Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I think that's the key thing is for me personally is learning to love the mile that I'm in. And that's, that's a metaphor for life.
And so I practice that every time I run.
[00:00:17] Speaker B: Peachtree City Radio.
All right, welcome back to Peachtree City Radio. I'm the host, TJ McGraw and we had a great show today. TJ Today we're going to talk about the, the Peachtree City Running Club, which is a, has a rich history in the community, not just Peachtree City, but in the, the greater area in the county and even extended out, you know, beyond the county, close relationship with the Atlanta Track Club, all this stuff. It's a, such a great, great, great community and I'm, I'm so happy I get to highlight it. Today I'm going to talk to Evan Lovelace, the president of the, the current president of Petrie City Running Club.
Going to talk soup to nuts. Everything is the running club.
One of the reasons I'm excited about this episode is because I think that the, the path system, the mixed use path system in Peachtree City and even, you know, Fayetteville and Tyrone, there's some paths that are connected.
It's such a unique, amazing amenity for the residents of our community.
Um, and a lot of people think about the, the golf cart as like the, you know, it's, it's not only about the golf cart as an alternative, reliable source of transportation for your family, but it's also a really cool way to get out, get into some green space, running, walking, bicycling, rollerblading, if you're still into that. The club was started in the 80s, so if you're, if you're, if you're thinking about rollerblading, they, there's. The paths are amazing. Probably be pretty cool actually, but very conducive to rollerblading, roller skating, whatever.
I digress.
But one of the really cool things is, I mean, as most of you know by now, I'm a realtor, I'm real estate agent. When I, whenever I have a home that I'm, that I'm selling near one of the paths, I highlight that path as one of the major, major amenities. The, One of the cool things about the house, it's, I use that as like the forefront of the marketing to get that house sold because it is such a cool thing and people from out of town, I'm, if I show a house with, that's in Peachtree City or near one of the paths in the peripheral, I'm bringing them to the the closest access point to the mixed use paths and, you know, showing them how cool is and everybody, everybody truly loves it and I'm, I'm happy. Today we're going to be talking to Evan about the, the running club because the Peachtree City is not just about golf carts. It's about getting out there community.
There's so much green space you can get. I don't know. I go, I've been lost on the paths several times out for a run.
You know, you always find your way back. It's not, it's not lost in the wilderness, so don't, don't be scared of that.
But it's such a cool, such a cool feature to, to the, to the community and I'm happy to bring that, bring the, the running club up for, you know, front and center on this episode because it's such, the, the running club is such a ingrained part of the community and some people might, I've talked to people like, oh, you're part of a running club. They may be intimidated to join and things like that. So we're gonna, we're gonna crack it open. We're gonna open up the, the doors of the Petrie City. Doors are always open with the Petrie City Running Club, but we're gonna, we're gonna really take a deep dive with Evan Lovelace, the president of the, of the club currently.
And we're going to talk all things Peachtree City Classic, which is a, a yearly annual race, one of the biggest events or the biggest event that the club does to how they give back to the community what it means to be part of, of the community, of, of the.
Spoiler alert. You don't have to be a serious like die hard marathoner to be.
To join. You can be a walker, you can walk, you can walk, run, you can do whatever it is. It's just all about community and getting outside and having a place to, to share fitness with others that are supportive and understand what you're going through. So anyways, I'm gonna quit rambling right now.
Let's get into it. Let's bring on Evan Lovelace and let's, let's talk all things Peachtree City Running Club.
All right, Evan, thanks so much for coming on. I'm really excited about this, this episode, talking to you. I get excited about every episode, particularly this one because I'm a member of the Petri City Running Club. I got my swag on today wearing a classic shirt from a couple years ago. Yeah, it's one of my favorite Designs with the turtle.
How. Let's start with. How are you doing today?
[00:05:06] Speaker A: I'm doing great. It's a beautiful fall Friday, and I couldn't be happier.
[00:05:12] Speaker B: Nice. Yeah, it's good for us runners, right? The fall is a. Is a nice relief from that summer.
[00:05:19] Speaker A: Georgia heat.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: Humidity. Yeah, exactly. Well, cool. Well, so we're here to talk about. All about the running club. And we just. Before we hit record here, we're talking about.
It's such a great feature for people that are moving to the area or anybody, you know, looking to. To live in the area, the. The paths and, you know, all the stuff that is available to residents. And one of the greatest things, of course, I'm biased because I'm a runner is the running club. So I want to dig in because it can be kind of intimidating for some people that don't know a lot about it. Like, I'm not a runner. I don't want to join the running club. So let's just start from the beginning. We'll go way back.
