Despite temperatures being in the high 90s on Wednesday, the first gathering of the Telegraph Run Club saw more than 70 participants gather together to run, stretch and support local businesses in the Telegraph District.
The social run club was organized by Fleet Feet Lincoln, a family-owned fitness store located at 7701 Pioneers Blvd., Suite 2. The club, which is free to join and open to runners of all levels, plans to meet every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. year-round at The Mill Coffee & Tea’s Telegraph District location.
Ben Trapp, Fleet Feet’s marketing coordinator, said the event was a success, especially considering he only expected about 10 or 20 people to show. There wasn’t much effort needed from Trapp’s side either as he said the socialness of the group happened naturally as people gathered and talked on the trail.
“It’s really neat to see and that’s kind of our whole goal here,†Trapp said. “It’s good to see it coming to fruition.â€
Lori Borer, owner of Fleet Feet's Nebraska stores, has helped organize dozens of group runs for runners of all ages. Yet she’s always struggled to get younger adults to participate, specifically those in the 20- to 35-year-old age range who are just starting their running careers.
“Running can be something to funnel out that stress,†Borer said. “It’s so much bigger than doing the races and doing all that. It’s somewhere to take a break, to get your mind off of everyday life, off work, off school, whatever it may be, and just go have fun.â€
After starting a social run club in Omaha, Borer said she saw the group quickly grow as an opportunity for younger adults to meet other people.
“It’s literally a new way to meet people for your age group,†Borer said. “That is what we’ve seen happen in Omaha and there’s nothing like that in Lincoln.â€
The Aksarben Run Club in Omaha sees about 150 people each week who run in Elmwood Park, numbers that Borer would love to see in Lincoln.
It was an easy decision when it came to choosing a starting location for the Lincoln group. It was “perfect†in Borer’s eyes — she wanted a place far enough away from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, but also close enough for students to reach by walking.
The Telegraph District also just so happens to have a nearby trail, plenty of parking and local businesses to purchase drinks, food and ice cream from afterward.
“It just all made sense right here,†Borer said. “I think it will be a great way to support the businesses down here.â€
Each week, participants can choose to walk, run or even rollerblade between 1-5 miles along a marked route on Billy Wolff Trail. Borer said a group leader also will be present to help lead the run, but everyone is welcome to take it at their own pace.
“We’re really easy, really laid back,†Borer said. “That is the big thing for that age group, is just to feel like they belong.â€
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Afterward, the participants are welcome to stick around for a cooldown yoga class from Lotus House of Yoga, ice cream from 402 Creamery, food from Naughty Burger and drinks and pizza from The Mill.
Maddie Rappl, 24, a recent college graduate, participated in Wednesday’s run with her friend after hearing about the group from their yoga instructor.
“I’ve been looking for a sense of community to be a part of and that’s what interested me,†Rappl said.
She said it’s necessary to have places where people can meet outside of home and work to relax.
“Especially post-graduate, it’s hard to have that sense of community,†Rappl said. “After you graduate college, you kind of lose that and having a group of people with a common interest, I think that’s awesome.â€
She has never participated in a running group before and decided she was going to run “as far as my heart desires.â€
After returning to The Mill, Rappl said the two ran about 2 miles with some walking breaks in between. They’re looking forward to returning again soon.
In addition to creating a social atmosphere for young adults, Borer and her staff are able to connect runners with a store that will support them throughout their fitness journey, she said.
“I want to be sure to be able to cater to them for events and different things, to know that we are here if they need us when they are ready to do their first 5K, if they’re wanting to learn how to hydrate or how to get runner nutrition,†Borer said.
While Borer would like to see younger adults take part, she hopes all ages will participate in the group, which isn’t meant to be intimidating with hardcore runners.
Nathan Lake, 44, has been running for nearly 20 years but wanted to join in on Wednesdays after seeing three of his favorite things combined: running, The Mill and his favorite shoe brand Hubba as a sponsor.
While Lake doesn’t run competitively at all, he said it's a way to create community.
“It’s fun to do these things and be around other like-minded people,†Lake said.
He’s participated in a few other run clubs in the past and has always enjoyed meeting other runners afterward.
“It’s fun to be able to see people in different situations, you have this instant bond,†Lake said.
Runners, including Tyler Pooschke (first left) and Mak Krause (right) are led by run lead Trevor White (first right) as they take off along the Billy Wolff Trail for the first-ever run held by the Telegraph Run Club on Wednesday. The new run club is meant to be a welcoming, open and free to any who wishes to join.
Runners take off along the Billy Wolff Trail for the first ever run held by the Telegraph Run Club on Wednesday. Runners joined together for a 4 mile run for the first ever Telegraph Run Club. The new run club is meant to be a welcoming, open, and free to any who wish to join.
Runners stick together as the follow the Billy Wolff Trail for the first ever run held by the Telegraph Run Club on Wednesday. Runners joined together for a 4 mile run for the first ever Telegraph Run Club. The new run club is meant to be a welcoming, open, and free to any who wish to join.