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North Bethesda, MD – The center of government is also one of the top regions in the USA for fitness - and this includes running. One can think of the region, known as the DMV (District of Colombia, Maryland, and Virginia), as a running club buffet with many options for the new runner to the elite runner. With so many options, it’s hard to pick the right group for you. In North Bethesda, a new run club is exploring the ideas of what an independent run club is: Run The Flint.
Run The Flint information:
When: Every Thursday at 6:30PM
What: Run between 3 to 5 miles, club with no training program provided
Where: Gold’s Gym located on Randolph Road
How: Wear your running shoes and wear your watch
Who: Everyone and anyone is invited
Facebook forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842620419178879/
On May 19th, between 6:30PM-8:30PM, the club will have its first post-run potluck. The theme for the potluck is cultural diversity. According to the US Census, from a five-year survey (2010-2014), more than 40% of the population speaks a language besides English and there are over 15 countries represented in the county (Read more here http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF about Montgomery Country, MD’s “social characteristics”). Bring friends, co-workers, and other runners to learn about the run club and brag about your running experiences from other clubs, running alone, and your races that you have planned in the future.
Potluck Event:
When: May, 19th, Thursday at 6:30PM
Food Theme: Culture Diversity
Where: Wall Local Park (http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/walllp.shtm)
4901 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, MD 20852
How: Bring food and drinks for this event (since we will be outside, no alcoholic beverages), blankets if the picnic tables are full
Who: Everyone and anyone is invited
Rain: If there is rain, the event will be rescheduled for next month
Run The Flint is a group of runners who live and work in the DMV area that meet once a week to run and socialize. The early days of the club started as a run club from the then City Sports which was located in the Pike & Rose shopping center in North Bethesda. After the company went bankrupt, the run club continued. Run The Flint is open to all runners, from the newest to the most experienced.
If you imagine the buffet of clubs in the area, the club would be one type of butter. In the area, the bread and butter of run clubs is the Montgomery County Road Runners (locations throughout Montgomery County) which is an organization that helps train new runners or experienced runners with a fee, that invites you to a great community. A free network of runners is DC Capitol Striders which has many run locations throughout the DMV area (they have locations in Silver Spring and Bethesda). If you live in Rockville you can run with the Rockville Running Club. There are clubs everywhere but one will notice not in the North Bethesda area.
Run The Flint has great partnerships with community organizations, restaurants, and stores. The days after City Sports closed, the club survived with the help of Seasons Olive Oil & Vinegar Tap Room in the Pike & Rose commercial complex. Seasons’ manager, Lamia, was a great host for the run club. The runners loved running from the store and enjoyed how inviting the store was for everyone who entered the store. Another person who helped the run club was Alem, manager from Yogaso Boutique Clothing, who was kind enough to host the run club. Both of these ladies helped shaped how the run club has become, an inviting club to anyone and everyone regardless of who you are. Run The Flint has partnered up with City Perch Kitchen + Bar, also in the Pike & Rose commercial complex for a once a month happy hour for the run club. The happy hour is on the first Thursday of each month, from 7:30PM-9:30PM. After the run, the group heads to City Perch and takes advantage of the great happy hour menu. This hour happy has been a success since it started.
Below are some great resources that do great work to invite runners to a great community:
Montgomery County Road Runners: There is a small fee to join one of the biggest running organizations in the county. They provide many training programs from new runners to experienced runners. You can read more about them here: https://www.mcrrc.org/
Georgetown Running Company: This running store located in Montgomery County, located one block away from Friendship Heights metro station. They provide gait analysis and have a run club that runs from the store every Tuesday at 6:30PM.
Potomac River Running (DC): Potomac River Running (=PR=) provides a number of resources for new runners from training programs to a very detailed gait analysis. There are many runners who live in Montgomery County but work in DC. This store is very accessible, being one block away from Metro Center. The staff is very well trained and the atmosphere is inviting. The store has a weekly run club leaving the store every Wednesday at 6:30PM. Visit the =PR= website for more information: https://potomacriverrunning.com/location/dc/
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Contact: Yonatan Arnold is the leader of Run The Flint, he can be reached at run.the.flint@gmail.com about any questions you may have about the run club.
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