Moms RUN This Town
Moms RUN This Town
Last year, after moving from California to Orlando with her family, Natalia Castillo searched for mommy groups to help find playmates for her young sons and friends for herself. An infrequent runner, Castillo, 35, stumbled upon East Orlando Moms RUN This Town, a local chapter of a free national runners group for women. With about 400 members, Castillo thought the group could help her build upon her onetime 5K race experience and, perhaps, become an avid runner.
In December, following just six months of participation with the group, Castillo ran her first half-marathon! “It’s just a positive attitude with all the ladies. It doesn’t matter if you do an 8-minute mile or a 15-minute mile,” Castillo explained. “Without them, I would have been sitting on my couch.”
The East Orlando chapter was launched in April 2013 by Kristen E. Scruggs, 30, who encourages and motivates her “girls” with monthly strength challenges, prizes, photo contests, member of the month program, 2-3 weekly group runs, social events, meet-and-greets, race meet-ups, race discounts, giveaways, gear reviews, and products with the “Moms” logo so group members can strut their brand around town with pride. “We empower women to achieve their running goals and provide an online community of women who answer running questions, encourage each other, train with each other, and share their personal running experience,” Scruggs said. “We form Moms RUN This Town teams for local races and have even won money for charity!”
Scruggs is hosting a “virtual” race, called Start Your Engines, with a medal and swag bags on February 9th for 60 people for 5K and 10K distances. The effort is to encourage women to keep up with their New Year’s health resolutions. “I do this as a volunteer because it is so rewarding. I have formed so many friendships from starting this group. It’s great to go to a race and know 25-50 percent of the people there and you can high-five them as you run,” Scruggs said, who completed her first half-marathon at the Space Coast on December 1st. “It was wonderful to have so many mamas there,” Scruggs recalls. “When you get us together, we’re moms, so we have plenty talk about, and then add in running and we’re instant friends.”
Most of the members discovered Moms RUN This Town virtually, either through social media or Internet searches. Nicole Mattson, 34, of Avalon Park, has used running as “extra cardio” for the past five years but says she wasn’t “into” it until joining the group. The mom of three boys, ages 16, 12, and 8, now runs five days a week and is also training for a half-marathon. “Kristen is always super high energy and has great motivating things to share,” said Mattson. “It’s great connecting with moms who you have something in common with.”
Scruggs encourages moms of all running levels to join the group ─ for both friendship and fitness goals.
“We motivate and support all levels of runners and paces from C25K (Couch to 5K) to marathoners,” she said. “We implemented an eight-week C25K program for the girls with four leaders and 4-5 group runs per week.” Scruggs ensures her members safety by listing the group’s events, discounts, and other information through a private Facebook group. Moms are also encouraged to bring their children, with many of the runners pushing jogging strollers as they train and race.
Crystal Schmidt, 33, of Oviedo, often makes her runs a family affair by including her husband and bringing her sons, ages 4 and 2, to races and trainings (four days per week). “Sometimes on my long runs, my husband will get on the bike and put the kids in the trailer in the back,” Schmidt said, whose runs can take a couple of hours. “It’s definitely a stress reliever! I’m set to run one half-marathon a month for the next several months.”
For Monica Sontag, 36, also of Oviedo, running brought friendship and connection with likeminded women who also happen to be mothers. Sontag, mother of two boys, ages 5 and 3, moved to Central Florida from Jacksonville two years ago and joined another running group; one that was unorganized and whose members failed to show for scheduled runs. “I was looking for consistency,” she said, adding that with Moms RUN, “we have a lot of fun together. It’s a great group of ladies. I’m so glad I found this group.”
East Orlando Moms RUN This Town provides active meet-ups around the city including: Waterford Lakes, UCF/Alafaya area, Avalon Park, Rio Pinar, Lake Nona, Conway, downtown Orlando, College Park, Azalea Park, Union Park, Oviedo, Winter Park, Baldwin Park, Wedgefield, Bithlo, and Chuluota. Visit MomsRUNthistown.com/eastorlando or find other chapters, including Southwest Orlando, at MomsRUNthistown.com.
