Who likes to run? Lots of us. Who likes to run for fun. Lots of us. Who likes to run for fun in a group? Lots of us. Who likes to pay to run for fun in a group. None of us.
Lucky for lots of us, Extra Mile Fitness Company in Valparaiso hosts weekly fun runs that are free and open to the public. Once a week, runners of all paces gather and traverse the streets of Valpo. The runs are usually shorter –between three and five miles- and often come with cool themes that are appropriate for the holidays, seasons, or region.
"We like to do fun runs to keep the community engaged," Heather Henderlong, owner of Extra Mile Fitness Company said. "Running is a social activity and we always encourage people to get out and run and we like to incorporate themes to keep things fun and interesting."
The fun runs take place throughout the year, and during the summer there is a special fun run series called Seven Weeks of Summer Fun. These fun runs are like the traditional fun runs but "amped up" as Heather put it.
"These runs are more family oriented and something that parents can do with the kids," Heather said. "People have more time during the summer, the days are longer, and we want to have plenty for them to do. We'll do a beach theme for summer or red, white, and blue for the 4th of July... People can dress up and we'll have food afterward like Popsicles or pizza or ice cream."
Along with the treats and themes, Extra Mile will incorporate their vendor partners into the mix. Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, and other partners will come in and debut new products that the runners can try for free like shoes and other running gear.
"This is a great way to showcase our vendor partners and give the consumers a chance to try a product out before buying," Heather explained.
The next Fun Run is on May 5 and it has the (appropriate) theme of Cinco de Mayo - Mizuno and Margaritas!
Want to see all of the upcoming events for Extra Mile Fitness? Check out their event calendar!