Local Motion | Issue #11

Published: Tuesday, July 07, 2026 · 7:00 AM

👋 A Note from Jason

I hope everyone had an amazing 4th!

Family, friends, food, and fireworks is what the Fourth is all about — and if you also squeezed a 5K in somewhere between the cookout and the show, that's the whole Local Motion philosophy in one weekend.

Lighter week on new races and pickleball tournaments, but there's something for everybody: pickleball courts are open all week (heat and all), the Pro Cycle crew keeps rolling three nights a week, and Summer Sizzle wraps its last class next Tuesday. Good week to just log some easy miles and keep your volume up before the next training cycle kicks in. If a fall triathlon's on your radar, Alabama Coastal registration is open too.

Let's get into it. 👇

🤯 Wait — Did You See This?!?!

Major League Pickleball's Mid-Season Tournament tips off this week in Grand Rapids, Michigan (July 8–12) — and it's landing right on top of some real trade deadline drama. The league bumped its trade deadline back from June 30 to July 12 at 8 PM ET, so teams have spent the last couple weeks scrambling to swap rostered players before the window slams shut.

Tina doesn't need no stinkin' trade window to be looking for an upgrade for me as a mixed doubles partner. She's been running her own unofficial waiver wire since early March.

🔥 This Week's Top Picks

🏓 PICKLEBALL

🏓 Who else uses the bathtub at home as a hamper for your sweat-logged clothes post-pickleball this time of year? 😂✋

🔥 This Weekend

Summer doldrums have officially hit the pickleball calendar — no tournaments this weekend. Open play courts are still open all week if you need your fix.

📌 Open Play — Every Week

Mike Ford Tennis Center — Stimpson Park, Fairhope Lighted courts · Lessons, clinics & socials. Call for open play schedule: 251-990-9526

W.O. Lott Park — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun 8:00–11:00 AM · Wed/Fri 6:00 PM · Daphne 12 outdoor courts · Free · All levels welcome.

Pickleball at OWA — Sun–Fri 10 AM–7 PM · Sat 8 AM–8 PM · 200 S OWA Blvd, Foley (worth the drive) 4 indoor climate-controlled courts · $10/hr guest pass · $55/mo membership · Walk-ins welcome. In Alabama. In June. You know what that means outside. Come inside.

Know of open play anywhere else on the Shore? Hit reply — we'll add it.

🏃 RUNNING

🏃 The Shark 5K medals are in the trophy case, and if you ran it Saturday, that post-race glow probably already has you searching for the next one.

🔥 This Weekend

Same story here — no local races this weekend. Call it a recovery week after the Fourth.

📅 Coming Up — July 14

10 Week Speed "Summer Sizzle" — Tue. July 14 · 5:30–6:30 PM · Running Wild, Fairhope Final class of this cycle. If you've been showing up since May, this is the last one — finish it out. Running Wild's Fall Frenzy 5-week speed program is next up, kicking off October 19.

📌 Weekly Runs

Three ways to run — pick your night.

Fairhope Beer Runners — Every Monday · 6:00 PM · Fairhope Brewing Company, Fairhope Just wrapped their first full year. The format is refreshingly simple: 5K and 1-mile routes are mapped, but go as far and as fast as you want. No tracked miles. No recorded times. Social matters as much as the miles — stick around after for a raffle around 7 PM, then stay as long as you like. Fleet Feet supports with small giveaways each week. Show up, run, be social.

Manci's Antique Club Run/Walk Social — Every Wednesday · 6:00 PM · Manci's Antique Club, Daphne Heading into their fourth year this October — which tells you everything you need to know about how good this group is. Same idea: 5K and 1-mile routes, but run your own race. No times, no pressure. The social after is the point. Fleet Feet keeps the giveaways coming, and the raffle at 7 PM is a legitimate reason to stick around.

Thursday Night Group Run — Every Thursday · 6:00 PM · McSharry's Irish Pub, 101 N Bancroft St, Fairhope Run at your own pace, stay for food and good company. The best post-run tradition on the Eastern Shore.

Know of a group run we missed? Hit reply — we'll add it.

🗓️ On the Radar — This Fall

Miles for Heroes 5K & 1-Mile Run/Walk — Sat. Sept. 26 · Olde Towne Daphne A certified 5K course through beautiful Olde Towne Daphne, benefiting IGY6: Gulf Coast — a nonprofit raising community awareness for suicide prevention and mental health for veterans and first responders, and funding additional crisis intervention training for local first responders. This one matters. Put it on the calendar.

10th Annual Bloody Mary 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run — Sat. Sept. 5 · 7:30 AM · Tacky Jacks, Gulf Shores (worth the drive) Race three of the Run the Coast Summer Series — and the championship race where series finisher medals are handed out. If you're doing the Shark Run on July 4th, this is the natural next step.

🚴 CYCLING

📌 Weekly Rides

Pro Cycle Saturday Morning Ride — Every Saturday · 7:30 AM · Pro Cycle & Tri, Fairhope ~28 miles · All paces welcome. Best shop ride on the Gulf Coast. Show up, clip in, and hang on.

Pro Cycle Tuesday Night Hammerfest — Every Tuesday · 6:00 PM · Pro Cycle & Tri (Spring/Summer) 25 miles · Rear light required · ~20+ mph. Come find out.

Pro Cycle Thursday Night Social Ride — Every Thursday · 6:00 PM · Pro Cycle & Tri (Spring/Summer) 20 miles · No-drop · ~17–18 mph. Katie "momma-ducks" this one — nobody gets left behind.

Three rides a week. Saturday if you want miles, Tuesday if you want a challenge, Thursday if you want both and also to feel like part of a group.

No formal cycling races on the Baldwin County calendar for the next two weeks. Know of a club ride or group event? Hit reply.

🏊 TRIATHLON & MULTI-SPORT

🗓️ On the Radar — This Fall

Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon — Sat. Sept. 12 · Gulf Shores West Beach (worth the drive) Sprint and Olympic distances. Swim the Gulf, bike the coast, run the beach — with staging at The Hangout (101 Gulf Shores Pkwy). Olympic swim starts 7:00 AM; Sprint "Tri-It-On" swim starts 7:45 AM. Friday packet pickup 4–6 PM at The Hangout. Year 19 of this race. Registration open now.

⚡ HEALTH & WELLNESS EVENT

Battle at the Fort — Sat. July 25 · 7:00 AM–Noon · Town Center Park, Spanish Fort (3000 Town Center Ave)

A health and wellness event and fitness challenge rolled into one morning. Check-in and the vendor village open at 7 AM — nutrition, physical therapy, and recovery vendors on site, plus cold plunges, saunas, and music to keep the energy up. Then a rotating lineup: a 1-mile run, yoga on the courts, meditation instruction, and exercise and fitness challenges (F45, 5A, and a bodyweight workout session). Pickleball folks — there's a Fastest Pickleball Serve Challenge in the mix too. Complete "The Fort Pass" by visiting vendors and finishing challenges for a shot at prizes. Rain or shine. Ages 16+ to participate (kids welcome to come along). Bring a yoga mat, a towel for the cold plunge, sunscreen, and workout clothes.

That's Issue #11. 🎉

If you know of a group ride, open swim, yoga in the park, or any local fitness event we've missed — hit reply. And if someone in your life needs this in their inbox — a neighbor, a training partner, your Monday night running buddy who just found out there's also a Wednesday run — send them to localmotionactive.com to subscribe.

See you on the courts and the roads. 🌅

— Jason (and Tina 🏓)

Local Motion — From the Bay to the Beach. localmotionactive.com