During this month of love and friendship, Two Birds Fit is helping singles in Denver meet by hosting events throughout the city. On Feb. 18, the matchmaking platform hosted a speed date walking event at Sloan’s Lake, where 24 singles, some with their dogs, gathered to walk the park. Participants were given the opportunity to connect with other singles in real time, steering them away from the hassles of online dating.
“I can’t really tell if I’m attracted to someone by looking at their profile picture,” said Joanna, a participant who declined to share her last name. “Now I’m totally desensitized by it, I just look at these profiles and don’t feel anything, it’s just a picture.”
For some singles in Denver, online dating has become frustrating and unsuccessful. Often, they’re moving away from “swiping right” and going back to the basics, seeking ways of meeting a potential partner in person. Karen Richards, co-founder of Two Birds Fit, has considered this and created a business that combines speed dating and workouts. Along with hosting walk events for singles she offers mixers in venues across town.
“It’s meeting people in real life,” Richards said. “Trying to connect in person through movement but with like-minded people who have similar hobbies.”
Sloan’s Lake has become well known through the years, offering nearly three miles of paved pathways for walking, running, biking and other recreational activities for its surrounding neighborhoods. However, some Reddit users consider it the best place to meet local singles. A couple of weeks ago, user jasmineofthevalley asked the Denver subreddit, “Where to meet single men in Denver these days?” Another user suggested the asker visit Sloan’s Lake on a nice day and initiate a conversation with single men around the park.
“It’s weird but single dudes in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties will jog or walk by themselves or with a dog. You can initiate a conversation by asking them about their dog or skateboard or something, ” said user New_Debate3706.
The post received over 500 responses with members in similar situations and mostly in their mid-30’s staying away from the club and bar scenes. A common issue among the subreddit members was working from home and being surrounded by married friends, making it challenging to meet other singles. Members in relationships also chimed in, giving advice and sharing their experiences of finding their significant other. Many single males along the thread said they are too shy to approach women around the park and others said they have given up on dating altogether.
“I’ve given up on trying right now,” said a male responder. “I guess I’m hoping someone just magically appears in my life at some point but if not, oh well.”
Paired off into 12 couples, the large group made its way around the city’s second-largest park. Richards said she likes hosting her events at Sloan’s Lake because it’s under the radar and gives participants the space to talk. And they did. The couples had five minutes to chat and get to know each other. After their time was up, they moved down the line to meet the next person. At the end of the loop, they were given time to reconnect and ask further questions of those they might have connected with along the way. According to Richards, most participants exchange contact information, while others use the Two Birds Fit matchmaking program that connects them with multiple people from the group.
“The program will matchmake people within 24 hours of the event,” Richards said. “They can choose up to six people and if the match is mutual then the program will connect and notify them of the match.”
This event is perfect for single dog owners who enjoy taking their pups for long walks and are open to meeting new people. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, said a participant at the event. And that’s exactly what Richards had in mind when co-creating Two Birds Fit. Richards works as a personal trainer at the Denver Athletic Club and said she has always enjoyed connecting people, especially her friends. So, after the pandemic when the idea came to mind, it was a no-brainer. She combined the two worlds in hopes of bringing potential partners together.
Richards said participants have mentioned how refreshing it is to meet people in person and how tired they are of online dating. Cassie, who declined to give her last name, said she loved the Sloan’s Lake event because it was outdoors, casual and dog-friendly. Cassie learned about Two Birds Fit at Sloan’s last summer when she was walking the lake with a friend. She spotted one of their speed dating workouts and wanted to attend an event for herself since she had stepped away from mingling in the bar scene and was looking to try something new.
“It just felt like a good environment for me,” Cassie said. “The apps are okay, but to talk to a lot of people and have it be more structured and be outside—that was just good for me.”
According to Richards, there have been romantic or friendship matches at every event they’ve had so far. Although Two Bird Fit’s speed date workouts hover around 24 individuals, the single mixers range from 50 to over 200 participants. The company is hosting a singles ride at CycleBar in LoHi on Feb. 24 and plenty of other collaborations in the near future. Richards and her team plan to continue the Denver events and expand Two Birds Fit to other cities.
“This is my passion and I really want to grow it. I feel very driven to spread the word and I think people are really digging it,” Richards said.
