Run clubs are having a moment. This one is for people in recovery.

When Kellen Matthews heard a doctor at his addiction rehab program say that running can give you a high similar to that of drugs, it grabbed his attention.

He had been using opioids for more than a decade, starting when he was just 13. Matthews started with prescription drugs such as Percocet, but by the time he was out of high school, he was using powerful IV opioids such as fentanyl and heroin.

Matthews went to rehab several times before, but this time had to be different. He’d been so beaten down by the hold opioids had on him that he concluded the only options left were to finally break his addiction or take his own life.

The morning after he heard the doctor explain a runner’s high, Matthews sought it out for himself, even though he was in no condition to do so.

“I was smoking at the time, [my] diet was awful, [I was] in no shape at all to start running,” he said.

“There was a driveway at the [facility] that I was at. And the next morning I started running [it] and then little by little I worked myself up to a mile. And then once I got out of treatment and got into a halfway house, I started running a mile every day. And it’s now [grown] into something much bigger,” he said.

Now 32, Matthews has been off drugs for seven years, and running is a defining feature of his life. He’s run several marathons and 100-mile ultras, and posted a 2:43 at last year’s Philly Marathon. Over the last couple of years, he built a social media following on his Instagram, @kellenrunsphilly, where he started sharing his story.

And a few months ago, Matthews started building a community for other runners in recovery. He created Recovery Run Club in March, a monthly meetup and beginner-friendly run club for anyone going through recovery of some kind, whether it be from addiction, abuse, eating disorders, or any other difficult experience.

“It just gives these people a space where it’s OK for you to be honest what you’re going through and be accepted by a group of people that are going through something similar,” he said.

After spending five years in federal prison for attempted murder, Josh Holi was starting over. Holi was in his late 20s when he was released, and had never worked a traditional job; all he knew was selling drugs and other criminal routes.

“It felt like a different world,” he said about building a new life and recovering from what he knew. “It was definitely slow and arduous and there was a lot of people judging me along the way, but I really chose not to let the past be an excuse for me. I just tried to be a little better every day.”

Today, 11 years after his release, Holi is a software designer and is proud of how far he’s come. He met Matthews at a fitness class last year; they became close friends and started training together.

Holi is a regular at Recovery Run Club now, and he sees running as an important part of his recovery journey.

“I think it’s just a fresh reminder to keep going,” he said. “Having this club and having these meetings are a good way to fill your cup back up [and] understand even though there’s going to be hard days, we’ve got to press forward.”

Matthews said that running gave him the tangible and measurable feelings of progress that are often difficult to find during recovery.

“It made me feel like I was working toward something,” Matthews said. “I had a physical feeling that I was getting better day by day, and it’s hard to see that in recovery. Recovery’s not linear, by any means, and it’s hard to have a feeling [that] I’m getting better. A lot of times you can feel like you’re plateaued in your recovery ... but with running, it’s something that I was always able to escape to and ... always feel better.”

At the beginning of each meeting of the club, Matthews typically asks everyone to introduce themselves and tell the group how addiction or the other experiences they are recovering from have impacted their life. This past Saturday when the club met at the Ben Franklin Bridge for their run, more than 30 people showed up. It was the largest turnout yet.

One of those runners was Juan Degro, who uses running to clear his head while he maintains his sobriety. He’s been running for a few years, and when he feels an urge to drink, he’ll often go out for a 5k or 10k, instead.

Degro, 32, has been sober for six months now, the longest period of his life since he started drinking as a teenager. Meeting other people in recovery at this run club and other running groups has strengthened his resolve and helped him see that there were others living the life without alcohol that he aspired to.

“To see people just getting out and just fighting for it, it’s encouraging for me because I struggle with a lot of anxiety and depression,” he said.

“It helps me give myself a little more grace. [I see] that I am trying, that we are trying. I’m not alone. I’ve met really good people [and] I don’t think I’d be where I am now if it wasn’t for Kellen,” he said.

“Everyone has these different walks in life, yet somehow we all ended up at one spot, and that’s because of Kellen,” said Shiv Uppal, 21, a Run Club member early in his recovery who meets up with Matthews regularly outside of the club to train and talk.

Getting faster and stronger as a runner with Matthews’ support has given him a boost in self-esteem.

“There’s really not too many words to describe that feeling of just accomplishment. It’s a one-of-a-kind thing unless you’ve gone and you’ve [already] conquered something that you never thought was possible,” he said.

Matthews and his wife, Cass, are both full-time content creators now, and he intends to continue using his social media platform to talk about addiction and bring others into the digital and real life communities he’s formed. Matthews especially hopes that word of the run club reaches people who are early in their recovery journeys, such as a man he met at May’s run club.

“He was like, ‘dude, I’m 23 days clean. I’m feeling much better.’ The guy’s living out of his car. That’s really the target audience I would like to connect with ... you’re going through a lot at that point.”

And for anyone in recovery who is interested in Recovery Run Club but feels hesitant about running, or talking to others in recovery, Matthews encourages them to just come see what it’s like.

“The hardest part is just showing up,” he said.

“Once you’re there, we’ll take care of the rest.”