Do like a. Give us like the brief history of the club. I know there's such a rich history that goes along with it from the 80s. So give us, like, where to start and like, you know, where are we headed?
[00:06:10] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. Thank you, TJ and so excited. You're a member and understand the value of the club and. And the, uh, and the paths in our community.
So the Peachtree City Running Club was founded in 1981 by a small group of guys who, you know, were probably caught up in the running boom of the late 70s and early 80s. And some of those guys are still out here running the paths or walking the paths today and are. And are still involved in the running community.
And, you know, back in 1981, when this club was started, this was not the quite the bustling place that it is today.
You know, I've seen some old pictures from that era, and, you know, some of the things that we are, you know, accustomed to in our community weren't even being. Weren't even built yet, but the paths were. And the community was rolling. It was intentionally planned around neighborhoods, schools, golf courses, and future development. And so the club started in that context as well as, like I said, the context of the running boom. And we're talking about, you know, influential people in the Atlanta area, like Jeff Galloway, who's still here today in the Atlanta area. And he's, you know, got his walk running program and a running shoe store up in Atlanta.
And so marathoning was a big deal.
We had Americans who were winning, if not competing at the very top in the marathon, winning in the Olympics and major, some of the majors of the marathon. So a lot of runners, like our founding members were very, very attracted to and were marathoners. And so our club in that day was. Tended to be a little more competitive.
And the Peachtree, the AJC Peachtree Road Race, it was really also new. It was in its first few years. And we have members of the club today who have run that race 40 years or more.
[00:08:18] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: And so it's amazing. And so they were a part, these original members and many of them still serve and are part of this club today. They, they were, they were really getting to be a part of not just Peachtree City, but, but the local region, Atlanta region, and all the cool stuff and the cool people that were doing marathoning, the AJC Peachtree Road Race and all the things that we've become kind of accustomed to today. We're, we're in their infancy and we owe our thanks as a club to those guys and those ladies.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: Yeah, that's, that's amazing.
Tell, tell us about the. So we talked about the paths a little bit.
Like I said before, it's, it's such a unique quality for Peachtree City. But when people kind of, they start googling Petri City, a lot of things that come up is about golf carts, but it's not just about that.
So how, how does that. I know we do, we do the, every year. There's the, the Petri City Classic which we're about to, about to have next week. And when this airs, it might not be, might not be before the, the Classic, but it'll be right after, I'm sure.
So tell us like, how does that give us like the, the rundown of like how do you incorporate the paths with the, with the running club? And I know it's a big part of the, the, the Classic and all that.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: Yeah. So the multi use paths, you know, used to be known primarily and initially as golf cart paths, but they've never been just golf cart paths. They, they look and they have the look and the terrain of a golf cart path. And we certainly have a lot of golf carts in Peachtree City, but they're multi use paths and naturally running, walking, biking, you know, anything you can do for health and fitness safely on, on the paths. It's happening in Peachtree City and we're so excited to have that amenity. It's about 100, 100 miles of golf cart paths throughout Peachtree City and, and so our runners, you know, that live here, that many live on or adjacent to the paths. We do a lot of group runs and meetups and you know, just, just fun runs and special events as well as organized races that take advantage of the paths as all or part of those runs. So it actually is, it's safer. You know, we're not out there competing with auto traffic. We're not, you know, on and off sidewalks as much as maybe a lot of people are running amongst traffic pulling in and out of places. And so certainly there's golf cart traffic and there's other kinds of traffic on the multi use paths. But it's a really wonderful way to, not only to run, you know, safely, but to run in green spaces. You run around the ponds and Lake Peachtree in Peachtree City.
There's beautiful spaces all throughout. There's areas between and behind neighborhoods that are intentionally planned and remain as green spaces. So you can be in the city and feel like you're kind of, you know, in the woods a little bit. We do have a very polite deer population.
It's very common to see deer adjacent to the trails and walking and you know, of course just any other common little nature creatures that you would see out in the woods, you know, and so we get to enjoy those while being on the car paths. And it's a great place to run. And we do, we do host a big race that, that almost primarily uses those paths as well. The Peachtree City Classic.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: Yeah, it's pretty, pretty me, I'll put, I'll put some information about that in the show notes for sure.
