Photo courtesy of Amy Staufenberg
With a house full of children and a busy day-to-day schedule, Amy Staufenberg has learned that running with a group of like-minded women helps her get out, get fit and be social.
Moms RUN This Town is a free running club that has hundreds of chapters throughout the country, and Columbus is no exception. But in late summer 2015, a handful of women in the Columbus Moms RUN This Town chapter, all of whom lived in New Albany, decided they wanted a chapter closer to home. Thus began New Albany Moms RUN This Town.
Today the New Albany subchapter consists of more than 25 women. The national club initially began just for mothers, but now it is open to any women interested in running with a group.
“We want to encourage any women, regardless of their experience level or background, to come out and, if they’re interested, give it a try,” says Staufenberg, who is the group’s administrator. “When we go on our runs, we never leave anyone behind. … It’s almost like a family.”
The group has a weekly run on Saturdays, while weekday runs are coordinated through a private Facebook page. Since each run is optional and each woman has her own set of skills, meet-ups include walking, jogging, running or even training for an upcoming race.
Interested in joining the New Albany subchapter? First, join the Moms RUN This Town Columbus chapter at www.momsrunthistown.com and then reach out to the New Albany group through the Columbus chapter Facebook page.
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.