RunTheBoro: Some of the Best Ideas Come From the Most Unlikely Places

April 1st is usually known for April Fools Day. I'll always remember it for an unexpected day trip that blossomed into a great idea. This picture  of me having lunch outside of a Hillsborough Street Jimmy John's on the NCSU campus in Raleigh is a great reminder of this awesome day. I love this picture for so many reasons.

For one, my shirt speaks to my heart. It's my love of running that has me sitting for this picture about an hour and 20 mins from home. A client ended up having to cancel her mid morning session, so I took advantage of this unusual free time to check out Runologie, a cool independent running store I had heard about in Raleigh.

Second, it was this visit to Runologie that inspired RunTheBoro, a two-month eight-run event through the city of Greensboro.

Third, it shows that ideas can sprout when you least expect them. A little nugget of an idea can blossom into something that can affect hundreds of people in such a positive way. In just 3 months after taking this picture, RunTheBoro brought together over 300 runners, sparking new friendships, rekindling old friendships, all the while sharing history of Greensboro from the Revolutionary War, to the dawn of Civil Rights in the 1960s, to the present day revitalization of once neglected neighborhoods.

Fourth, this picture reminds this Dude to be a sponge, always receptive to new ideas. If this once nonathletic-chubby kid, sitting on the campus of NC State in Raleigh, wearing a Tar Heel 10-Miler T-shirt, after visiting a running store 70 miles from home, can return home with an idea that can affect hundreds of runners in Greensboro in an amazingly positive way, just think what other possibilities lie ahead.

RunTheBoro #2 will begin May 6th at 7:00am at RunnerDude's Fitness. Each Saturday during the months of May and June, runners will traverse over 25 different Greensboro neighborhoods and 4 different greenways. There will 12 different pace groups from 7:30 to Walking. For each run there will be a 5ish-mile route and an 8-10ish mile route. Prior to each run, historic information for the neighborhoods explored will be provided in the RunTheBoro Newsletter. (To receive this free newsletter click here.)

We are also very excited to have some local businesses as sponsors this year-Green Joe's Coffee Company, Omega Sports, Bill Black Chevrolet, Di'lishi Frozen Yogurt, Junction 311 Endurance Sports, and The Cleaning Authority. With their support we'll have RunTheBoro T-shirts for sale at the runs. A portion of the sale from the T-shirts goes to the Greenway Water Fund. This fund helps RunnerDude's Fitness provide bottled water in four coolers along the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway year-round. We put out around 8,000-10,000 bottles of water each year for Greensboro runners. For more info and/or to make a donation to the Greenway Water Fund click here.

RunTheBoro is a free event. Come out and participate in one or all eight runs! For more information on RunTheBoro click here. To join the RunTheBoro Group Run Facebook page click here.