But it's it. But just briefly, give us what the, what is the, the Classic and you know what, why, why is what makes it so special?
[00:12:16] Speaker A: The Peachtree City Classic is one of those things that started the same year, 1981, that our club started. So those guys that founded the club were so wise and they knew, they, and they. This is a funny, I think it's funny but you know, many golf tournaments have the word classic in it. And the guys were kind of savvy and they said, well, with the golf community that we have and golf courses here, somebody's going to have a golf tournament. They're going to call it the Classic. So they decided to grab that name first. So in 1981, the same year that the club was founded.
So now Today, next weekend, October 18th, we're celebrating our 45th running of the Peachtree City Classic. It's a 5K and a 15K distance. And so it's really become a staple in a tradition in our community. There are people who have run it many, many years.
You know, you see families, people of all ages. There's a lot of youth running and youth development running in our community, but formally and informally so you see all ages and walkers and runners.
The 5k distance is extremely approachable. Somebody that's intentionally out there walking for fitness can complete it without running a step, but just walking, you know, with purpose and having fun. And it's a great community event. We consistently draw around 1500 runners. In addition to that, there's spectators, vendors. So it is a great time. It starts and ends right near the Frederick Brown Amphitheater, which is a great spot, central to our town.
And, and it really, the race really runs mostly on the multi use paths. It's really wonderful. It's a great way to celebrate a fall Saturday morning.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I can, I've run it several times and I don't know, it's got to be over a handful of times I've, I've actually run it and it seems to me. I'm not sure you could, you could give me an answer probably, but it seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Is that.
[00:14:18] Speaker A: Yeah, we saw a little decline as many races did during the, the, the pandemic time. And so we are, we've seen steady growth coming back out of that and we're super grateful for our community's resilience and their commitment to, to not just fitness, but to supporting us and supporting that event as kind of a major part of their calendar year. And running. And the 15k is a special event. You don't hear about many 15k races.
That's a 9.3 mile distance and a lot of runners like to use our 15k to help them in their training and they're stepping up toward maybe a half marathon or even a marathon distance. So it's a great way to test your fitness and to, and to run at your race pace at, at a step up. You know, if you're moving from the 10k through, you know, 5k or 10k up to a half marathon or more. You know, running our 15k is great and it is also a Road Running Club of America official national 15k championship race. So that's pretty special.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that because that was, that was one of my next questions. But I do, I, I can attest to as a, as someone who's experienced the race several years and just the, the, the growth and how many people that attracts and the and the, it's like ingrained into the community. Yeah, it's such a well run race and if you're, if you're a runner out there and you've been to other races, it's, it's sometimes hit or miss, whether the, the production is a good experience or not. I can say that you all, from the very start, think through things and you really make it a great experience for the runners and the spectators and all that.
[00:16:07] Speaker A: So yeah, we do have kudos to the club. So many people that volunteer for the race. Our club really is deeply involved and there's a rich history of race directors. So you know, Shelly Collins was our club president in the previous three years and, and she's also the race director of the Classic. She learned a lot from George Martin, who is a local legend of race directing in our community and he had predecessors before him and we, you know, we, so we've learned a lot. We have a rich heritage of experience. We are committed to providing a great runner experience to everybody that shows up for the Classic. And it draws people not only from the Fayette, Fayette County, Coweta county area, but also around the state. And we even have some out of state runners that show up as well. So, you know, it's open, it's an open door. Come and run, come and enjoy what we have to offer.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: I love it. I'm looking forward to it. It's. I'm actually, I think I'm volunteered as a course marshal this year. So thank you, but I'll be there.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: We so value our volunteers from the club and all around the community. Community. Thank you.
[00:17:21] Speaker B: Definitely. And this is so shout out to Shelly Collins. So she, she does, she's definitely. She has the patience of a saint and the, the drive to get everything done. So yeah, kudos. I don't know if I could do the same thing.
So kudos to Shelly. But it now people like me and, and people like you and people that are really into running like I used to. I enjoyed running the 5k back before when it, when you had a couple, when you had a men's 5k and a women's 5k and it was at a different time. I enjoyed running the 5k and then I would run the 15k as like you said, training for, for a marathon.
Now I know that I'm not the norm. People do that, do that, are not the norm. I'm not bragging on anything, but I just know that like there are people out there that might think like joining the club is. Well, I'M not really a runner. I'm not training for marathons. I just, you know, like to, to walk for fitness and that's about it.
So, so tell us like, who, who are the members?
