FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — If you’ve ever wondered who the massive crowd of runners are flooding the streets along Fort Lauderdale Beach on a Sunday morning, they’re probably part of Lauderdale Run Club.
After nearly two years of group runs, founder Chris Gualano says hundreds of people now show us to their weekly events. The mileage ranges from two to five miles, but the social aspect remains the same.
“We’re not a run club,” he said. “We’re a social club that runs.”
That’s been Gualano’s mission since he started the group, having just moved to South Florida from Montreal, Canada. He met fellow runner Emilia Brush at a different run club, and they quickly decided they wanted to form their own club that focused more on community.
“Even though it’s an individualized sport, it’s all about community,” Brush said, now a team captain for Lauderdale Run Club. “It’s hard to believe that on our first day, we showed up thinking, oh, maybe we’ll have 10 people. We actually had close to 50 and then, every day, it’s just grown since.”
About 150-200 people show up for the Sunday 8 a.m. run along Fort Lauderdale Beach. Tuesday evenings, they take over the roads around Tarpon River Brewing with 500 people of all ages showing up to run two miles together.
“I have goosebumps thinking about it,” Brush said. “It makes me feel like I’m running a marathon, where there’s so many people around you. And that fills you up. That’s what makes me keep going and what makes other people keep going.”
It may be surprising to learn many members were not runner when they can to their first event. Some wanted to become better runners or just be more active, while others wanted to make friends.
“Chris has built a pretty nice community here,” said Lisa, who joined toward the beginning of the group forming. “It felt safe and comfortable running, even being a slower runner.”
Another runner, Albert, completed his 4.4-mile run with the group as he trained for a marathon in Sydney, Australia.
“A lot of these people I’m around, their energy. They work hard, they train hard,” Albert said. “They do all these crazy trips and races. I just want to be one of them.”
The Club also just launched a race team, for those feeling more competitive. Gualano’s goal is to keep growing the group to have something for everyone, all ages and abilities. He also wants to keep raising money to give back to the community. They’ve donated money to a local high school, support members’ non-profits, and often give away free running gear.
“We’re just about hitting $200,000 in just under two years of giving back to the community,” Gualano said. “We don’t see us slowing down any time soon.”
To see the latest weekly events, including pop-up races and runs, follow the group on Instagram @LauderdaleRunClub.
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