Naked Family Points
Hello Flora! We're glad you're here and want to talk to us a bit about Early Birds. Let's get started right away. What exactly is "The Early Birds Movement"? Please briefly introduce your project in your own words.
Hello Hannah! Thanks for the invitation. I'm glad I can be here and chat with you about Early Birds!
Early Birds is a sports community that hits the streets of Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Munich early in the morning. We started with a running group in Vienna almost five years ago, but now we do many different sports together, such as cycling, yoga, and HIIT training, and recently, swimming. It's all about meeting up to sweat together and enjoy exercise. We also regularly participate in events as a community or prepare for an event together. We do everything free of charge and on a voluntary basis. This means that our organizing team and our almost 30 coaches also do everything without pay. However, through Early Birds you get to know so many nice new people and so many new friendships have been formed that the time invested so far has definitely not been in vain.
Sounds really cool. How did the idea of founding a running community come about?
It all started during the COVID-19 lockdown. I met regularly with five friends outside to run, as it was the only way for us to meet without a high risk of infection. Over time, more and more people joined our running group, and we soon had 30-40 people running together. We then founded a WhatsApp group where we could exchange ideas. This was quickly dubbed "Early Birds" because we always ran in the morning before work. Because the idea of a running community was so well received, we thought it would be cool to create our own website and Instagram channel to reach even more people, and that's how it all began.
I then moved from Vienna to Salzburg and discovered that there wasn't a proper running group in Salzburg yet. So, four friends and I took the initiative and introduced the Early Birds training sessions in Salzburg as well. A little later, some motivated groups of friends came together in Innsbruck and Munich to organize the Early Birds movement there.
What sets your training group apart from other sports communities?
One clear difference is that we train in the morning. Most sports groups offer their training sessions in the evening after work. But I would say that our community not only exercises together, but also forms a strong bond beyond the training sessions. We regularly go out for drinks after our sessions or go to events together. Last year, for example, we went to Lake Garda together to participate in and cheer on the half marathon. There, we were in a shared hotel with over 150 people. What's also cool is that our community is so diverse, and everyone is truly "welcome" – from young to old, from beginners to professionals.
That's the perfect transition to my next question: Who are your training sessions suitable for? Are there any prerequisites to participate?
Basically, as I said, the training is for everyone, regardless of age. We also have an app that we use to communicate, and you can see that our main target group is students and young adults. But we also have some older people who are over 60 and really enjoy coming to our training sessions. The gender divide is pretty even.
What about fitness requirements? Should you be worried about being too slow for the group?
No, it's really suitable for every level! For many sessions, we also offer different performance groups. For example, when training for the "Wings for Life Run," we offer different pace groups to optimize the training for everyone. These range from 4:30 min/km for ambitious runners to 6:30 or slower for beginners. The cool thing about it is that, as a beginner, you can learn a lot from more experienced runners. In general, everyone can benefit from the community network because most people are really helpful and we support each other tremendously. For example, one person might be a beginner runner and get tips for that, while another might be a physiotherapist and can give experienced runners tips for minor tension or pain.
You mentioned that you also prepare for specific events. What exactly does that look like?
Yes, exactly. Here we train together for a race. We do our long runs together or in different pace groups, but we also run the intervals together on the track. This means everyone runs at their own pace and can adjust the intensity individually. However, the sense of community still pushes you harder and makes you more motivated than if you were running your laps alone.
Another event we prepared for together was the HYROX event in Vienna. We even had a training session with HYROX World Champion Alex Roncevic and were able to get valuable tips from a professional. This means we often find professional trainers who share their knowledge with us.
Okay, I'm sold. How can I join?
The best way is via our app, but you can also use our website: Simply create an account and register. Then you're already there and can see all our events. If you then click on an event, you'll see the detailed information and can register yourself. Registration isn't required; you can just show up to the training. The advantage, however, is that you'll be informed via the app if anything changes or if the training is canceled at short notice.
How's your motivation during the cold season? Are your training sessions still being held and attended?
I notice it in myself: it motivates you when you know there's a training session and you've registered. It's even easier to get up and get ready, even if it's snowing, cold, and you wouldn't normally go out voluntarily. Many participants feel the same way, which is why it works so well in the winter. But the training options are naturally larger in the summer, as we're more tied to facilities and infrastructure in the winter. We want to offer our services as free as possible, and of course, it's easier to do yoga in the park instead of having to rent a gym. In winter, for example, instead of bike rides, we offer Zwift sessions, yoga classes, spinning sessions, or HIIT workouts. However, there is a small fee for participants for indoor training sessions because we split the space rental between everyone.
Speaking of change: Since your beginnings, the group has grown significantly – what has changed the most? What plans do you have for the future?
Of course, the organizational workload in the core team has increased significantly. As already mentioned, we were initially just a small running group that met outside every week. Now we have around 100 participants at some training sessions in Vienna – that requires careful planning and consideration. We also gain between two and three thousand new members every year, whom we naturally want to inform and integrate as best as possible.
Another major change was the addition of more and more sports, and some sports require more organizational and planning effort, such as indoor sessions or swimming sessions. However, we had to set a limit here to avoid the organizational effort becoming too great. Therefore, we want to keep our sports offerings as they are for the time being and do not plan to introduce any additional sports. Most of the time, however, something like this happens naturally, like with swimming, for example. We may want to offer more “single events” in the future in order to further increase the variety of sports and to be able to better respond to individual wishes.
You just mentioned that you're all doing this voluntarily and for free. What's your personal motivation for running, but also for helping with the organization?
As I mentioned before: you meet so many new people, and I've already made so many friends through the community. You simply step out of your normal "everyday bubble" and connect with people you'd never otherwise meet. I also always find it nice to see new people integrate into the group. It's just cool to have a joint project like this. When you see how big a project like this can become when everyone is motivated and shares the same vision, it's naturally very motivating. The encouragement from the participants also helps and motivates us to continue.
Okay, thank you, Flora, for the nice chat and for taking the time. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
Thanks too! All that's left to say is: for anyone who's interested and enjoys sports, or wants to start, give it a try and see for yourself. It's completely free and you have nothing to lose!
Credits: Early Birds