Who, who's the, who is the running club? Like what? Yeah, because it's not all like intense running.
[00:18:29] Speaker A: Definitely not. So I talked earlier about that original group. I mean, these guys were just amazing and very competitive and a lot of our club events in the, in that era in the 80s and 90s, were, were inter club competitions.
We have, we have evolved with the, the times and with the trends and so we've had additional running booms. And in the last eight or so years there has been a running boom, not just in our nation, but around the world.
And a lot of that boom is driven by the desire of people to just be healthy, to be fit, to be, you know, socially connected.
And I would say that it's, it compromises, it comprises the, the running boom of the last few years is comprised mostly of people who are looking for an overall physical, emotional and social wellness. And so I think that is where the majority of our club members are.
You will hear about runners coming into our club who've never run before and all of a sudden they're, they're walking, then they're walk running and then before you know it, they're mostly running a 5K. And they've never done that before, never considered it, but somebody invited them. And so when you walk into our club and you start to meet people or you walk, you, you, you come in to maybe a group run that we have during the week, we have several.
You're going to meet people who are just beginning, people who are somewhere in the middle and people who are a little more advanced and there's someone for everyone to run with. So there's no need to be intimidated.
We are going to welcome you with open arms and we're going to help you find your place.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I've, you said that people come in as walkers and they gradually go to running. It's funny because my, my wife is just the opposite. We, you know, she was never really into running. She grew up as a swimmer, but I run. So she got into running. And then the past, I would say year and a half, she's just like, I'm not, I'm not running anymore. I'm just gonna walk. She's got the, you know, she's the, the suburban, you know, mom with the, with the weighted vest and she's out there.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: Fantastic.
[00:20:49] Speaker B: And she's going to be getting the. She's on track to get the Thousand Mile Club jacket this year. So get briefly just tell us about what would that. Because I think that's a really cool tool.
[00:20:59] Speaker A: So Terry, one of the members of our club, has been kind of coordinating and leading the Thousand Mile Club for years now. And what that is is you can sign up in the first two or three months of the year and in order to get to complete your , you complete 1,000 miles in a year.
So you average out, hey, what will it take me to walk and, or walk run over the course of 12 months and, and you just kind of, you know, go about that intentionally.
And we update Ms. Terry on the miles that we're doing on a monthly basis. And we also ask, you know, people who want to be a part of the Thousand Mile Club to volunteer at least three times at running events throughout the year and also attend, you know, two or three club meetings a year. So easy peasy. But you know, when you get hit a thousand miles, you get a jacket. The club provides you with a pretty cool athletic jacket with an emblem on it that identifies you as, you know, a part of the Peachtree City Running Club and achieved 1,000 miles. And then you continue to accrue 1,000 miles each year and you'll get a 5,000 mile jacket and then it progresses up from there. We have members with 25,000 mile jackets and more. So and a lot of those folks, let's be honest, you know, who used to be really competitive marathoners are now fitness walkers. And so anybody that is trying to move forward on the power of their own two feet, walking or running or any, anything in between.
The running club is a place for you. And in the Thousand Mile Club is a great way to set those personal goals that aren't may or may not be race related, but just help you get in your steps and cover the miles.
[00:22:50] Speaker B: Yeah, it's such a, such a great thing and I like it because there is, there's all fitness levels in there. And then. And someone that, like my wife that doesn't run much at all and is not very fast on races, she's walking mostly if she does join a race, like there's no intimidation factor for, for that. It's like there's, it's such a welcoming community and a helpful community.
It's, it's so. I appreciate all of that. It's like it's not, it's tough, definitely not intimidating at all. Anybody out there that's thinking about it, like, go if you're listening, we're going to tell you how to join here in a little bit. But so as far as, as fitness, we. We've established that you don't have to be a crazy ultra marathoner to join, which is great.
What other commitment do you like? How much time does it take to be a club member?
[00:23:40] Speaker A: That's really up to the member, you know, so for a very nominal fee of $30 a year, which is good for the individual, or if there are other members in their household that want to participate, they can join as a, as a family, as a household.
So people of, of all ages and you just decide, you know, we, we have, have, you know, 10 club meetings a year. So we, we meet monthly except for in July because we take such a large group to the AJC Peachtree Road Race. And then in December we have our holiday banquet and awards. So that is in place of our meeting. And so members select, you know, how often they want to attend a meeting. We offer running groups throughout the week. So on our, on our website we have a club calendar and it identifies a few times a week. Now there are more times a week that than is on our calendar that we have members who are running as a group. So there are formal times that we as a club say we're sponsoring these group runs, come and join us. But when you come and hang out with the club and a meeting and other group runs, you start to know, get to know people and then you find out other times that people are running and people link up all the time. So it's really about what's convenient for you.
