I started doing Parkruns in prison and now hundreds of people attend my 5am run club in Manchester

So you want to join a running club, but can’t find the time? Then we might have found the answer. Made Running is a mass gathering which pounds the pavements of Manchester before the birds are even up.

When we went along, the positive energy within a group of more than 100 people before 5am makes it clear why the club has grown in the way it has. 

Hermen Dange, 30, is the force behind Made Running. During time in prison, he received visits from nationwide organisation Parkrun. The group hosts events within prisons to allow people undergoing a sentence to experience the positive benefits of exercise and community. 

Being reintroduced to running allowed Hermen to discover how life-changing the sport can be. After his release, his friend suggested he start a run club. Having run alone, Hermen understood the huge difference of running in a collective and Made Running was born. The core ethos is inclusivity. They encourage everyone, of all levels, to get involved. 

“We’re not just a run club - we’re more of an educational programme,” Hermen says. “At Made Running, we run because we’re forgetting about life - we run because we want to forget about bills. Some of us want to set challenges, some people are very athletic, some are very new to it - they all fit in this industry.”

Made Running only started in August last year and they have two weekly runs - Saturday at 9.15am, and Wednesday at 5am. The early start, particularly midweek, means more people can get involved with Hermen a big advocate of a strong start to the day. 

“It’s very important not to just focus on the time, but socialise with one another - socialising doesn’t just need to be in a nightclub,” he says. “The feedback we get is ‘wow, you’ve made me forget about life’.”

Made Running allows people to network, gain new job roles, and most importantly, feel a sense of community. The rate of growth has shocked the founder. 

“The plan was never to have 200 people running the streets of Manchester, sometimes it’s 400 to 500,” Hermen says. “But if it’s naturally growing, then obviously the plans for the long term are to keep it growing, because we can see the positive effect on people.”

The group’s slogan is ‘No one gets left behind.’ And you can see it. At the 5am run, members in hi-vis make sure that everyone is safe, happy, and surrounded by others. 

“Whether it's raining or snowing we run as a team, and we’ll support one another,” Hermen adds. “Together we run, no one gets left behind - and we stick by it.”

• You can visit Made Running’s website, or their Instagram to get involved.