aoibhinn Raleigh, the woman behind the Dublin-based and beginner-focussed run club, Sole Mates. Here, she speaks candidly about the experience of forging a community, the happy hormones released when you’re pounding the pavement, and pearls of wisdom for those hoping to lace up their trainers.
Run clubs have surged in popularity here in Ireland over the past few months, and it’s no surprise. The perfect avenue to get your steps in, keep fit, and meet some new people, these community groups help to foster a feeling of togetherness towards a common goal (or finish line!). Joining a run club can, however, feel intimidating for those who may be just starting out on their fitness journey, or aren’t quite sure they’ll be able to keep up. That’s where Sole Mates comes in.
Specifically tailored towards beginners, slow runners, and everything in between, Sole Mates is a weekly run club that kicks off at 9.30am on a Saturday or Sunday from a different location each weekend. The average pace is 7-9 minutes per km, and there’s a walking group at the back so that no one is ever left behind.
Members are encouraged to run at their own pace and take as many breaks as needed. Plus, each session is followed by coffee and sweet treats, and you may even get a freebie or two from some gorgeous brands on the day. The community is all about getting out, getting moving and having a great time every weekend.
The brainchild of Aoibhinn, a 26-year-old from Leixlip, Sole Mates set off on its inaugural run back in April of this year, and in the past few months, it’s grown massively and has already cultivated a group of consistent participants coming along each week.
Here, we sit down with Aoibhinn to get the lowdown on where it all began, why you should join a run club, and the positive impact these groups can have on your mental health…
Tell us a bit about your relationship with fitness and running. Have these always been a passion of yours?
I have always been really into sports and fitness. I grew up in a very sports-driven family so we all played tennis, GAA, gymnastics – you name it – from a young age and that stuck with me. When I was 16, I really fell in love with running and the gym and that is where my real passion for fitness developed.
I actually always wanted to be a personal trainer, but ended up working in marketing instead! I really was big into both, but after having a knee injury and later having surgery, I hung up my runners and focused more so on the gym. I still adore the gym and go every week, but last year I wanted to do something that was less aesthetically driven and more focused on getting out in the fresh air, so I signed up for the Clontarf Half Marathon last November.
Funnily enough, I did the Half and was completely turned off running for months and went back to training in the gym 5/6 days a week. I then completed the 75 Hard Challenge at the start of 2024, which made me fall back in love with running — the rest is history.
I think I have always been so massively into fitness because it has made such a huge difference in my life and in my mental health. If I ever feel sad or down on a day, I know if I get the runners on and get myself out the door I will feel a million times better which is why I am fully obsessed with all things fitness-related now.
Let’s talk about Sole Mates. What inspired you to start this running club?
Sole Mates was born really for two reasons…
Firstly, I really wanted to meet some new people who had similar interests to me. A lot of my friends emigrated last year and I made the decision to stay here and follow my career. I also decided to quit drinking at the same time, which meant not only were my friends gone, but I lost one of the biggest aspects of socialising we do here in Ireland.
I personally am not in a position where I could still go to bars and clubs and just not drink, which left me feeling quite isolated. Fitness and wellness have always been my biggest passions in life and I knew if I could find the people within this community I could form some amazing connections. Even more so, I wanted to create a space where other people could come and form those connections as well and do something really positive every weekend that would just make them feel good about themselves and what they were doing.
Secondly, I was too scared to go to a run club and I knew other people must be too. When I started Sole Mates I wasn’t that confident in my own running and I also struggle with anxiety, so the thought of going to a run club alone and being left behind in the group stopped me from going every weekend. I was struggling to find a run club that really was beginner-friendly and would accommodate for a few cheeky breaks or a bit of a walk, and I thought other people must feel like that too. I know fitness in general can be such a scary space to join, especially for women because we can feel very self-conscious about starting out in the gym or running with someone for fear of judgement.
I really wanted to break that barrier and show people how amazing fitness is for both your mental and physical health, and to help people either start or fall in love with their fitness journey by creating a safe space to do that which accommodates everyone and is just a bit of a fun social outing with some running on the side.
Sole Mates has grown massively since starting just a few months ago. Why do you think that is?
You know, the funny thing is I think it has grown so much because of the amazing people who come and the good vibes, not so much about the running! To my point above, a lot of people who come just wanted to get out and meet people and have now made really good friends through Sole Mates, including myself.
I feel like in a time where we are supposed to be more connected than ever, a lot of us are feeling very lonely with digital interactions taking up so much of our time and so many Gen Z/millennials emigrating at the moment. People are really craving that meaningful type of connection which you don’t really get online or in the pub but you do at run club.
It is so much more than just the run; a typical run club could last 3-4 hours and only 30 minutes of that is actually running, the rest is coffee, sweet treats and a whole lot of fun! It is also a space where a lot of people come alone but walking up to a group of people chatting and joining in is completely normal whereas if you tried that in a pub you would probably get a few funny looks.