And we're looking for ways and we're looking for people who will lead, you know, the next run groups and who will, who will be a great host and show up consistently all seasons, all kind of weather, and welcome people that are coming into the club. So if you want to join and you want to show up consistently and show that you have the heart, a servant leader's heart, a volunteer's heart, and, and we can count on you. We, we want people of all ages leading and hosting run groups and being a part of our activities because it's all about the community. So if you're in this community, which is well beyond Peachtree City, by the way, so we have, you know, we were founded and the core of our club is, is in Peachtree City, but we are all over Fayetteville, Fayette county, if you're familiar with the area, Brooks, Woolsey, even South Fulton, Fairburn, Palmetto, Tyrone in Fayette County, Sonoya, Sharpsburg, Noonan, which are all in Coweta county and beyond. So we have club members from all of those areas. And so we are Peachtree City Running Club, but we are. We are regional club.
[00:26:11] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good point. You don't have to live in Peachtree City.
[00:26:14] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:26:15] Speaker B: And there's no. There's no, you know, extra fee for not living in peace. Exactly.
[00:26:19] Speaker A: Some of our.
[00:26:20] Speaker B: 30 bucks for the family.
[00:26:21] Speaker A: Exactly. Some of our board members, some of, you know, most faithful serving members are, you know, not PE City city residents, but they are vital to our club.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
That's awesome. It's such a great. It is a great community and that you. You kind of brushed over the bus that the. We bring everybody or y' all bring everybody to the Peachtree City Teacher City Peachtree Road Race. I do that all the time. Yeah, Peachtree Road Race. Cause everything's named Peachtree in Georgia. Right.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: We get confused sometimes with being associated with the Atlanta Track Club, which. Yeah, we'll take it.
[00:26:57] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah.
Which is. For those who are unfamiliar with the Petrie Road Race. It's a. It's a. A race in Atlanta that goes down Petrie Road, basically.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: And it's the biggest 10k in America. Yeah.
[00:27:09] Speaker B: Yeah. Biggest 10. It is the biggest 10k in America. It is. It's such a good. What. What an atmosphere that. That race is, for sure. And you all take a bus or a couple buses. We do go and bring. Bring members up and bring them back home so they don't have to worry about parking and that whole whole rigmarole. It's pretty. It's pretty nice benefit.
[00:27:28] Speaker A: This is another thing that started in the. In the year that our club started. The founders obviously wanted to be a part of what was happening in Atlanta, and they started taking a small, smaller bus, and now we take two. We charter two buses. So, I mean, we can take and consistently take close to 100 people on those two charter buses.
And then that doesn't even count the people who, you know, find their own way up there. But it is an amazing, amazing day.
And so, again, it helps cultivate community among our club. And so we have first time Peachtree Road Race runners, and we have, you know, people who have run it almost every year for decades, all part of the same kind of party on the bus and afterward and on the way home. So it's a great way to start out the fourth of July by running the Peach Tree with, you know, some of the best people in the area.
[00:28:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Burn off Those hot dogs before you eat them.
[00:28:27] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:28:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Cool.
[00:28:29] Speaker A: That.
[00:28:30] Speaker B: Well, you're talking about community. And we, you know, we've, we've definitely covered that, that the club itself is such a great community.
But you, you also realize that you're part of a larger community of Peachtree City and Fayette county and the, the area.
So what are some of the things that the club does to give back to the larger community?
[00:28:55] Speaker A: That's a great question. We really see ourselves, I mean first, we're runners, but second, we're servant leaders and we see ourselves as a service organization.
So what does that look like? Well, again, we collect nominal dues, but yet we are able to give tens of thousands of dollars a year to things that support running infrastructure as well as we're really big on youth development.
So what that looks like, TJ is we, we raise money through our classic 5K, 15K. That is our major means of bringing in money that we're able to turn around and then give back to our community. So some of the ways we do that, you know, we have water fountains spread out throughout the Petrie City multi use paths and. But those water fountains get shut off when we're, you know, the temperatures get cold and before anything freezes.
And so the Peachtree City Running Club several years ago decided let's be a part of winterizing those fountains and that's fairly expensive.
