At first, it was tough to convince others that running and drinking beer — almost simultaneously — isn’t a bizarre thing to do.

But once Tej Sandhu and Dan Grant found their voice on social media, membership in their “running crew” took off, they say, swelling in the last six months from 10 runners to 900.

Even the beer companies have come onside — sponsoring free pints at the end of each jaunt.

“It’s been crazy,” says Sandhu, co-founder of the aptly named Run T.O. Beer, which meets about twice monthly. “It got so popular.”

Just like the activity as a whole.

Society is in the throes of a running boom, experts say. And, running “crews” in particular are on the rise (FYI, you 40-somethings: “group” and “club” are not cool words anymore).

Seems millennials (this includes people in their mid 20s to mid 30s), particularly those who live downtown in big cities, are taking to running like rappers to Nikes and hipsters to tight jeans.

Joining “crews,” is how this younger set — who consider Trinity Bellwoods Park their backyard and prefer public to private space — have decided to take up the sport.

A desired result is to get fit and healthier, of course, but they’re not just running to lose weight, says Alan Brookes, race director for the Canada Running Series, which includes the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 18. They’re running for all kinds of reasons: to escape a tiny, urban condo, connect with people and make new friends, explore the city, discover their own neighbourhoods and even make them better.

“They seem committed with their values to a friendlier, more caring city,” Brookes says. “It’s about a search for community and building community and having a say in the kind of community you want.”

It’s also about self improvement.

Steven Artemiw, 34, co-founder of the Parkdale Roadrunners, one of the largest crews in the city, commanding up to 150 runners on their weekly Tuesday night jaunts, says he started running when he gave up drugs.

As a 26-year-old nightclub promoter, he made bad choices, he says, until one day he laced up his runners and felt better, noticing changes in his mood, sleep, physique and confidence.

But he couldn’t keep it up all alone, he says. Hence, the need for a crew — supportive, like-minded people who have grown into a de-facto family. One that runs together, but also goes for brunch afterwards at a trendy restaurant and then does yoga at a stylish gym. Or visits a gallery before heading home to shower.

That’s why Artemiw won’t run in a pair of ratty pants with a hole in the crotch, he says. And why at each Parkdale Roadrunners run there’s always someone who sticks at the “back of pack” — because running, and joining a crew, he says, doesn’t have to be about qualifying for Boston (the city’s annual marathon is considered that golden ring).

“It’s about inclusion,” Artemiw says. “It’s about just discovering better versions of yourself every day. That’s what it’s built upon.”

That attitude is fast trickling down to all kinds of people who may not have taken up running a few years ago, says William Chaupiz, 42, Toronto crew captain of Night Terrors, another enormous — and entirely non-threatening — running crew that runs primarily in the city’s west end, mostly in the evenings.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Once upon a time, he says, running was about being fast, finishing a race and being competitive. You’d run alone, Chaupiz says, if you felt slow and self-conscious about “holding up the group.”

More and more, urban running is now about embracing an active lifestyle in and of itself. If you want to be competitive, there are crews for that. But running is now something everyone of any and all speeds, can have in common, Sandhu says.

And, it’s probably one of the most accessible sports around — all you need is “a pair of shoes, shorts and a T-shirt.”

The T.O. crews

Running crews are usually tied to neighbourhoods — and even though they’ll arrange runs to different pubs or clubs or restaurants all over the city, participants stay close to their hoods.

Find them on social media. Join anytime. Most are free; some have a nominal fee.

Parkdale Roadrunners: In the summer of 2010 a bunch of ballsy “non-runner” friends maDe a bet about who could sprint a 10K the fastest. By the time their race day came a few months later, almost everyone was injured — except for two people. They started running together, wearing T-shirts that read “I’d rather be smoking.” That got a lot of people asking, “When do you meet?” Today, more than 150 people join in their weekly runs.

Night Terrors Run Club (NRTC): When a MuchMusic employee couldn’t find a gym open late enough to burn off her post-shift energy one night, she decided to run through the city streets with a bunch of friends. Those shenanigans turned into a crew that runs to “cool places” such as festivals, murals, historical buildings, nature trails and “food spots you wouldn’t normally visit.”

Run T.O Beer: It all started with a tweet. Beer writer Dan Grant was looking for a buddy, someone to join him on a run — and then a trip to the bar. Tej Sandhu replied, the two met for a jaunt and pint on a miserable March night in 2014 — and the rest is history. Runs are short — either three, five or 10 kilometres with shorter distance runners joining in along the route — and always rewarded with brew. Since beer companies have been quick to join this party, every run ends with a free drink.

Nike + Run Club: Sometimes, 200 eager runners turn out. Head coach Rejean Chiasson, 32, says that in the last couple of years there’s been a surge of runners from all kinds of different backgrounds and skill levels. The more serious — those with defined goals — can join Chiasson’s other crew, Pace & Mind, where participants can pay $100 to $120 a month for customized programs.

BlackToe Running Inc.: This trendy Bathurst St. store has partnered with Dr. Jack Daniels (no, not that JD), a former Olympian and coach, who makes all its training programs. The cost is $25 a month and the crew goes on four evening runs a week and for a long run on Sunday mornings, says BlackToe owner Mike Anderson. After that, they usually take over a local restaurant for brunch.

Correction – October 15, 2015: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly referred to William Chaupiz as the co-founder of Night Terrors.