“I just got attacked by the scariest f*cking gang in Toronto,” begins a TikTok from a woman named Zulf (@zulllfff). She’s talking about a running club.
Over the last few weeks, many TikTokers have been talking about the Toronto Running Club and the chaos its members have allegedly created in Toronto.
In a Dec. 19 TikTok that has more than 3 million views, Zulf says she was hit in the shoulder by a pack of runners on the sidewalk and that something similar happened over the summer to her and her sister.
“Over 50 f*cking people are running toward us,” she says of that incident. “They’re not just running toward us, though. Half of them are on the sidewalk, half of them are on the f*cking road. There’s nowhere for us to go.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Zulf for comment.
Another creator, Leah (@leah.gucci.cher) claimed someone from a running group kicked her dog when they were running on the sidewalk.
@zulllfff My shoulder hurts so bad! Im so pissedddd #fyp #toronto #torontotiktok #toxicpeople #bullies #bully #torontotiktok #immad #xybca ♬ original sound – Zulf
Over the last month, videos of Toronto running groups on the sidewalk have been posted to TikTok, and Zulf specifically calls out the Toronto Running Club. Another running club, Midnight Runners, has also been accused of this bad behavior.
Midnight Runners is a “global running community” and social club with a chapter in Toronto. Its members meet on Tuesdays (the day Zulf mentions in her TikTok) and typically join nighttime runs with more of a party atmosphere—like running with speakers.
Drinking after the runs is also part of the culture. An October post about the group’s fourth Toronto anniversary called what it does “somewhere between fitness and partying.”
@daystoseetheworld Replying to @koda surprised that was the video that took off instead of this one! A few of us just decided to step off to the side and wait for the “Toronto running club” runners to go by 😅 #torontorunningclub #torontorunclub #midnightrunners #torontorunningcommunity #runningtok #torontorunners #runnersvspedestrians #torontotok #runningonsidewalks #runclub #tiktokbeef #suddenlyviral #torontonews ♬ original sound – Days to See the World!
In a Dec. 29 TikTok, creator @axhillessuxkss said that someone from Toronto Running Club had reached out to her about another video she made and said that members of Midnight Runners were the ones with bad running etiquette.
A now-deleted video of Midnight members running through Toronto’s busy Eaton Centre before the holidays—which was called out by Zulf as mocking her original post—confused commenters.
“Not them literally running in a mall,” said one commenter.
Some runners said that lack of etiquette is also an issue for other running crews. Jamie Corrales, a running coach in Toronto, admitted that he’s seen runners run into pedestrians or block sidewalks or roads and that the city’s running scene has gotten very popular. That popularity brought in new runners “who don’t know good running etiquette,” he said in a Dec. 20 TikTok.
@tiffanyy_e I don’t live in Toronto but I have experienced this in toronto while visitng. This is not just a toronto run club problem, i have seen this in other cities as well. stop making yourself a hazard for other people to navigate #running #torontorunclub #torontorunners #fyp #fypシ #foryourpage #runclub #torontorunning ♬ original sound – Tiffany
Creator Liv Alexa (@lovelivalexa) recounted her own experience with Midnight Runners in 2019, saying that back then they’d meet at a pub and then head to Toronto’s lakeshore.
“And on the lakeshore there is a designated recreational trail for cyclists and walkers and runners,” she said. “So that was fine. But eventually they started running through the city randomly. And the group also got huge.”
@lovelivalexa #stitch with @Zulf they really do give off gang vibes 😩 #runtok #runnerslife #marathontraining #torontolife ♬ original sound – Liv Alexa 🏃🏾♀️
Zulf also posted a petition on her TikTok to “stop large running groups from endangering Toronto pedestrians.” This got a response from an alleged member of Midnight Runners, which was later deleted.
The member claimed Midnight Runners is the “most wholesome community in all of Toronto” and that TikTok commenters saying they’re going to trip or hurt runners now make him feel unsafe.
The Daily Dot reached out to the Toronto Running Club and Midnight Runners for comment. An anonymous Midnight Runners Toronto team captain told Running that it hasn’t released a statement yet because “we chose to observe and understand the context better before responding.”