So thanks to donors and thanks to the money we've raised through the peachtree City Classic 5k and 15k, we're able to contribute and help do that. We've re winterized several of the of the water fountains and we still want to do more.
And what we really do every year is as far as youth running, we give money to graduating high school seniors who, you know, through their coach's recommendation, they are seen as not only good runners, but people of good character and leadership. And so the Kim Rupel Memorial Scholarship is something that we give out at several of the high schools or all the high schools in our county.
And just such an honor to contribute to, you know, the, the growth of runners. We also contribute to youth running clubs. So schools in our county who have a running club that's not for the purpose of competition but just to help cultivate good, healthy fitness among kids.
We love to give to those running clubs and those schools and there's a lot of other ways that we cross support. So there is a, you know, a great organization in our city called PTC Flash. It's a youth development team and those parents and families they pay and their kids are a part of that program, which is an amazing program.
And then there's another similar program in Coweta county called Coweta Comets. And so PTC Flash, Coweta Comets and other organizations like it in our area participate every year in a summer track series that we offer for children and students and their families. So that's a five week track series. We have four regular nights and then we have two nights in the fifth week that are the championship and PTC Flash and Coweta comments and students of all ages come out with their parents. And it is so amazing. I mean, this is a free thing that we offer.
And you know, we don't charge a dime for entry, but people do register. We had over 600 registrants participate in our summer track series in 2025. And thanks to our city government who a couple years ago refurbished the Riley Field track and took it from, you know, something that had weathered and, and needed needed work to a really beautifully surfaced rubberized track. And the last couple years we've just seen exponential growth with, with families and students and children coming out to take advantage of it. So, you know, we host the summer track series and we just look for other ways to help in the community because we really know that. And when you're a part of our running club and you're part of the summer track series and you come to the classic and you see families running together and you see families promoting running and fitness with their children, it really is amazing. Because I don't know about you, tj, I didn't grow up in a community that had this rich connection and this commitment to fitness and the opportunity to run on multi use path, multi use paths and to have the opportunities that the people in this region have as far as running and fitness go. And when it's kind of like I equate it to, if I. If I want to work out at home and I buy a piece of equipment to work out at home, oftentimes that piece of equipment can become a clothes rack. But if I have a commitment in a community where I consistently go to the gym, well, then I'm a little more motivated. Especially if there's somebody there to ask me how am I doing or to work out with me.
The running club and the broader running community in this region is kind of like that.
It's not just on you.
You show up and you realize you're a part of something bigger and there's a positive momentum that can help move me and you and others forward to just by Being a part of it. Just by showing up at some of these races, just by showing up at a run group or a club meeting or a summer track series, it is. So the impact is what you asked about. So the impact is very tangible in that the club gives back about $25,000 a year in the, in the ways that we try to develop runners and youth.
And it's also intangible in the way it inspires, in the way it motivates, the way it helps people achieve what they want to achieve.
[00:34:41] Speaker B: Yeah, that's great. I'm glad you. I'm glad you went there with that because that's. That's something we don't often think about, but it's definitely, definitely true. Something that's. You can't really measure that, but it is. It's there for sure. And I know what you mean about the, the equipment. You know, I bought. I bought a rower a couple years.
[00:34:57] Speaker A: Ago, and I. I don't know how's that going?
[00:35:00] Speaker B: It's got a lot of dust on it. We'll just put it that way.
[00:35:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: But, yeah, so where's the, where's the club headed? Like, what's, what's for the future of the, of the club? Is there any thought to that? Or is it just kind of going with the. Whatever the community is, you know, the needs of the community. Tell us, Tell me more about that.
[00:35:17] Speaker A: Yeah, great question. You know, I don't have a. A set answer, but I, I was able to come on just this year in January as, as the club president. So my first objective, as you know, I've only been a part of the club now, like three and a half years maybe.
And so my objective at first is always to learn, you know, what is our. What is our community doing? What is our running club doing?
What.
What does the community around us need? What is it calling for? And I think. I think what. The running boom of our time and of our greater region and of the cities around and, you know, Peacetree City and the cities around us, I think what it's calling us toward is to really, to make sure that we are.
