Objectives: This study investigates the sociocultural and humanistic meanings of running crews, a culture rapidly spreading among the MZ generation. It highlights how COVID-19, growing interest in health and self-management, and the expansion of social media have shaped their development. The focus is on running crews’ impact on individuals, communities, urban space, and consumer culture.
Methods: The research combines literature review and cultural analysis. It traces the historical roots of running culture, analyzes online communities and social media for diffusion patterns, and examines cultural meanings. A humanistic lens is applied to explore how the body, space, consumption, and digital networks intersect.
Conclusions: Running crews provide personal achievement and self-efficacy while fostering loose yet sustainable communities. They also stimulate sportswear and event industries, generating economic impact. Beyond fitness, they reconfigure urban spaces and embody narrative experiences, turning running into aesthetic practice and reflecting the ambivalence of digital and consumer culture.