Pace Her, the all-women running club meets every Sunday in Coimbatore
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
When Roshini Narayanan brought up the topic of fitness with her mother Manjula, she brushed it off. “She was not comfortable working out by herself,” says Roshini, adding that a lot of women don’t step out of home for a walk or a run for want of company. The 27-year-old came up with Pace Her Run Club along with her mother, to offer such women a sense of community. Started in March this year, the all-women running club meets every Sunday morning by one of the city’s lakes.
“We’ve had 18 meets so far,” says Roshini, adding that every meet has around 35 women across age groups. “We have school and college students, as well as women in their late 30s and 40s. Our oldest member is 65 years old.” The women meet at 6.30am, and after a brief warmup session, head for a walk or a run around the lake. Their usual haunt is the Kumaraswamy lake, and Roshini leads the runs to support first-timers, teaching them breathing techniques along the way.
Women from the running club practice yoga on World Yoga Day at Ukkadam Lake in Coimbatore
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Women who are comfortable walking, do so at their own pace, she points out. They wrap up by 7.45am with Roshini, who is also a biker and nutrition coach, hosting a quick game for the group. “I wanted to create a safe space for women to take care of their fitness routines,” she says. “The idea is to encourage them to get out of their homes to get fit.” While fitness is the running club’s ultimate goal, it is also a place where friendships are formed and a sense of sisterhood develops.
“I’ve made so many new friends after I started running with the club,” says 48-year-old mother of two, A Sumithra. She has been coming for their Sunday meets ever since Pace Her was started and calls it her “happy place”. For her, the motivation to wake up early on a Sunday morning comes from the fact that she gets to meet so many inspiring women.
Women from Pace Her Run Club at Coimbatore’s Ukkadam Lake
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
“I’ve met entrepreneurs much younger than me doing exceptional work,” she says. “There’s a young woman who runs her own millet-based food business, another who is taking care of her father’s business…I learn something from all of them.”
No meet is complete without their customary Annapoorna breakfast. “This is something we look forward to,” laughs Sumithra, who is a trained beautician. Harini Balaji, who has completed her Master’s in Food Processing, has been running with the club for two months now. “I used to go for walks on the terrace of my home on 100-Feet Road,” says the 28-year-old, adding that it was quite a lonely exercise. “I would sometimes head to Ram Nagar or Race Course for walking, but both places tend to get crowded sometimes,” she adds.
P Saranya, a police constable at the Race Course police station, is also a regular runner with the group. “I’m amidst crime and crime-related conversations 99% of the day,” says the 28-year-old, adding that she is always looking for something to fill her with positivity when she is not working. A native of Thoothukudi, she doesn’t have many friends in the city. “Since I’m in the armed forces, it goes without saying that fitness if a prerequisite for me,” she says.
The Coimbatore running club is also a place where friendships are formed
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
She joined Pace Her four months ago to “run, meet up with friends, and share some laughs”, preparing her physically and mentally for her police responsibilities through the following week.
Pace Her has also expanded to doing paid runs in collaboration with other brands, according to Roshini. “We recently did one in which participants gathered at a café after a run and danced together,” she says. But their USP remains their morning meets: where they are not judged; where they can simply be.
Follow them on Instagram @paceher_runclub
Published – July 07, 2026 02:44 pm IST
