Running, ice water plunges and relationships in San Mateo and San Francisco

BARC. convenes Wednesday evenings in San Mateo and Saturday mornings in San Francisco. The club, which is “99% socializing and 1% running,” according to founder Jacob Zlobinsky, begins with icebreakers and ends with ice water plunges. Afterwards, members head to coffee shops or bars together.

The group documents adventures on Instagram and TikTok, capturing the welcoming atmosphere and “infectious energy,” member Simon Lê, from Hayward, said. The ability to convey authenticity over social media is what makes BARC. unique, he said.

“When everyone shows up early, crusty and with no makeup, ready to throw themselves into an uncomfortable situation, people are more comfortable being themselves,” Zlobinsky said. “You can’t really hide or fake it when you’re running.”

A contractor by trade, Zlobinsky started the club a year ago, hoping to create a free, inclusive environment for people to meet one another organically. His runs grew in attendance from three to 12 over the span of a few months, but they weren’t a focal point in his life, he said.

At the end of February, one of Zlobinsky’s TikTok videos went viral. The video, about Yosemite’s proximity to the Bay Area, attracted a new following of young, outdoorsy people in the area, he said. He realized they might be interested in BARC., so he started promoting it, he said.

The club grew slowly at first, however, as more people joined, more people wanted to join, Zlobinsky said. More than 100 runners regularly attended events by the end of March, and more than 400 did by the end of April, he said.

BARC. has more than 3,000 members on Strava and 10,000 followers on Instagram, though runs usually see up to 700 members, Zlobinsky said.

Jessica Aguayo and her friends, from the East Bay, joined BARC. in early April to hold themselves accountable to their new running streak, she said. People run at every pace, including walking, so they can split up and get the workout that’s best for them individually, she said.

Aguayo remembers anxiously driving through San Francisco the dark, foggy morning of her first BARC. run, she said. It was earlier in the year, so the sun wouldn’t rise until she got there, and she wasn’t sure what to expect, she said.

As Aguayo watched the sunrise with strangers who were all experiencing the same fears and excitement, she said she felt a rush of adrenaline. It pushed her all the way through the run and, though she was unsure if she would do it beforehand, into the ocean.

The cold plunge is just one way the club aims to push people out of their comfort zones, Zlobinsky said. It’s a fun, completely optional bonding activity, and most people’s favorite part, he said.

Gargi Kand took a leap when she joined the club solo, she said. She felt immediately welcomed and has found her best friends in the group, she said. She now helps organize club events.

BARC. is expanding beyond biweekly runs to add biking, surfing and hiking, Kand said. They also want to hold more purely social activities like the “dating show” they hosted last weekend, she said.

Many of BARC.’s viral videos claim the club is a better alternative to dating apps, featuring content like running-lingo pickup lines, for example. It’s a funny bit that draws people in, Zlobinsky said, but it’s also true; he knows multiple couples who met each other at the runs. 

A lot of the club’s marketing is focused on dating, for which some people join the club, but certainly not everyone, Aguayo said. The great thing about the diversity and size of BARC. is that people join for so many different reasons, she said.

As BARC. continues to expand, the club plans on adding runs in new parts of the Bay Area and releasing an app to manage members and events, Zlobinsky said. Runs will remain free, but access to sponsors’ perks will require a membership to help account for costs he previously covered on his own, he said.

“Knowing the people around you also want to make new friends and create community makes doing that so much easier,” Zlobinsky said. “No one is afraid to introduce themselves to a stranger, because at BARC., that’s the norm.”

The most updated information on BARC. can be found on the Instagram @bayarearunclub.us.