Memes
about millennials looking younger than their age ring true. Compared to our
parents and older relatives, who seemed to age faster, the difference is obvious.
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| Some of the participants of the Hoka Run Club's Trail Run event at Timberland, San Mateo, Rizal |
In
a recent conversation with a friend, we wondered if the difference lies less in
genetics and more in lifestyle. Many in the previous generation formed habits
that took their toll: heavy drinking, chain-smoking, and other vices that
spilled over from the hippie generation. Smoking, after all, was once allowed
inside airplanes well into the 20th century. I grew up watching my mother smoke
into her 50s (she stopped once she reached 60), and my father did the same,
ultimately dying of lung cancer in his 50s.
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| Runners during a Hoka Club Run event |
For
many in the past, fitness was undone by returning to smoke-filled homes and going
out on a drinking binge. Millennials, on the other hand, have embraced wellness
and healthier living, making those memes about looking younger ring true.
Running, whether as a sport or a hobby, is a big part of that shift.
Running
Keeps Aging at Bay
As
a millennial who came of age in the 1990s, I remember that when people spoke of
running, names like Lydia de Vega, Elma Muros, Carl Lewis, or Olympic sprinters
came to mind.
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| Asia's Sprint Queen Lydia de Vega (1966-2022 †) |
Back
then, the streets belonged to children on bicycles who stayed out past
curfew—the best of times, as I often say—and to a few who were simply referred
to then as ‘joggers.’ The sport of running was beginning to take hold, but as a
cultural phenomenon, it had yet to catch fire.
 |
| A 1980s running route in Baclaran and Roxas Boulevard. Photo from Pinoy Fitness |
While
the 1980s are often cited as the dawn of the running boom in the Philippines,
its reach was narrower than today. Old blogs show marathon photos, race kits,
and routes along Roxas Boulevard, Makati Avenue, Baclaran, Ayala Avenue, even
EDSA. But without the magnifying power of social media, news of such events
spread mainly through small sections on newspapers or mentioned briefly on radio,
keeping participation confined to smaller circles.
 |
| A 1987 running route passing by Luneta |
Fast
forward to today, and the landscape has changed. Bars are shutting down to make
way for coffee shops, yoga studios, climbing gyms, and even pickleball courts. Running,
perhaps the most accessible of all, has become more popular, thanks to new
neighborhoods providing safe routes in places like BGC, ASEANA, Ayala Triangle,
and Marikina River Park, as well as in many other cities nationwide. It has even
drawn in the Gen Zs alongside older generations who believes there’s no age
limit when it comes to picking up the activity.
Social
media has been the sport’s most powerful platform. For some, it began as fresh
content for their feeds, but many discovered a genuine love for running along
the way. “It’s addictive,” one friend told me. “Your body starts to crave it
each morning.”
For
real estate broker and content creator Tina Punzal, running not only made her
feel and look younger, it also revitalized her energy. “Running was the spark
that ignited my 40kg weight loss journey and completely transformed how I feel,
inside and out,” Tina said. “I started small—with 20-minute walks, 1km jogs,
and 500m sprints. Over time, I built up to 4km daily runs, 10km races, and even
a half marathon to boot. Every step felt like a tiny victory.”
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| Tina Punzal, 80 lbs lighter and a whole lot more confident since picking up the sport of running |
There
may be many other reasons people appear to age slower today, such as modern
cosmetology, but one stands out: running, whether as a casual hobby or a
devoted pursuit, keeps aging at bay.
Running’s
New Tribe Built on Self-Improvement
Yes,
running makes one healthier. Sure, it can even make you look younger. But its other
benefit? Self-improvement. Like with other outdoor hobbies and sports such as
mountain climbing, surfing, motorcycling, or freediving, running has built its
own tribe composed of people bound not just by the kilometers they run, but by
a shared pursuit of getting better. Health is only the entry point. The
community that forms around it pushes its members to improve in ways that go
far beyond fitness.
