No sophomore slump for Franklin Running Club

Franklin’s running club is displaying a powerful opening kick.

Started in September, the Franklin Roadrunners have grown to approximately 50 persons who have run or walked the paved Greenway Trail at the Franklin Parks and Recreation Department.

Founded by Shelbyville resident Gretchen Morgan, the club is open to persons of various ages and skill levels.

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There is no cost.

“The club is actually doing a little bit better at this point than what I had hoped,” said Morgan, who said between 15 and 20 people usually attend weekly. “We have a good range of ages and paces. What has helped this group is that the first people who showed up were really friendly and exceptionally supportive.”

The route used every Tuesday afternoon is three miles — 1.5 out and 1.5 back. Everyone starts the course together, with runners and walkers of comparable pace eventually finding one another.

Advanced runners and walkers are welcome to cover longer distances.

After moving to Franklin last year, Kim Mayes looked for a way to combine her interests in running and meeting persons with similar interests.

She’s been a regular at the Tuesday runs.

“I started a couple months after the club started. I love it. It’s a good group of people that have different abilities,” Mayes said. “I really like the social aspect of it, too. It’s good to know people.”

In 2005, Morgan founded the Shelby Roadrunners, which, too, started by meeting once every week. It has since grown to where runs/walks are now held Monday and Wednesday at 5 p.m. and every Saturday at 7:30 a.m.

The Shelbyville club has attracted close to 100 different runners since its start. Meanwhile, there are no immediate plans for the Franklin Roadrunners to add to a Tuesday night tradition that includes participants going out to dinner afterward.

“It is at a good size, but it can grow,” Morgan said. “The more people there are, the more fun it is.”

Naja Ballinger has been part of the club since its first meeting, a feat made all the more impressive considering she doesn’t live in Johnson County. An Avon resident, Ballinger carpools with Chris Heylmann of Brownsburg to the Tuesday runs.

“I love variety, and, for one, I got tired of running in Hendricks County,” Ballinger said. “And the group is so fun. I don’t make it every time, but I’m probably there 75 percent of the time. I’m probably one of the slowest runners, and I don’t feel uneasy about it.”

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Franklin Roadrunners

When: Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Parks and Recreation parking lot (396 Branigin Blvd.)

Cost: Free

Ages: 16 and older (younger runners permitted if accompanied by an adult)

For more information, contact Gretchen Morgan at (317) 604-8002 or [email protected]

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Mike Beas
Mike Beas is the Daily Journal's veteran sports reporter. He has been to more than 200 Indiana high schools, including 1990s visits to Zionsville to profile current Boston Celtics GM Brad Stevens, Gary Roosevelt to play eventual Purdue All-American Glenn Robinson in HORSE (didn’t end well) and Seeger to visit the old gym in which Stephanie White, later the coach of the Indiana Fever, honed her skills in pickup games involving her dad and his friends. He can be reached at [email protected].