That we have an understanding of the generations that are stepping into running. So when I look at The World War II generation, the boomer generation that has really carried the Peachtree City running Club with their immense hearts and volume of service, with their dollars, they carry more than the average person wants to carry today. So Gen X is my generation, Gen Z millennials. So I think our opportunity as a club is to really invite in and make sure that the subsequent generations behind the boomers are really invited in to learn about how are we organizing the club? How are we inviting other people in? What can we do to meet people where they are so that they can grow and meet their goals? As far as I said earlier, like fitness, social and emotional health, that is the driver in the current fitness boom. So how do we leverage technology to make sure that we're communicating and promoting what we offer better? How can we make sure as a club that we are being even better at hosting and being better at being inviting and even better at being accommodating? We are a great group of people, people of, you know, open arms, but it requires some intention for us to, to make sure that we're linking up with those folks who are looking for a place like ours.
One of the big trends of recent years, and you see this all over, all over the nation and beyond, are informal running crews, oftentimes started by a few friends on social media. And they, they may develop a following for a while and, but also a lot of those crews fizzle out because if you, it's just like if you have a running buddy and all of a sudden you have a life circumstance change you or your running buddy, well, then now you no longer have a running buddy because of whatever you're facing with schedule or health or whatever.
And so what we recognize is that we offer something to the average runner, fitness, social, emotional, health, runner, that is in the form of some structure and some longevity and some depth of relationships.
So the Peachtree City Running Club's past and its future, the principles are the same. That's what's never going to change that. We are here to engage people in relationships that help them achieve their fitness goals and their relationship goals in the context of fitness. And we are here to make an impact. We are here to make an impact on Peachtree City and the surrounding community, especially when it comes to developing youth runners. So that is still. That's our past, that's our present, and that's our future.
How we accomplish that in the, in, in the future, it's just going to be a little different. We're going to adjust our methods to meet the needs and to be able to communicate in a way that is heard and is inviting to, to the new audience.
So I'm excited about it. I believe that we have amazing years behind us and we have amazing years in front of us if we're willing to make some adjustments and meet that challenge. And I know that our members are our senior members are some of the best people you'll ever meet. And they have a vision for this club living and thriving well beyond them. And so their wisdom and their vision for that is going to be what allows us to actually enable the, the Gen Xers and the Millennials to, to learn. Hey, what does it take to lift the load of directing the classic or executing the summer track series or, you know, having a good social media presence or any of the things that we're trying to do today?
[00:40:21] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. I think you're doing a great job. It said, I mean it. Not only you and you touched on this. I'm just going to kind of summarize what you said. What, what you said was awesome. And I almost don't want to say anything but just like I kind of want to pin it to just drop end episode there and go.
But it, there's, it's such a great place for not only motivation for physical fitness, which is huge, but it's also a place of like emotional support because getting right with physical fitness is often a lot more challenging, like in between your ears than it is actually doing the, you know, putting one foot in front of the other. And it is amazing. And then I definitely want to, you know, hats off to the, to the senior members.
I mean, what, what a wonderful group of people. It's like they're, and they're you. They're always greeted with a smile, whether they know your name or not.
[00:41:16] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:41:17] Speaker B: All. And, and the newest member, if your first time at, at a meeting or if it's your thousandth time at a meeting, they're all, they're, they treat you the same. There's no, it's definitely not a, a. I was going to say clicky atmosphere, but it's a wonderful welcome.
[00:41:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:41:34] Speaker B: Yeah. It's not a closed group and they don't, they don't, you know, they definitely welcome you and that's it. We'll just put it there before I keep rambling on about how much I love, love the club.
But so how, how do we, how do we join?
What's the best way to do that?
[00:41:48] Speaker A: Yeah, so our website is PTCRC. So it's the abbreviation for Peachtree City Running Club PTCRC.com and there's a link on the homepage for become a member. And you can easily do that online and, or you know, you can if you're old school, you can download a piece of paper and mail it to us. But you know, two great options and we would love to, to have you know, anybody in the area that wants to. To be a part of us, you know, any little thing that you do to engage our community, to give back in our community to running is going to help us further our mission. And I think it's going to help you. If you're, if you're sitting there and you're listening to this, you're thinking, you know, would it help me? Yes, come, come join us. It will help you and it will help us do what we're here to do, which is.
Which is help help develop running in our community.
[00:42:47] Speaker B: Yeah. And. And beyond that, too, it goes. It's such a rich part of the, of the community. So just one of the, One of the many things that make this area great, for sure. So before we, before we log off here, before we hang up, what's it. To make it a little lighter. What's your. What's your favorite distance? What's your. What's your jam? When it comes to running, I really.
[00:43:09] Speaker A: Have come to love half marathons.