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| Koryn Iledan has participated in several marathons including the Chicago City Marathon |
For
Koryn Iledan, a wanderer, runner, and storyteller when she’s not wearing her
marketing professional hat, running has helped her become a better person
overall through what she calls the ‘1% mindset.’
“When
I started operating on the 1% mindset, that if I become just 1% better every
day, the cumulative effect of consistent changes would eventually lead to
substantial progress,” Koryn said. “And without realizing it, I was applying it
not just to running. If I became a better friend, daughter, sister, or employee,
even just by 1% each day, I knew I’d be a better person in the long run. It was
a cathartic realization.”
“For
me, running is neither just a routine nor a ritual. Running is a lifestyle”,
Koryn added. “It’s an activity that is
calendared on my schedule; it's integrated to my way of living”
 |
| Diane Balios in one of her half-marathon runs |
“Being
part of a running community really pushed me to set and achieve new goals not
only in running but life in general,” said Dianne Balios, CEO and founder of
Omni Focus Solutions Inc. A half-marathoner herself, she added, “It’s
motivating to be surrounded by people who share the same passion and having
that support helped me. I probably wouldn’t have reached on my own—or through
any other hobby I’ve had before running.”
Hoka
Run Club is Home to a Tight-Knit Runner Community
Four
decades after its low-key emergence in the 1980s, running has reached new
heights. Credit goes not only to enthusiasts who kept the momentum alive
through social media, but also to brands and organizers who have staged
everything from Ironman competitions to marathons and fun runs that make the
sport accessible to beginners.
Few
brands have leaned into this growth like HOKA®. A shoe brand known globally for
its max-cushion design and stability across terrain, HOKA has built more than a
product, it has built a movement. At the center is the HOKA Run Club, a
near-weekly gathering where runners of all levels chase personal records, from
5Ks to marathons, supported and inspired by one another.
This
month, more than 18,000 runners joined the Manila leg of Hoka Run Club’s
Midnight Run, covering 21, 10 and 5 kilometers around the SM Mall of Asia
grounds. Earlier this year, I joined one of the club’s trail runs at Timberland
Heights in San Mateo, Rizal. Despite signing up for the shortest 5-kilometer
route, I found myself gasping for air by the halfway point as others sped past.
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| Me struggling to keep pace during a 5km run |
It
instantly gave me a lesson in stamina more telling than any doctor’s visit I’ve
avoided. Instead of discouragement, I left inspired, determined to build
endurance through more consistent runs, whether at future club events or around
my neighborhood, where I now log 3–5 kilometers at least once a week.
 |
| Journalist and avid runner Kenneth Del Rosario |
That
Timberland run also launched Hoka’s Mafate X, a trail shoe. For Kenneth Del
Rosario, a seasoned road runner and journalist, testing it was a revelation.
“First off, I like how it looks — the color really pops,” he said. “But what
stood out was the fit. I have wide feet and usually size up for comfort. With
these, I didn’t have to compromise. Even on a rain-soaked trail, I felt steady.
I never once slipped.”
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| The Hoka Mafate X trail shoe |
Marketing
shoes may drive Hoka Run Club, but what has grown around it is harder to build:
a community. For many, it’s a safe space to chase milestones, whether in
preparation for competition or simply to sustain a healthier life.
Marketing
manager Em Mallari recalled her first marathon, when two fellow runners, one a
close friend she met through the club, ran beside her at key stretches. “One
even paced me through the last 10 kilometers, the toughest mental battle,” she
said. “I’ll never forget that kind of generosity. Just running with someone in
silence can mean so much.”
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| Em Mallari in one of her runs |
Running
is often described as a solitary sport, a test of endurance where the runner battles
with both body and mind. Yet it can also be something else: a communal act,
strengthened by companionship, encouragement and the re-assuring rhythm of a running
buddy’s stride.
For
many, the Hoka Run Club has transformed the sport into exactly that, a
collective experience where support, inspiration and friendship are as present
as the kilometers on the route itself.
For
those looking to be a part of a running community, Hoka Run Club will stage
Midnight Runs in Davao on Sept. 28 and Cebu on Nov. 30.
This article first appeared on Esquire Philippines.
