Class 12 student starts women-only running club, raises Rs 8L for streetlights

RunX is a women-only running club founded by Class 12 student Kridha Gupta in Ambala. It was created to give women a shared space for exercise and make outdoor fitness feel more comfortable. The club also questioned why safety concerns should limit women's access to fitness.

Kridha's own experience shaped the idea. Her mother felt uneasy about sending her to a gym with few women. Outdoor workouts were also difficult in poorly lit areas. Kridha first brought together five or six runners, creating support through companionship and shared routes.

RunX later became more than a fitness group. Members discussed roads they avoided and places that felt uncomfortable after sunset. These conversations led the club to address street lighting and public-space access. The initiative shows how a small community can turn a personal barrier into a civic concern.

RunX grew from an informal group of five or six runners into a women-only club with more than 200 members. This scale mattered because it gave women a stronger collective voice. Members could share experiences, identify unsafe routes and present common concerns to local institutions.

The group helped raise close to Rs 8 lakh for installing streetlights. The funds supported five lights along poorly lit routes in Ambala. RunX worked with Resident Welfare Associations, linking community participation with a specific infrastructure need.

The money was therefore not raised only for running activities. It supported safer access to public spaces. The initiative also reached the Mayor's office, and proposals for more lighting and safer spaces entered Ambala's 2026 civic policy agenda. RunX's growth helped turn individual worries into an organised public conversation.

Poorly lit public spaces can make outdoor exercise feel less secure, especially after sunset. Women may need to check a route's lighting, find someone to accompany them or decide whether going outside is worth the concern. These extra calculations can reduce access to regular fitness.

The article gives examples from RunX members. They spoke about roads they avoided and places that became uncomfortable after dark. Kridha's own mother also worried about sending her to a gym with few women, while poorly lit outdoor areas made exercising inconvenient.

This means the barrier is not simply a person's willingness to run. The surrounding infrastructure shapes who can use public spaces comfortably. RunX responded by organising women, documenting shared concerns and supporting lighting improvements. Better-lit routes can help make exercise more accessible, though communities also need participation and attention to wider safety conditions.

The funds were used to install five streetlights along poorly lit routes in Ambala. RunX carried out this work in collaboration with Resident Welfare Associations. The spending addressed a practical problem identified by women who used, avoided or felt uncomfortable in these public spaces.

The initiative also connected community action with local government. Kridha brought the group's concerns to local institutions, and the effort reached the Mayor's office. This gave the issue a route from residents' experiences to civic discussion and possible policy planning.

According to the report, proposals for additional lighting and safer public spaces entered Ambala's 2026 civic policy agenda. The change was therefore both physical and institutional. Five lights improved specific routes, while the policy discussion created a possible path for broader improvements across the city.

Kridha Gupta helped turn RunX members' everyday concerns into a civic issue. The women in the club identified routes and places that felt difficult to use, giving the initiative concrete experiences to communicate. Their shared participation made the concern more than one person's complaint.

Resident Welfare Associations collaborated with RunX on streetlight installation. The Mayor's office received the initiative's concerns, and the Mayor nominated Kridha to contribute to the Chief Minister's Good Governance Associates Programme. RunX also organised the Ambala Martyrs Run with the Indian Army.

These partnerships supplied different kinds of support. Residents identified local problems, community groups helped deliver lighting, and civic institutions connected the issue to policy. The Indian Army collaboration attracted around 400 runners and raised approximately $1,000 for martyrs' families. Together, these relationships broadened RunX's reach and organising experience.

Installing streetlights is one solution, but safer outdoor exercise also depends on how people organise and use public spaces. Communities can schedule group runs, arrange companions and choose routes that are active and easier to monitor. These steps can make exercise feel more accessible while longer-term infrastructure work continues.

They can also map poorly lit or uncomfortable locations, report damaged lights, request maintenance and share clear route information. Regular community events can attract participants and create stronger links with local authorities. RunX's group structure and Ambala Martyrs Run show how shared activities can build participation around a wider cause.

These approaches do not replace public investment. They work alongside it. RunX's experience suggests that communities need clear communication, participation and a practical plan. When residents document concerns and approach institutions together, local safety needs are easier to identify and address.

The story links gender equity with public infrastructure because access to opportunity is shaped by everyday conditions. If women feel unable to use gyms, roads or outdoor spaces comfortably, their choices about fitness and participation become narrower. Safety is therefore part of equal access, not a separate concern.

RunX made this connection visible. Women shared concerns about poorly lit routes, and the club helped raise close to Rs 8 lakh for five streetlights. Kridha then carried the same focus on access into workshops in more than 20 government schools, reaching over 7,000 students, and into support for former athletes seeking new careers.

The wider lesson is that small organising can lead to institutional attention. RunX's concerns reached Ambala's 2026 civic policy agenda. Its work suggests that improving spaces and sharing information can help people pursue fitness, education, leadership and employment more freely.