I've done a few of those.
I just love running.
And if I'm running with a group of people I enjoy running with, or if I've worked steadily toward a goal, it really is more. I love the race that I'm in. Let me just say that I love the race that I'm in, because if I've said, okay, I want to get faster at 5k and I've trained for it, you know, I love the feeling of pushing myself to get faster at the 5k or the 10k, and I love learning to extend my distance. So, you know, running with friends and recently doing a 50k trail race, that was a new adventure I did. I did a lot of running and I did some hiking and a lot of walking in that 50k, but I. That was one of my favorite running experiences ever. But, you know, so it really, it's the race I'm in, it's the moment I'm in. And I think that's the key thing is, for me personally is learning to love the mile that I'm in. And that's. That's a metaphor for life.
And so I practice that every time I run. And so.
[00:44:21] Speaker B: Yeah, that's awesome. That's. That's great. I, I concur. 100. Yeah, it's. It's.
You have to love it because I always, this is what I always tell people, like, when they ask, like, oh, you're crazy. You run. You like to. You just run for Nobody's chasing you. That's one of my. The most common responses. But it's really like I always say, well, my. My sport is your sports punishment.
Remember, going through high school is like the football players, they got in trouble. They were running, and they're exactly. The soccer players are doing lapse. I'm like, I'm just gonna skip that part because I tended to find trouble as a youth.
[00:44:57] Speaker A: But, yeah, a lot of people who say I hate running have never gotten through.
There's always kind of a sucky part in the beginning. If I. And I have. I've gotten out of shape. I've, you know, worked too much and not. And cut out all the margin in the past and didn't give myself time to run. And then when I decide to come back to it, I've got weight to lose, I've got conditioning to regain, and it just stinks. It's not fun.
It doesn't feel good.
So nobody should expect to show up on day one and be able to just run. Even if you ran in your younger days. And now you're like, okay, I got to pull it together. Forget about it. Don't think about the younger days.
Run the mile you're in. Walk, run.
Just develop your fitness. You know, it happens in the kitchen, it happens on the roads, out on the paths. So just be patient. Get through the sucky part. And before you know it, you will be amazed at how good it can feel to cover ground as a runner. So give it a try.
We have coaches. We have coaches who will help you.
[00:46:06] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. Thanks for mentioning that. Yeah.
[00:46:08] Speaker A: So we do have a few Road Running Club of America certified coaches who kind of specialize in what I would call couch to 5k type training. So they're there to help beginner runners or runners who maybe have run on their own, but never really had any clear guidance. And they want to, like, improve their time or maybe, you know, just slightly increase their distance. And we have coaches who can help you do that, who themselves have run short distance races, long distance races, even ultra races. And so, you know, come check it out, meet some of these coaches, and we'll help you find one that'll help you.
[00:46:49] Speaker B: Awesome.
Well, this has been great. Thanks so much, Evan. It's a. We could talk for hours and hours and hours. I'm sure.
[00:46:57] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:46:58] Speaker B: Dig deep into running, walking. But thanks. I hope, I hope the listeners out there got a little, little more insight on what the running club is and, and how easy it is and how welcoming it is to join. So go, go to ptcrc.com and. And join up. It's only 30 bucks. The whole family. Exactly $30.
[00:47:17] Speaker A: It's a bargain.
[00:47:18] Speaker B: It's nothing.
It's, like, cheaper than taking the family out to eat is for by far.
[00:47:23] Speaker A: Way cheaper.
[00:47:24] Speaker B: Yeah. And all the stuff you get is amazing. So with that, is there anything that I. That I didn't ask you that I should have, Evan?
[00:47:33] Speaker A: I don't think so. You know, like I said, I think running can train us for life, and life can train us for running. So get out there and. And don't do it by yourself. Because that's the key thing is we need others. And the running club offers that context to run with others and to be encouraged by others and to run in places that maybe. And in ways and in distances that you never realized you could do. I think you're. If. If. If most people listening are like me and probably like you, tj, there's things that. That. That they can do.
Just like I thought, well, I can't run a 50k. Yes, you can. You never know. So get out there and try. And we're here to help you.
[00:48:18] Speaker B: Awesome.
We'll end it right there. Beautiful words.
[00:48:22] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:48:22] Speaker B: Thanks so much, Evan.
[00:48:23] Speaker A: Thank you, man.
Thank you for joining us today on.
[00:48:28] Speaker B: Pete Peachtree City Radio.
