Renee Noe is a social media influencer who has grown in popularity due to her platform, which shows her running and encouraging young girls to be the best versions of themselves. She has a massive following, most prominently on Instagram and TikTok where she makes videos of herself going on runs, traveling the country, doing fashion videos and more. It was this rising popularity that inspired her to do more with her brand and start something new called “Noe Bad Vibes Run Club.”
“About a year and a half ago, there was … this whole scare that TikTok would get banned,” said Noe in an interview with The Catalyst. “If TikTok was banned, then I thought … what was the point? So, I wanted to expand running from just social media and thought that meeting up with some girls on the weekends … couldn’t be that hard.”
The “Noe Bad Vibes Run Club” is a project started by Noe, which involves her travels around the country to meet and run with young girls. She picks public trails throughout different states and posts a sign-up on her Instagram with limited spots. The average distance for each run is four miles and the usual turnout is between 100 and 200 girls. There is always time for meet and greets, introductions to other runners, pictures and more. With her phone in hand, Noe creates wholesome content, while running with a multitude of girls, spreading encouragement, and making connections with those who she inspires.
“It is so incredible … to see the amount of people showing up to the run club. I’m honestly the one who’s inspired because some of these girls have never felt comfortable moving in their bodies or exercising in their lives,” shared Noe. “I think … it is brave to show up to the club by yourself, but it is incredible to see girls make friends while they’re there and form their own run clubs with each other.”
Towards the end of 2023, Noe posted a link to a sign-up form on her Instagram story for a run club in Palo Alto, California. With spots filling up in under five minutes, four NDB students quickly secured their spots, excited for the run with their favorite running influencer.
On the day of the run, a proverbial sea of girls waited in line for their chance to talk to and take pictures with Noe. Wearing neon colors and Hoka running shoes, which is what she is known for, she set up at the trailhead with all of her gifts and goodies. Then, they headed on a four-mile run around Byxbee Park.
“The run club was amazing. I had so much fun running alongside so many girls and felt how warm Renee’s running community is,” said run club attendee and senior Annette Henderson. “The run club was so special because rarely are there opportunities where you can get together with such a large group of girls to do something we all collectively enjoy, that’s also good for our body and mind.”
Noe emphasizes the benefits of running for fun and how putting pressure on oneself to meet certain expectations takes the fun out of the sport. This approach has motivated young girls to come out of their comfort zones and start making running or other forms of fitness an integral part of their daily routines. It is an incredible opportunity to see female runners of different experience levels unite and foster a healthy fitness community.
During the run, Noe let everyone run at their own pace and tried to run with as many people as she could. The run club truly represented her passion for welcoming others into the inclusive, vibrant running community.
“I was really nervous going into the run club following an injury and this was my first run back,” said run club attendee and senior Maddy King. “But, honestly, there wasn’t a better place or environment to do that than the run club because everyone was being positive and encouraging … and just running together to have fun.”
Once the run was finished, participants were given gift bags with useful items, such as electrolyte mixes, makeup products and water bottles. They also had the chance to take plenty of pictures with Noe and their friends as memorabilia from the enjoyable experience.
Noe has made such a positive impact on runners coming from many different parts of the United States and hopes to add an international part to her run club in the near future. She continues to contribute to a supportive fitness community and make motivational and wholesome content for young girls aspiring to pick up running as a new hobby.
Noe’s run club creates a sisterhood among the attendees as well as memories to last a lifetime.
