For more than 100 Baton Rouge residents, the beginning of the week means it’s time to hit the ground running.
Each Tuesday, a group of runners gather downtown and relax afterward with a drink as part of Happy’s Running Club.
Residents congregate each week at 6 p.m., rain or shine, at Happy’s Irish Pub on Third Street. They run a 5K, or 3.1 miles, and reconvene at the bar.
Happy’s often offers specials to club members and encourages them to stay and enjoy themselves after the run.
Baton Rouge business owner and club founder Scott Higgins said he first had the idea for the club after reading a magazine article about similar groups.
“There are running clubs here, but nothing as social as this,” he said. “Most of them are for training.”
He brought the idea to his business partner Michael Lang, and the group was formed within a month.
Higgins said the club, which encompassed 17 runners on its first night four years ago, has grown to become one of the largest in the country.
The group ended 2011 with 850 members, but it sees about 2,000 one-time runners in an average year.
About 200 to 250 people run with the group each week in the summer and more than 100 in the winter.
Higgins said the group makes it possible for residents to improve their abilities and get to know one another.
“In the beginning, it might be the only day of the week they run,” he said. “It’s exciting to see people who started with us moving up to bigger runs and longer distances.”
Higgins said he’s also enjoyed watching the downtown area grow since the group first started running.
“Four years ago, it wasn’t anything like it is today,” he said. “It’s been good for downtown and for the running community in general.”
Higgins said the group runs every Tuesday at 6 p.m., but there are also occasional special events. In the summer, Happy’s treats runners to free food and music.
Molly Longo, general business sophomore, has been running with the club since she first began attending the University.
Longo said she had never run before starting college and used the club as a launching point.
“It makes me feel good,” she said. “I don’t do it to lose weight, but it lets me eat whatever I want.”
Longo said her advice for new runners is to stay dedicated.
“Just getting out there is the hardest part,” she said. “A lot of people get discouraged that they can’t run very far, but being dedicated definitely helps.”
Longo said she could barely run a mile when she set foot on the University’s campus, but just completed a half-marathon in New Orleans last weekend.
“Doing races is so rewarding,” she said. “It’s just a great experience.”
She said the weekly run is a way to get to know other runners in the area.
Josh Melder and Micah Fincher, 2011 Paul M. Hebert Law Center graduates, said they enjoy running with the club because it combines two of their favorite pastimes — running and drinking.
“We run so we can drink,” Fincher said.
The two said they have many friends in the club and enjoy getting to know the Baton Rouge community.
“It’s a good way to exercise and a good reason to be downtown,” Fincher said. “It really gives you a sense of community.”
And the runs aren’t limited to people.
Alumni Ellen Loe and Cody Breaud often bring their 8-month-old lab-terrier mix Annie out for runs.
Breaud said he uses the weekly event as exercise for the excitable puppy, but it’s often difficult to run alongside her.
“She stops to visit people,” he said. “And she sniffs everything. It’s not easy to run with an
untrained dog.”
 
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Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]