I want to join the running club without appearing in its social media

A neighborhood running club meets at a coffee shop every Saturday morning. The pace options are friendly, the route is familiar and the start time fits my weekend. I attended once and enjoyed almost everything about it.

At the end, someone called for a group photo. Everyone gathered automatically. I stood at the edge, unsure whether stepping away would look dramatic. The photo appeared on the club's public account before I reached home, tagged with the coffee shop and the neighborhood.

Nothing embarrassing was happening in the image. I was wearing ordinary clothes and smiling. I still did not want a public record of where I spend Saturday mornings. My work is client-facing, I keep social accounts private and I prefer deciding which parts of my routine become searchable.

The registration form had a broad photo-release sentence. I checked it because the box sat beside the emergency-contact field and I was focused on completing the form. That may give the organizers permission. It does not make me comfortable.

I skipped the next two runs rather than raise the issue. This is obviously inefficient. The club has more than forty people; I doubt anyone is committed to featuring my face. I could email the organizer, ask to be excluded from photos and step aside when the camera appears. My worry is becoming a recurring production problem—someone has to crop the image, remember my preference or explain why I am leaving the frame.

I do not need every group to operate without photos. I need a way to participate without turning privacy into a weekly performance. A visible “no photo” wristband would be excessive. A simple note on the attendance list might be enough.

Has anyone made this request in a recreational group? What system respects consent without requiring the person who opts out to interrupt the celebration every time?