Founder of free run club in New York City makes $640,000 in a year
Owen Akhibi, founder of the New York City-based free run club Peak and Pace, has turned his community-building initiative into a $640,000-a-year side hustle by monetizing large-scale social events and brand partnerships while keeping the running itself free.
Intelligence analysis by Gemini 2.5 Flash
Owen Akhibi, a Gen Zer who moved from London to New York, established Peak and Pace as a free run club to foster community beyond nightlife. Leveraging his prior experience, he successfully monetized the club through ticketed social events like parties, hikes, and ski trips, generating significant revenue while maintaining a 15% profit margin.
Owen Akhibi started a free running club in New York City to make friends. While the running is free, he throws big parties and trips that people pay to attend, like buying tickets to a fun fair. This clever idea helped him earn a lot of money, showing how you can turn a hobby into a successful business by offering extra fun activities.
Analysis
Owen Akhibi
Owen Akhibi, a 27-year-old Gen Zer, initiated Peak and Pace in 2024 shortly after relocating from London to New York City. His primary motivation was to cultivate a sense of community that extended beyond the typical nightlife scene, both for himself and for others seeking social connections in a new environment. Akhibi's background, including a prior real estate side hustle and his full-time role in algorithmic trading sales at JP Morgan, provided him with an entrepreneurial mindset and a foundation for monetizing community-based ventures.
His vision for Peak and Pace was to create a space where fitness and social interaction converged, offering a unique blend of physical activity and communal bonding. This approach resonated with many, quickly drawing participants to the free running sessions. Akhibi's personal journey of seeking connection in a new city underscores the universal appeal of community-driven initiatives, making his story relatable to a broad audience.
Peak and Pace
Peak and Pace operates on a hybrid model, offering free running sessions while generating revenue through ticketed social events and brand partnerships. The core philosophy ensures that the act of running with the club remains accessible to everyone without cost, fostering an inclusive environment. However, the club strategically organizes larger social gatherings, such as parties, hiking trips, and ski excursions, for which attendees pay a ticket price, typically ranging from $15 to $25.
This dual structure allows Peak and Pace to maintain its community-centric mission while establishing a sustainable financial framework. The club's growth has been significant, attracting approximately 150 runners by its fifth session and drawing 30,000 attendees to its various events in 2025. The expansion of activities beyond just running, to include diverse social and recreational outings, enhances the value proposition for its members and broadens its appeal.
$640,000
In 2025, Peak and Pace achieved a remarkable revenue of $640,000, almost entirely derived from its ticketed social events. This substantial income highlights the effectiveness of Akhibi's monetization strategy, transforming a community initiative into a highly profitable side hustle. Despite the impressive top-line figure, Akhibi acknowledges that not every individual event is profitable, underscoring the inherent risks and operational complexities involved in event management.
However, the overall enterprise maintains a healthy 15% profit margin, demonstrating sound financial management and a successful business model. Akhibi, who currently serves as the head of partnerships at Grounded Superintelligence, reinvests the profits back into Peak and Pace, signaling a commitment to its continued growth and expansion. This financial success story serves as an inspiring example of how passion, community engagement, and strategic business acumen can converge to create significant economic value.
Key points
- Owen Akhibi founded Peak and Pace, a free run club in New York City, to build community after moving from London.
- He monetized the club by hosting ticketed social events, parties, hiking, and ski trips, generating $640,000 in revenue in 2025.
- Running with Peak and Pace remains free, with ticket prices for parties ranging from $15-$25.
- The company operates at a 15% profit margin, with profits reinvested back into the side hustle.
- Akhibi balances this side hustle with a full-time role as head of partnerships at Grounded Superintelligence.
This model demonstrates how community-focused initiatives can be successfully monetized through creative event planning, offering a blueprint for others to build profitable ventures from social groups. It highlights the potential for individuals to generate substantial income through side hustles, fostering entrepreneurship and community engagement simultaneously.
The article notes that not every party is profitable, indicating potential financial risks and the need for careful event management to maintain the overall 15% profit margin. Scaling such a model could also present challenges in maintaining community intimacy and event quality as attendance grows, potentially diluting the original community-building ethos.
