Run Clubs are gaining momentum in tri-county area

Two run clubs have emerged in the tri-county area over the summer, one in Twiggs County and the other in Bleckley County. 

Lindsay Thompson Navarro, who created the Twiggs County Run Club, said that she created her local club in Jeffersonville back in August as a way to stay in shape but also as a way to build her relationship with God. 

“Our body is a temple for Jesus, and we are to use that body to glorify God,” Navarro said. “I wanted to bring people in to do that, move their bodies but also bring all the glory to God.”

Navarro said that with the new club, she hopes to spread the gospel with new friends. During meetings, members pray, take prayer requests and invite members to attend church.

Navarro learned to prioritize her health from a young age. As a child, her parents taught her the importance of exercise. In school, she ran cross country, and now as an adult, she finds running an important part of her everyday life.

Outside of the club, Navarro is also a business owner, operating Sowing Lilies Boutiques and her own photography business.

Though meetings are held in Twiggs County, Navarro told the TJP that everyone is welcome to join, from experienced runners in Jeffersonville to newcomers and walkers from Macon.

The Twiggs County Run Club meets every Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Twiggs County High School track. One month in, and the group already has 20 dedicated members. 

In Bleckley County, a similar run club has formed.

Sarah Jane Crosby, a Cochran runner and mother of two, says she joined the Cochran Running Club back in July and was granted admin shortly after. 

The club had formed months earlier, but since July, membership dwindled as more members got tied up with work, kids and vacations.

Currently, the group works like this. Members who feel they are up for a run post on the dedicated Facebook group that they’re planning a run. In the comments, other members can reach out to them and schedule a meet up at the local track.

Since she’s been an admin, Crosby says she’s been working to make a more concrete schedule for runners to meet up. Currently, the plan is for the group to meet weekly on Tuesdays around 7 p.m., but that might change as she meets with more members to discuss their availability.

According to Crosby, she also hopes that as the summer comes to a close, weekly membership will increase.

Crosby told the TJP that she was initially drawn to the group because she’s been a life-long runner. In school, she ran track and cross country for Bleckley County High School, and once she went to college, did the same for Emmanuel University. 

Her passion, she says, stems from the sense of identity it gives her apart from being a mom and a Christian. 

Now, she says, she hopes others will find comfort in that identity with her.

Like Navarro, Crosby says the group isn’t just for experienced runners, but that it’s for anyone in the area that wants an excuse to meet new people and move their bodies.

“It’s for anybody,” Crosby said.

For her, exercise is about “getting out there” and “pushing yourself,” and because of that, she said, she wants the club to be inclusive and feel welcome for anyone who wants to join.

The Cochran Running Club group on Facebook currently has 114 members. 

As of Sept. 15, Crosby is still working on creating a weekly schedule for group meetups.