Group morning mimosas are part of a local 5K Mimosa Run that is drawing more runners.
The Social Running Club, started by Jeanette Ely, a 2006 TCU international communications graduate, began last year and has grown to more than 1,000 members.
The group’s Mimosa Run is also growing rapidly, Ely said.
“We actually had to add runs because its become popular,” she said.
Ely said the idea for the Social Running Club came while she was in training for the Nike World Series in Washington D.C.
“I never really had the chance to relate to other runners, ask about their training, ask them what they were eating, what race they were training for,” she said. “By making friends while you’re training you tend to be more committed to it.”
Ely wanted to create something related to running but also give people a chance to socialize, she said. For now, the Social Running Club is local, but some members also go on national runs together.
“Most recently, we did Vail, Colorado in June,” said race director Brian Frank. “We had 10 people with us. It was beautiful.”
Frank said the group also meets for free, weekly four-mile runs at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Clear Fork Food Park, and part of his job is designing the club’s web site and T-shirts.
“We put together races and events,” he said. “We’re just a team, but I carry the boxes.”
Ely said the club runs year-round with a purpose of being active along Trinity Trails, meeting people and sharing ideas.
“We always meet back here after the run and talk,” she said. “We have a very diverse group. It’s really welcoming to any level of runner, whether you’re a beginner or advanced.”
Frank said runner’s ages vary from eight year-olds with their parents to some in their seventies, but mid-thirties is the largest group.
Social runner Leslie Wittenbraker, who moved to Fort Worth a year ago, wrote in an email that she started running to stay fit and lose weight and quickly become an addict.
“There’s nothing like the clear head and easy smile I feel after a great run,” she wrote.
For more information about the club’s various runs, visit wwwsocialrunningclub.com.
