Fashion model and social media star, Reneé “Ren” e has more than 300,000 Instagram followers, but it’s the connection she has with 300+ runners in her girls only “e Bad Vibes” running club that offers the most ‘moving’ effect on her physical and mental health. The beauty explains all in this exclusive interview with M&F.
“I started running because my husband was training for an ultra-marathon. I had never grown-up playing sports or being active, but during Covid lockdowns I had nothing better to do, so I thought I would train with him,” says e, explaining the origins of her ever-expanding club. “w, when I say trained with him; I couldn’t even do a quarter of a mile! Still, he pushed me in a positive way and I enjoyed it. I like challenging myself with something difficult and I kept coming back for more. I started with that quarter of a mile and then built it up to a full mile, then two miles etc. My love for running is definitely helped by how I feel afterwards. I feel so fresh and new, if that makes sense!”
The benefits of running don’t need to be explained to those who enjoy putting one front of the other. Studies show that even short runs contribute to our health and longevity, not to mention the endorphins we get from getting our sweat on; a euphoric state often referred to as the ‘runners high.’ Determined to share her new found passion for running with her growing base of social media followers, (she now has almost 1 million fellow TikTok’ers) e decided to form the “e Bad Vibes” running club. “It came about because there was a time when TikTok was maybe going to be banned, and I asked myself, what was the point of all of this if I never got to meet my community?”
Renee e
“e Bad Vibes” Went From 15 to 300+ Likeminded Runners
e tells M&F that she was determined to put her thoughts into action. “I thought it would be fun to get some local girls together and start a little Instagram page for those who wanted to join. I started a private Instagram page so that girls had to make a request in order to follow it, and it was originally just 15 other girls and me in Utah. I was feeling absolutely inspired by how many people showed up, and to think it was just 15 people then, and now it’s 300+ in places like Austin, Texas, it’s epic! I’ve seen creators and influencers do events, but I honestly never thought that it would turn into something this big. It consumes my life, and I love it so much!”
e’s most recent run in Orange County, California, had a cap of 300 girls confirmed to run, with another 700 waiting patiently on the waitlist. Of course, starting a running community is a great way to make new friends and share a love of fitness, but there are tangible benefits too. “I have definitely seen my muscle composition improve,” says e. “I never
grew up athletic, but I don’t really think that I have lost or any gained weight. Yet, I’m definitely stronger.”
So, where’s the farthest that someone has travelled to take part in the ‘e Bad Vibes’ running club? “Honestly, people will drive hours, which is so insane to me,” she says. “When we were doing the states on the East Coast, people would drive, 6+ hours from different states to come, and this was so shocking. I was honored when we did our Vegas run; one girl had come from Utah. And then, when we did the Tennessee run; girls had come from the New England states and that was so moving to me!”
How to Join Reneé e’s “e Bad Vibes” Running Club
“Typically, how it works is you’ll need to be following the Instagram page so that you can get the information for future locations,” explains the inspirational leader. “The Instagram is private, and it might take us a while to accept you, but we do accept all women. The reason it’s all women is because we wanted to be a safe place for younger girls to attend. A lot of the girls are as young as 10 years old, so we want them to always be comfortable. When we are set on a location, we will drop a sign-up message a week or two before, on an IG story so that you can sign up. As far as the run club itself goes, we usually all gather together, take a big picture and make a couple TikToks, and then we go on the run — it’s always a standard 4 miles because in my head it’s longer than a 5K, but it’s not longer than 5 miles, so it seems like the perfect distance. People sometimes do longer or shorter… whatever they are comfortable with. Some people walk, some people bring their dogs, some people bring their baby in a stroller, anyone is welcome.
“I think the greatest part about the club is that people meet other people that they probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s literally a group of 300 amazing women who come to join in and do something that they all love. The messages that I get after run club are probably the best messages anyone could ever receive. I truly feel so fulfilled after, and so grateful for every single person who came.”
With our girl saying that international runs are a definite goal for the future, it seems that the “e Bad Vibes” running club might one day be accessible to all. So, that initial quarter mile run could lead to positive changes across the globe.
Well done Ren!
