Festival to host first running speed-dating event

A new music festival aims to bring a dash of romance to the usual line-up, by offering speed dating - while running.

The inaugural Festival of Running and Music (FORM) - organised by a Bristol-based couple whose first 10 dates were 10k runs - is taking place from 25-27 September in Wales.

The FORM team will match participants beforehand, each with two or three potential suitors - with each couple running three loops of a "romantic" trail to allow them to get to know one another.

Co-organiser Ed Jenkins said it was a natural step to introduce speed-dating at the event, having become aware of the "anguish" around dating at his regular club, Ravers2Runners (R2R).

"The running speed-dating is slightly tongue-in-cheek, but I think it really does represent quite a serious issue in society right now," said Jenkins.

"We're seeing a lot of a mental health crisis around dating through our run club at Ravers 2 Runners.

"If people need a safe place to meet other people and are trying to forge a deeper connection and lifelong relationship, then why shouldn't we use our space to create that?

"We have a fantastic, very romantic, one kilometre (0.6 mile) route around Three Pools Farm - with the backdrop of the stunning Brecon Beacons," said Jenkins.

"After the run, you will anonymously indicate to the team whether there's anyone there that you'd like to go and have a coffee, or a beer, or a boogie, or a swim with, and let's just see what happens.

"Let's see if we get our first FORM festival wedding off the back of it," he said.

Marc Harvey, 38, from Bristol, has been a regular runner with R2R for 18 months, and said his social life had "absolutely exploded" in that time - including a couple of romances.

He said he believed the dating landscape was evolving.

"I can only speak from my own personal experience, but I was just so jaded by the whole field of dating through dating apps," he said.

"I found them so discouraging, as you just kind of sat there swiping. I said to myself, 'surely it's a lot better to go out there and see someone in the wild, so to speak'."

At FORM, Harvey is hoping to meet like-minded people who also enjoy being in the outdoors and combining their passions for running and music.

"Running speed-dating is a great idea because we're all in the same place to do the same thing and there's no pressure," he said.

Hannah Ward, 36, has worked at festivals across the country, including Glastonbury, and Boomtown in Hampshire.

She said she had seen a "massive shift" towards more healthy and activity-led festivals, including events around wellbeing.

"The running speed-dating is something that I think is really interesting, and something I can't wait to do, because with R2R festivals, I know the crowd they attract is sort of a Venn diagram of my main two interests, and therefore there could more likely be connections."

Ward said she no longer used dating apps as she found them "disingenuous".

"I don't have the time, with my work, to be wasting on apps, and I'd rather find someone more organically these days," she said.

"Events like [FORM], where they are focusing on the singles market, are great, because no other event that I've seen has really had any singles activities.

"I've never understood why there's not speed-dating at every festival!"

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