Find Your “Why” With Running Clubs
The Ballantyne® campus inspires communities of runners
By Dawn Liles | Photos courtesy of Ballantyne Running Club
Now, maybe more than ever, people seek ways to connect with others around the beautiful Ballantyne® development through a shared passion or hobby. Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or just want to ensure you’ve exceeded your daily step goal, you can find supportive, positive and welcoming groups in the running communities that meet here.
There are two options for runners and walkers: the Ballantyne Running Club, which meets on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Ballantyne, and its spinoff club, The Summit Coffee Running Club, which meets at Summit Coffee Ballantyne on Fridays at 6 a.m. Summit Coffee has several other locations and running clubs in the Charlotte area. The running club at the Ballantyne location is its newest club.
Between the two groups, there are more than 90 runners and walkers from ages 14 to 70. Participants usually complete a 2-, 3- or 4-mile loop through the Ballantyne campus and beyond. Routes are suggestions only; participants can choose what works best for them.
The BRC was founded in 2017 and persevered through dwindling numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic because of social distancing, only to see its numbers explode in the last year.
According to the running organization New York Road Runners, some 50 million people run in the U.S., and over the last 10 years, running has grown in popularity by 57%.
The BRC made it through the pandemic by adapting and staying connected on WhatsApp while members constantly checked in on one another. “It was a challenging time, but we came even closer together and volunteered to help with first responders,” explains Geo Marques, one of five “ambassadors” who lead the club. “We have nurses, doctors and firemen as club members, so we could see firsthand the impact that the pandemic had on their lives.”