On our way to The Northdown I was a ball of nerves- would anyone show up? Would people have fun?
We did some recon on the course before the event started to make sure we weren't running on huge sheets of ice. Luckily the course was relatively clear with some minor slushy spots.
We couldn't have asked for better weather- at 11:15am it was 30+ degrees and sunny. Amazing.
We got to Northdown around 11am and there were people for the run waiting!! As the clock ticked closer to 11:15 more and more folks showed up. Northdown had made some shirts with the Mikkeller Running Club logo which were very popular with the group/
I said a few words thanking everyone for showing up and mentioned our basic premise of the club- how MRC gets fit through running while enjoying loads of beer and delicious food. I also thanked our fabulous clubhouse- the Northdown for hosting us.
And then it was time to run! L and I selected a course that went along Ravenswood because it didn't have many intersections due to the metra.
Runners!!!
This run was super low key and no pressure for any pace. Everyone seemed to be having a blast chatting away with their friends.
We got back to our Clubhouse and enjoyed our 1st post run beer complimentary of Northdown- Mikkeller Mosiac Dipa. Delicious.
L and I also got the brunch pork frites Which hit the spot hard after a nice morning of running.
It was great seeing Pete and Eric, (and Jeff and Carla) as well as many many new friends enjoying themselves.
We also blew the Bangkok chapter's record out of the water for the most folks at an inaugural run- they had 14-16 last month and we had 37! It felt amazing to have helped organize this event and see how much fun people were having. There was a lot of buzz post run & beer about the "next time" which made me so freaking happy.
The cool thing about this club is it meets on the 1st Saturday of each month and now has expanded to chapters all over the world. So if you find yourself in Boston, NYC, London, Sao Paulo, or San Francisco (along with many other cities) the 1st Saturday of the month, you can run with a cool group of folks and have a delicious beer at a fun bar afterwards.
Can't say thank you enough to everyone who came out for our first run as well as our Clubhouse Northdown for making this event a huge success!
Come join us for our 2nd Mikkeller Running Club Chicago on March 7th at 11:15am. We will meet at our clubhouse the Northdown.
RSVP here on facebook:
Thanks again for hosting/coordinating the run! It was a blast. I am looking forward to the next one. Post-run I will be dining on some pulled pork frites!
ReplyDeleteNice! I hope to make it, hopefully in March! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you had such a good turn out!!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to be there in March!
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! I am happy you had good weather for the first one and such a stellar turn out! Have you been to any of the runs in other cities? That would be a fun thing to pop in on :)
ReplyDelete