JPMorgan Employee Started A Free Run Club To Make Friends. It Earned Him Over Rs 6.1 Crore In A Year

Owen Akhibi, a 27-year-old entrepreneur, has turned his passion for running into a lucrative side business, earning more than $640,000 (around Rs 6.1 crore) in revenue in 2025. The founder of the New York-based social fitness group Peak and Pace started the initiative in 2024 while working in algorithmic trading sales at investment bank JPMorgan.

Akhibi launched the run club after moving from London to New York, hoping to build a community beyond the city's nightlife. The club began as a way for him and others to make friends but has since grown into a large social fitness network, attracting more than 30,000 attendees to its events in 2025.

Unlike many run clubs, Peak and Pace has found a way to generate revenue without charging people to participate in its regular runs. Instead, it makes most of its money through ticketed parties and other activities, including hiking and ski trips.

Speaking to CNBC Make It, Akhibi said he wanted to create experiences for his community that involved expenses, much like comedy nights and organised trips. Drawing on his previous experience running a real estate side hustle, he began monetising the events while keeping the runs free.

He promoted Peak and Pace through daily social media posts, attracting around 150 runners by its fifth session. He then organised a party at a Manhattan bar, charging participants about $20 each. As the community grew, the events expanded to include DJs, food vendors and larger gatherings, with tickets typically priced between $15 and $25.

According to documents reviewed by CNBC, Peak and Pace generated more than $640,000 in revenue in 2025, almost entirely from these events. However, Akhibi said not every party turns a profit. The business operates at an overall profit margin of around 15%, with earnings reinvested into the venture rather than taken as a second salary.

A logistical nightmare before a major event

Running the business has not always been smooth. One of Akhibi's biggest challenges came while organising a 5K run and after-party on Governors Island, a former military installation off Manhattan that is accessible by water.

After weeks of preparation, Akhibi and his team had loaded supplies onto 18 trucks, which were supposed to be transported by ferry. However, the morning before the event, he received a call informing him that the boat had broken down, leaving the vehicles stranded in Manhattan's financial district.

With around 2,000 people having purchased tickets, he was worried about having to issue refunds. Akhibi told CNBC Make It that he spent hours on the phone with island officials before managing to arrange another boat.

The last of the supplies, including around 30 portable toilets, reportedly arrived just as the first guests reached the island.

Despite the stressful start, the event ended on a memorable note. Akhibi recalled watching a 25-year-old participant place a medal around an older runner's neck at the finish line. The moment reinforced the sense of community he had hoped to create through the club.

Balancing a side hustle with a demanding career

As Peak and Pace expanded, managing the business alongside a full-time job became increasingly demanding. Akhibi said he worked up to 18 hours a day for about a year while trying to maintain high performance at work and oversee the growing venture.

He described managing the competing responsibilities and maintaining his mental well-being as some of his biggest challenges. "Sometimes it can get frustrating when you don't understand somebody's point of view. If you can just learn to be patient and try to put yourself in their shoes, then you become understanding in almost any given situation. It allows you to adapt more easily," he said. 

Run clubs have become increasingly popular as people seek ways to socialise and make friends, particularly after moving to new cities. New York alone has at least 200 such clubs, many of which allow people to participate for free. According to the most recent publicly available figures cited by CNBC Make It, running club participation worldwide grew by nearly 60% in 2024, based on data from the fitness tracking platform Strava.