Jogging memories: why some Nigerians set up their own running club in London

Around 11:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning in London’s famous Hyde Park, runners gather on a few benches — some long and lean, some wide and strong, some logged into the Strava app, but a common thread unites them. -Most of them are Nigerians of Igbo origin.

This is the Ozo Running Club, created by the Igbo people to celebrate the culture of one of the largest of Nigeria’s over 300 ethnic groups.

“We wanted to create a space where young Igbo people could connect and reconnect with their culture,” said Chibueze Odomene, who co-founded the club with Emeka Atumonyogo and Chigo Ogbonna.

In less than three months, Ozo Running Club already has more than 300 members.

this boom The growth reflects not only a deep desire for community, but also the remarkable surge in socially run clubs in recent years.

StravaThe popular running app said running club participation has increased by 59% globally this year.

But for Ozo Running Club, the weekly Saturday meeting isn’t just about running, speed or fitness – it’s a place where strangers become family.

Even as runners wait to join their respective pace groups – fast, medium, slow and walking pace – Afrobeats music playing from nearby speakers adds a buzz and energy to the stillness of the park. Communication takes place.

“Igbo kwenu!” Mr. Odomene yells, his voice getting louder to get the attention of everyone in the park.

The group responds in unison with a slow, rumbling “Eye.”

“Igbo kwezo!” He calls again, his tone both commanding and heated.

Once again, a unified “I” follows, which resonates among the runners and sets the tone for the morning.

This traditional Igbo call-and-response is more than a greeting – it’s a moment of pride, a reminder of shared roots and identity that runs as deep as their commitment to each other and the weekly race.

“The chant is used as a call for unity, community and love among all Igbo people,” Mr Odoeyemin said.

Running clubs like Ozo, which are often free, have become a place for people to make new friends, build a community, and possibly meet future partners.

The co-founders, who met at other Igbo social events, laugh at the prospect of a love story blossoming at their club.

“If people find the love of their lives, that’s amazing, but the most important part for us is building a fun community,” Mr Odomene said.

For What 21-year-old Francesca Ngozi Ezenolim found early Saturday morning in Reading, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from London, was not the prospect of romance, but the promise of community.

“I don’t have a lot of Igbo friends,” she said, “I have a lot of Nigerian friends – but it’s hard to find Igbo friends.”

Dressed in black athletic attire, she told the BBC she hoped the running club would fill a void in her life.

And she is not alone.

Jennifer Iwuamadi, 23, a first-time club attendee, echoed the same sentiment.

“Coming to the Igbo Run Club is very important because we get a chance to mingle with our brothers and sisters. It’s a great way to stay fit and network,” she said.

Although the Igbos are one of Nigeria’s largest ethnic groups and are prominent in the diaspora, many feel that their culture is under threat. In 2006, the United Nations Cultural Organization (UNESCO) predicted that the Igbo language would become extinct by 2025.

However, in Britain, according to the Office for National Statistics, their numbers have increased over the past decade – from about 8,000 to 11,000.

In contrast, the number of speakers of Yoruba, the second main language in southern Nigeria, declined from 15,000 to 10,000 over the same period.

Still, some young Igbo people told the BBC they have struggled to make friends outside their parents’ community.

“I have a lot of Yoruba friends, but I want to meet people from my own tribe,” Ms Ezenolim told the BBC.

“When people think of Nigerians, they don’t really think of the Igbo. Nigeria is not just one piece, it is many pieces,” Mr Odoyemene said.

But isn’t it divisive to have a club that focuses on Igbo culture?

The founders shake their heads vigorously.

“You don’t have to be Igbo to come to Run Club,” Mr. Atumonyogo said.

He says people have come to his sessions from Iran, Italy and the Caribbean – and he encourages others to join in, learn about Igbo culture, ask questions and immerse themselves in the lively atmosphere.

Yet, beneath the happiness and harmony, there is a dark side to the Igbo story.

In Nigeria, many people still associate the Igbos with the Biafran War of 1967–70, in which approximately one million people were killed following a campaign by Igbo leaders in the south-east to secede from the rest of the country.

Decades later, the wounds of the war are still green, to some extent still shaping how the Igbo people are viewed both at home and abroad.

In his book The Trouble with Nigeria, one of the most famous Nigerian writers, the late Chinua Achebe, who was Igbo, said: “Nigerians will probably never achieve consensus on any matter other than their general resentment towards the Igbo.”

These words – in the view of many Igbos – reflect a history of marginalization that continues to resonate.

For them, this history underlies a deeper purpose – a desire to create their own identity and increase Igbo representation.

Uzoma Ehzim, 34, who moved to Britain nearly two decades ago, said he doesn’t think Igbo culture gets the attention it deserves.

He is one of the club’s fast bowlers and believes that Yoruba culture dominates what is considered “Nigerian” by many in the UK and globally.

From renowned Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti to the first African Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka and contemporary stars such as Davido, Aira Star and Thames, many of the most prominent figures in Nigerian pop culture are Yoruba.

The exception is literature, where Achebe and contemporary Igbo writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Akwaeke Emeji have achieved international fame.

Many in the running club believe that the world should know more about the Igbo people.

“If you tell someone you are Nigerian, the first thing someone will ask is: ‘Are you Yoruba?’” Mr Ehzim said.

The club not only organizes running sessions. It has added monthly social events for community members – from karaoke to dodgeball sessions and even an Igbo fiesta next year.

But for now, the weekly walks have become a source of joy and camaraderie for club members.

As the race ends and all the groups meet again on the benches, Mr. Odomene encircles the runners with the same chant of unity.

Old friends meet and new friends say hello.

People exchange phone numbers, and as they part, a promise to meet again the following Saturday is a reminder that this is not just a fleeting encounter but the beginning of lasting relationships rooted in community and cultural pride.