The other feedback I get is that people felt safe coming and like it was super accessible and would cater to any and all levels which is true. We have people who have never run before and people who have marathons under their belt, but the most gorgeous thing is genuinely no one is ever left behind. The entire community is there really to be together, it is not about run times or what your Strava says – it’s just about being there with everyone.
How many members do you have now and how often do you meet?
We usually have about 120 people who come per run and there is a run on every weekend somewhere different in Dublin. The group changes every week, so overall I would say we have over 6.5k community members on Instagram and a lot of them have actually been to the runs at one point or another which is just amazing.
On your TikTok, you’ve been very vulnerable with your followers and opened up about your mental health. Can you share a bit more about this? How has Sole Mates played a role?
I’ve struggled with anxiety since I can remember alongside various other issues with eating, depression etc. To be fully transparent, up until last year this was something I completely hid from even people closest to me because I always felt like there was just something wrong with me and I was so scared of what people would say. Last summer I hit rock bottom and didn’t know if I could do it anymore but I knew I had so much to live for if I could just get better. I decided to get sober and also get help which hasn’t been easy over the past year.
Once I started my ‘healing journey’ as people call it, I started to suffer badly from panic attacks, having probably 3-5 intense panic attacks per week which became debilitating for me. That is when I started leaning so heavily into running and fitness again because I really needed it.
The last year has probably been one of the toughest things I have ever done trying to deal with a lot of trauma that has happened over the past 10 years and actually face it head-on, but I really had no choice. I then made the decision to share my journey on TikTok which probably seems a bit mad but I know growing up, I wish there was someone online who had just been open about these things and more relatable. If I could help even one person feel like they’re not alone or that they are strong enough to go seek help by sharing my own struggles then I knew it was worth it.
To be honest I have found so much strength in sharing my story, highs, lows and a lot of ugly bits. Not only that but I get so many amazing messages from people who can relate or are like me that feel less alone now, who have gone to get help or saw my videos and decided to try to change and get sober – or even just to come to run club. Helping people even in the tiniest way has meant so much to me and has honestly helped me so much in my journey over the last year.
I am definitely not better but the progress I have made in the last year has been incredible, and I owe a lot of that to my family, friends, fitness, my followers and to Sole Mates. I am now at a stage where things are not always amazing but panic attacks are rare (when they had been daily). I could come off medication, I am fully sober, and I am living a life that honestly I never dreamed I could have or deserved.
Sole Mates has honestly played such a massive role in this – not only from the physical benefits of running but also from getting to meet new people, make new friends, push me outside of my comfort zone, and be in such a positive community. Not only that but seeing how much joy and happiness it brings to others and how many people have fallen in love with running, finally gotten into it, or even just had the courage to push themselves, come along and try it has made such a massive difference to me. Giving back to this community has helped me in more ways than they will probably ever realise – it has genuinely changed my life.
In your experience, how does running and/or fitness affect our mental health?
It is crazy but the science is true on this one – running and fitness release endorphins which help to boost your happy hormones. It could be the worst day ever and as hard as it is to get my shoes on and get out the door on a run or even a walk, I know I will always feel better on the other side.
For me, the difference is crazy, to be honest – even if I stop exercising for a couple of days there is such a negative shift in my headspace and mental health so I am really proof that the science is true. It doesn’t matter if it is a run, a hot girl walk, a gym session, rollerblading or whatever you are into, once you get out and do it, it makes such a difference to your mental health.
For those who are interested in taking up running, but are too intimidated to get started, could you share any advice?
- My biggest piece of advice is to just start. I promise no one is watching or judging because everyone is too focused on their own Strava times to care about yours! It will honestly make such a difference to you.
- I would also say when starting out, focus on running for time and not for distance. It is rare that someone can go out and just do a 5k start to finish and I think we all put so much pressure on ourselves thinking that’s the norm but it really isn’t – it took me two months before I could do one without taking breaks. Tell yourself you are going to run for 15 minutes and just build that up every week from 15 to 20 to 25 and so on until you get your first 5k and then you can focus a bit more on distance.
- Cute outfits always help, and a great playlist!
- Lastly, join @solematesdublin – honestly, I am not just plugging my own run club here. You would not believe the number of people we have had join that had never run in their lives and are now coming every week and so happy they took the first step and came. I know it is so daunting but I promise it is worth it and you can learn to love (or maybe just like) running in a really safe space with a community who will support you and always have coffee and a sweet treat after. We have a walking group at the back and people are encouraged to take as many breaks as they need plus I don’t finish until the last people come in so you will never be left alone at the back – I am right there with you. However, if that is too daunting, even just try running with a friend to start out; it is a lot more fun and a lot less dreary when you have a running buddy to chat away with.
The Sole Mates’ monthly schedule is available on their Instagram feed.
IMAGE Active is an exciting series of exercise-driven events, motivating meet-ups, and empowering content to help you achieve new levels of physical health, offering encouragement, support, and empowerment every step of the way. At its core, it is about coming together to form connections, cultivate healthy habits, and feel better than ever. So, stay tuned and check out our hub for regular updates on all upcoming events and content.
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