Charlotte run clubs are hoppin'
Plus: The news of the week — Patrick McHenry named interim U.S. House speaker — country music duo sling hammers for Habitat for Humanity — police recommend criminalizing pooping in public
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Beer and running are a perfect match at more than 30 breweries; Here’s what first-timers need to know
NoDa Brewing Run Club on West 32nd Street meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at noon for a group run. They circle back to the brewery afterward to hang out with a beer. (Left photo by Ashley Watkins)
by Lindsey Banks
Run clubs have spread across Charlotte since the first one hit its stride a decade ago. But what keeps runners coming isn’t necessarily beer or exercise — it’s the sense of community.
On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., some 15 runners of different speeds met outside NoDa Brewing off North Tryon Street. The group set out on three different loops — one mile, three miles or five miles — and met back at the brewery for a pint.
“A lot of us live alone and want some socialization,” said Ashley Watkins, the director of NoDa Brewing Run Club. Watkins, 35, drives from University City every week to lead the club. In her day job, she’s a sales manager for an audio-visual company at the Charlotte Convention Center.
NoDa Brewing Run Club, which was established in 2012 at NoDa Brewing, says it was the first brewery run club in Charlotte. Since then, more than 30 breweries have created run clubs, according to a list on RunCLTRun.com.
Watkins first joined NoDa Brewing Run Club in 2018 to train for a half marathon. She became director last year, and now, she’s there for the friendships. She even brings along her dog, Charlie, for the run.
Runners typically fall between the ages of 25 and 55, Watkins said, but at Wednesday’s run, a 5-year-old ran the one-mile loop with his father. They travel from Mooresville every Wednesday and Sunday to run with NoDa Brewing.
Many of Charlotte’s run clubs offer incentives. NoDa Brewing gives out free nonalcoholic “Hop2O” sparkling water and a punch card for a free run club T-shirt after 16 runs.
NoDa Brewing’s club attracted nearly 100 runners in its beginning years, according to Jacob Virgil, director of strategic development for NoDa Brewing.
“We were just trying to think of fun, creative ways to bring people into the taproom to create community,” said Virgil, a run-club regular. “We looked at other breweries outside of Charlotte that had created run clubs. That seemed like a really natural fit. Run clubs were a great place to go for a run, and then hang out together for a beer.”
The run club isn’t a big revenue builder for NoDa Brewing, Virgil said, but it gets people familiar with NoDa’s beer and brings them back outside of the runs.
In recent years, NoDa Brewing Run Club’s numbers have trickled down to an average of 20 runners at each run. Watkins said they never fully recovered from the pandemic, and there’s also competition from other run clubs that meet on Wednesdays at the same time, like The Chamber by Wooden Robot in NoDa.
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery run club, which meets on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., is one of the newest run clubs in Charlotte. It launched this summer and has grown to an average of 35 people. Runners are invited back to the taproom for a free beer after each run.
“Beers just go down the hatch easy after a run,” according to Michael Giuliano, who volunteers to lead the run club at Olde Meck.
In June, Giuliano, 27, approached the brewery to ask if he could start a run club. He works remotely as a stream podcast specialist for Salem Media Group and travels from Fort Mill to run with multiple clubs across the city each week.
“It's almost surprising that we get so many runners to ours because of the amount of run clubs there are,” Giuliano said. “We’re competing with seven others, and within like a five-mile radius, it's like probably three or four others.”
Most runners are between 25 and 35 years old, Giuliano said, which reflects the age range of people living in South End and Lower South End neighborhoods. Runners have to be over 21 years old to participate in Olde Meck’s run club.
“A run club is more of a social club thing,” Giuliano said. “Some people come more or less for the social aspect than the running aspect of it, to be honest, so a brewery is an easy one where they have good, chill atmospheres where we go hang out and sit after.”
Thinking about checking out one of Charlotte’s brewery run clubs?
Here are some tips:
Download the Strava app: Strava tracks your mileage, time and route, and you can share your run with friends. NoDa Brewing Run Club had the option to download route maps on Strava, too, which might be helpful if you’re a first-timer and don’t know your way around yet.
Run with a buddy: Whether that’s someone you meet at the club who is at a similar pace, or a friend you bring with you, it’s good to always run with someone in case you get lost or need to stop and rest.
