How to make it fun to run

It’s composed of men and women of different ages, backgrounds, careers and even home countries, but they have one thing in common: The love to run.

It’s the Port Washington Running Club, and every Saturday at 7 a.m. at least eight of its member gather at the Coal Dock Park gazebo for the same weekly routine of running around the city..

The club will celebrate its one-year anniversary this month.

Denise Ploof started the group with a post on the Port Washington Voice Facebook page. A number of committed runners responded and now there about 200 members in the Facebook group.

“I saw the Facebook post. Ooo, I can run with people? I’ve been running alone for a long time,” Joe Goldsmith, a 1998 Port High graduate who works for a tree service, said.

Katie Schmitz, a 20-something research scientist from Mukwonago who lives in Saukville, joined the group in February and ended up training for a half-marathon.

“I started running out of the blue. I didn’t know what I was doing. I needed some accountability,” she said.

Olivia Large, a data analyst from Fredonia and 2015 Port High grad, said the group got her back into running after doing a half marathon in 2017.

Large didn’t play sports in high school and isn’t competitive. The Port running group, she said, is “like the team I never had.”

Margaret Smith, one of the older members of the group who is originally from Coventry, England, came to Port through a student exchange program and ended up getting married. She played tennis and netball in England and now runs to stay active.

Lindsay Montgomery, a 2006 Darlington high School grad who lives in Port and works in sales, started attending runs in March. She appreciates the variety.

“Everyone’s welcome. All ages. We’ve had dogs and babies,” she said.

Adele Vallier, who lived in Washington state and Pennsylvania before coming to Port, where her husband is a pastor, often runs with her golden retriever. She is a charter member of the running group.

“I have been running in downtown Port since we moved here eight years ago,” she said. “When I heard someone was potentially starting a running group, I thought it would be fun to meet runners in the area.”

Ploof, a 1990 Grafton High School graduate who moved to New Hampshire before moving back to Port four years ago, missed running on the East Coast.

After working crazy hours out east and surviving brain cancer, Ploof wanted to regain her fitness and a normal work schedule. She is now an office manager. She uses the Footpath app to plan her group’s route each week. People may run as long or as fast as they want.

“It’s just nice to be able to show up on a Saturday morning and see people you know and run. It doesn’t feel like running because you’re talking the whole time,” Schmitz said.

Goldsmith, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, and runs to help maintain mental stability, soaks up the social aspect.

“I really enjoy running with more people. It’s just nice to have camaraderie and accountability,” he said. “Just talking to people as you go makes it easier.”

It turns out that Ploof attends the same church as Vallier, but they didn’t know each other before running together. “After lots of miles together, we know each other really well,” Vallier said.

Discussions during runs can range from light to deep topics.

“You usually run slower and have a long conversation and actually enjoy running rather than trying to set a personal record,” Vallier said.

Large said new members can be hesitant about joining their first run with the group, but “once you come for the first time and then start building that community with other people, you get excited to come.”

Schmitz said, “You can do a 16-minute mile or a nine-minute mile and there will be somebody with you.”

“We want to meet you,” Ploof said. We want you to come. Your pace is represented.”

Smith said, “Joe is really great at hanging back and helping others.”

“I don’t mind running slow,” he said.

Vallier said the encouragement to keep running is nice.

“It can get old. It’s a lot of time. It hurts your body. It’s nice to have a social aspect to it to make it a fun Saturday morning thing,” she said.

The group picked up one member by accident. Ploof said runners bumped into the same person a couple of times, and he soon joined the club.

The group found that 7 a.m. is the “sweet spot” for running, Ploof said. By the time they’re done, it can be starting to get hot.

Large has learned the difference in climate between Fredonia and Port.

“I know it’s always going to be 10 degrees cooler here,” she said.

Ploof said only one session was canceled over winter due to ice.

After running, group members wait at the gazebo to stretch and make sure everyone made it back. They sometimes grab coffee afterward.

“If you’re here, you’re a runner,” she said. “If you go out and run, you’re a runner.”

Besides the social and supportive aspects, some members are trying to improve their times and are training for longer races and many track their runs on electronic devices. Large would like to try a 25K and perhaps an ultramarathon some day. Ploof didn’t get into fitness until she was 38 and recently completed a half marathon.

“Running with other people makes me faster. It makes me a better runner. Doing it on my own, I’m always going to run at the same pace,” she said.

The club is holding a new member day on Saturday, June 14.

For more information, search Port Washington WI Running Club on Facebook.