By Rakeem Omar, BBC Midlands Today
![BBC A large group of runners dressed in their running gear stand outside the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f6b8/live/ce9b4b80-4449-11ef-aa49-371d26daab93.jpg.webp)
A running club set up by a personal trainer is thriving with more than 200 people joining in a matter of months.
Rocup, which stands for “rise over challenges”, was launched in November last year by Rudy O’Halloran with just 17 members.
Since then, hundreds have taken part in free events at different locations across Birmingham to boost their mental and physical wellbeing.
Rudy left behind a life of crime and prison sentences and is now using his past to help others have a better future.
![Rudy O’Halloran is looking out of shot, in the centre of Birmingham. He has brown hair and a small beard and he is wearing a blue sweatshirt](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f609/live/a3643710-4449-11ef-aa49-371d26daab93.jpg.webp)
It led him to start the club to “bring people together, get people physically moving and build up the city”.
Music blasting on speakers, stewards racing alongside and megaphones blaring with encouragement, are some of the things you can expect to keep you on track.
Of his time in jail, he said: “I needed like a sense of purpose, I needed a sense of community and when I was in prison I used fitness to give me that sense of purpose.”
He now also delivers workshops to colleges to show that it is never too late to turn your life around.
![Heniya Azzerghni, who is standing in front of railings in Birmingham city centre. She is smiling at the camera and has sunglasses on her head with long dark hair with blond streaks and large hoop earrings](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/37df/live/1ba5e510-4464-11ef-a959-6902b6903fc8.jpg.webp)
Heniya Azzerghni joined the club with her roommate on Christmas Day last year.
She said people were “just so welcoming” and the events have great vibes.
Thousands of people have watched videos of the community running club on social media, with one comment saying there was “nowhere better to be on a Saturday morning”.
![Jonathan Sillwood is looking out of shot while standing in Birmingham city centre. He has short dark hair and similar coloured beard. He is wearing a dark blue gym top](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a51f/live/3e4e9220-444a-11ef-aa49-371d26daab93.jpg.webp)
Jonathan Sillwood was standing alone when he arrived at the event for the first time.
But not for long, as within two minutes people approached him “as if they’d known me my whole life”.
“I really enjoyed myself and I pretty much made the decision at 7am this morning that I was gonna get on the bus and come here,” he said.