A Gen-Z-led group called "Run with Christ" is literally taking off. What started in Columbus, Ohio, last year is now in more than 80 cities nationwide and five countries. Each week, tens of thousands of young people gather to run, worship, and hear the Gospel in cities all over the world.
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., set the stage for their latest event. Twenty-one-year-old founder and organizer Will Garinger says he actually started the club as a way for him to deepen his faith.
"And what we thought would be a cool little community where we did a devotional beforehand and then we ran together, ended up turning into hundreds of people gathering on a Saturday morning, over 200 some people, on Saturday, September 7th, 2024. And we saw people just getting saved, getting prayed for, and getting plugged into the local church," Garinger said.
On any given Saturday, hundreds of young people turn out from all over the country to participate.
"The Holy Spirit brought me here," said 25-year-old Jacob Merry from Columbus, Ohio. "I mean, this is, this is a family. Like this, this group of people was a blessing from Christ. I prayed for this group of people for so long, and just to come here and worship and pray for the nation in the nation's capital is such a blessing. I mean, it's absolutely amazing," he said.
Twenty-year-old Lauren Hilty from Texas and 21-year-old Cimyia Cameron from Alabama say "Run with Christ" not only brought them together as friends but is bringing young people into the community like never before.
"I just felt this stirring in my spirit. I was like, I have to go there. I don't know why, but then the Lord made a way. And so, I bought my ticket in the summer, I didn't really know who I was gonna meet, where I was gonna be, but the Lord made a way and I just, I just know that he's doing something so big," Cameron said.
"Our prayer lately has just been for the nations, and it's been for the people of all the nations, and just to come together and then this event, and we see it, and it's in the capital of our country, with all these things happening in the atmosphere. It was just insane. It's beautiful. And I knew I had to be here," Hilty said.
Organizers say "Run with Christ" is way more than a run club, but rather a movement to make heaven full. Their mission statement is "from isolated to integrated through faith and fitness."
"You show up on a Saturday morning and you're like, oh okay. Am I coming to this competitive running group? What's happening? Are people gonna think I'm weird? 'Cause I just don't know how to run a 5K. But you show up, and then there's music and people are loving on you. You're getting hugged and you're getting energy drinks and you're like, what is going on? I thought I was coming to a competitive environment, but in reality, running is just honestly the facade of it all to just bring people in. But then we get to share with them the love of Christ," Garinger told us.
"I think that there's a new fire because people are so desperate and like they've been seeking every experience, every drug, every alcohol, every experience that they can experience, and realizing that's not gonna sustain them. It's like we're so tired, like, of trying to go our own way. And so we're just ready to, I'm like, I'm ready to follow Jesus wherever," Cameron said.
In just a little over a year, "Run with Christ" has exploded into more than 80 cities and 5 countries and is still growing. Garinger gives God all the credit.
"Jesus has been so kind. And I mean, I could sit here and practically say, you know, cool Instagram or whatever it may be, and people are attracted to it. But attracted, there has not been one city in this entire world that I've reached out to see if they wanted to start one. It literally, every city has started with one little random "yes from a random 20-something-year-old has been like, Hey, I don't really have community. I'd love to see change happen here. How can I start one?" Garinger said.
20-year-old Sage Morcos, who attends Baylor University, says she's planning to start a "Run with Christ" chapter in Waco, Texas, soon.
"Honestly, I think Gen Z can really recognize authenticity, and that's why this is so popular, because it's authentic and because Jesus is authentic and he's real, and that's what people want. We're tired of the fakeness, we're tired of the ways of the world. We want to give our lives to something that's bigger than us, and that is the man, Jesus Christ," Morcos said.
For many who came, it was hard to put the experience into words.
"I think I'm just in awe myself. Like, I just look around, like we're looking at the Capitol, we were looking at the Lincoln Memorial, and we're sitting here worshiping, like in our Capitol with people that we don't even know. And the generations coming together and all the nations are coming together, and we're just in awe," Hilty said.
For more information on future runs or how you can start a "Run with Christ" club in your area, visit @runwchrist on Instagram or go to runwchrist.com.
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