Not many people would run a half-marathon off the back of a bet with a mate. Especially if that bet was worth just one pint.
But for Joe Tinsley, that single pint sparked something. As anyone would expect, he threw himself into it and signed up for a full marathon soon after.
A final year Maths student at The University of Manchester, Joe’s only been seriously making content about running and his fitness since May. Six months later, under the username @joe_tinsley_, he’s racked up 16,000 followers on Instagram and 14,000 followers on TikTok, numbers that climb daily. That growth has been rapid enough to catch the attention of Gymshark, Pure Sport, and Runna.
It might be hard to believe that sport wasn’t always a big part of his life. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been the sportiest person.” Throughout college, he drifted in and out of sporting extracurriculars, and last academic year, a friend dragged him to water polo. He now plays for the 1st team, though he’s quick to admit “I’m not a good player, I’m more there for the social aspect.” I’m sure he’s better than most of us.
Instagram can be an intense place for fitness content. Research even suggests that exercise-themed social media often harms mental health more than it helps. But Joe stands out, even after only a few months of posting online. As one of my housemates put it before I sat down with him: Joe comes across as a genuinely nice guy. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, as his bio might suggest: “probably training for something stupid.”
More than anything, his content isn’t prescriptive. It’s not a how-to guide, or a transformation timeline. Instead, it’s inspiring others to do the same. Your fitness journey will never look the same as someone else’s, but you might as well enjoy the process.
His venture into social media has become a bit of a fun too, admitting “I’ve never really done anything creative” before setting up the account. Case study A: a recent reel of him making brownies.
The beauty of this content as he says himself: “I’m still a student, I still do normal student things.” Can’t say I’ve seen many other fitness influencers post about going to the pub.
Though that visibility comes with complications. He’s inevitability recognised often, and a few weeks ago in Leeds, a stranger approached him: “Oh, Joe what are you doing in Leeds?” For most Manchester students, Fallowfield Sainsbury’s is already the worst place to bump into people, let alone being recognised there by someone whose face you’ve never seen before.
He’s clearly one for a challenge. After a while, running alone wasn’t enough: “I started running, and then thought, how can I make this more difficult for myself”. So, a triathlon it was.
In June, he completed a half ironman too. September then brought one of his biggest undertakings yet: a 50-mile ultra marathon in Brighton, raising over £1,600 for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
But it didn’t stop there. A solo trip abroad is a scary prospect. But add a marathon into the mix, that’s real exposure therapy. That’s precisely what he did with October’s Lisbon marathon. Worse still, he had a mid-term on the Monday. Think revising hungover is a challenge? Try revising on a plane after completing 26 miles, legs still aching.
And whilst winter typically signals downtime for most, Joe’s already eyeing up next year’s Brighton Half and Full Marathons.
He’s thoughtful about running’s mental health benefits. “It’s just a certain experience you don’t get anywhere else.” Many people would interpret running as a form of self-endorsed torture, though Joe takes it one step further: no music, no distractions, just miles of headspace. He reflects that he’s also now much more comfortable in his own company.
Time management is an inevitable struggle for final year students. Degree, societies, sports, job applications, social life, an uncertain future. How does he fit it all in? “I’m a firm believer that you will find time. If I’ve got stuff on, I’ll just have to get up earlier. And if I have too much free time, I’ll just end up doing the same amount of uni work.” He attests to the fact that fitness goal setting can help you in other parts of your life too.
Beyond solo miles, Joe’s building something communal – his own running club, Runny Yolks. “I make up the route on the day,” he jokingly admits. People keep returning, drawn to the low-key social atmosphere.
Looking to the future, post-graduation anxiety is real. Joe’s planning a gap year – the graduate market is pretty brutal right now. But he’s not dwelling on what he can’t control.
His relatability is his ultimate strength. As he puts it, “it’s hard to relate to someone when it’s their whole job.” He’s not a professional athlete or a full-time influencer. At the end of the day, he’s simply a student who made a bet for a pint and accidentally found his thing. That’s why people keep watching.