Start slow: Most clubs have a one-mile route for those just starting out or looking for a quick jog. While it may be tempting to try the three-mile route at first, start slow. You don’t want to miss hanging out afterward if you overdo it.
Stay! It’s hard to talk while running. If you’re looking to meet people, hang out after the run. Runners are generally chill and welcoming people, so don’t be afraid to sit down at a table.
It’s OK if you don’t want to drink beer: Just because run clubs are held at breweries doesn’t mean you have to like beer. Many runners enjoy water or food from the brewery while they’re socializing with the group.
Lindsey Banks is a staff reporter for The Ledger: lindsey@cltledger.com. She is still sore and recovering from her Wednesday run with NoDa Brewing Run Club.
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This week in Charlotte: Lincoln County congressman becomes temporary U.S. House speaker; CMPD supports criminal penalties for public urination and defecation; CMS bonds under scrutiny; Garth and Trisha build Habitat houses
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
Patrick McHenry named interim House speaker: (Politico) U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from Lincoln County, was named as the interim U.S. House speaker this week following Tuesday’s ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
CMS bonds under scrutiny: A group of Black pastors is opposing the $2.5B school bond referendum, saying it will raise taxes and displace Black residents, while the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg says it wants a greater commitment to minority contracting before fully supporting the bonds.
Education
College enrollment: (Ledger) Enrollment at colleges in Charlotte and nationwide took a hit during and after the pandemic, leading to concerns about the future of higher education as public perception of college's value declines.
High school names: (Ledger) Possible names for the new south Charlotte high school in the Ballantyne area include Big Rock High and Queen City High, according to a survey sent to parents.
Local news
Building Habitat houses: (CNN) Country stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were in Charlotte this week building houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Abuse report at YMCA: (WBTV) The YMCA of Greater Charlotte said a former Camp Thunderbird and Harris YMCA staffer had been arrested for alleged sexual crimes against a minor in the Wilmington area, and that when they notified parents who were assigned to his cabin at Camp Thunderbird, they received a report that a camper was allegedly abused at Camp Thunderbird.
Sports
Hornets + MrBeast: (NBA) The Charlotte Hornets have entered a unique partnership with Feastables, a snack brand founded by YouTuber MrBeast. The collaboration marks the first of its kind between a creator-led brand and an NBA franchise.
UNC receiver to suit up: (ESPN) The NCAA granted permission for UNC Chapel Hill wide receiver Tez Walker to play, after weeks of keeping him out of games because of a dispute over transfer rules.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Lottery hits jackpot fatigue: The buzz around huge Powerball jackpots is losing some of its sizzle as North Carolinians are becoming a bit harder to lure in, with some recent jackpots bringing in only half the usual sales.
City Council member presses Mecklenburg ABC: During a recent Charlotte City Council meeting, council member LaWana Mayfield told the Mecklenburg ABC’s CEO about the inconvenience of having to go across town for specific products and even suggested adding a new item.
Public pooping update: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are recommending the reinstatement of criminal enforcement for acts like public urination, defecation, carrying open containers of alcohol and public masturbation. CMPD Deputy Chief David Robinson said verbal warnings and civil citations are ineffective.
Childcare advocates disappointed in state budget: Childcare providers and advocates in North Carolina are disappointed that the state budget did not extend a $300M grant that helped childcare centers during the pandemic, which they say will lead to tuition increases for families and put further strain on the childcare system.
N.C. ‘happy hour’ bill still in limbo: A draft bill in the N.C. House that proposes changes to the state's alcohol laws hasn’t been voted on yet, and the legislative session is running out of time.
Janet Dagenhart was a dedicated social worker who helped others while dealing with her own pain from chronic conditions. She passed away on July 29 at the age of 77.
So what’s a 'mobility hub,' anyway? A mobility hub is a transportation stop that combines various modes of transportation to make it easier for people to transfer between different modes. The hub promotes sustainable transportation options in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and improve transit accessibility.
From gaffe to greatness: Newcomer Brecht Dejaegere, who recently joined Charlotte FC, scored a spectacular “scorpion” kick goal to secure a 3-0 victory against Toronto, making amends for a previous mistake in a game against Philadelphia.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative