Published: Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · 7:00 AM
👋 A Note from Jason
Rock and Roll Round Robin wrapped Sunday at the Foley Event Center — three days, 18 courts. Now it's straight into race season: Bloody Mary 5K is this Saturday, the finale of the Run the Coast Summer Series — if you did the Shark Run back on the Fourth, this is where you pick up the medal. And Sept 12 is shaping up to be another two-event Saturday: Walk This Way's 80s block party in Foley, or the Brett Robinson Triathlon in Gulf Shores. Pick your adventure.
Also new this issue: we're adding a Marathon Watch section. Boston Marathon registration opens Sept 14, and if a January marathon is on your radar, training should start in about three weeks.
Let's get into it. 👇
🤯 Wait — Did You See This?!?!
Registration for the 2027 Boston Marathon opens next week — Sept 14 through 18. It's not first-come-first-served, so there's no advantage to setting an alarm for midnight on the 14th, which is good news for those of us whose 6 AM pickleball games already require enough discipline as it is.
It's also the first year the B.A.A. is applying a course-elevation adjustment — if your qualifying time came from a course with more than 1,500 feet of net elevation drop, it gets adjusted before they compare it to the standard. For most of us, Boston is basically the Olympics — the one marathon where just qualifying is the achievement, and actually running it is the victory lap. I got there in 2025, and I can tell you the finish line doesn't care how you got to the start line, but the start line sure does.
🔥 This Week's Top Picks
10th Annual Bloody Mary 5K & 1-Mile — Sat. Sept 5 · 7:30 AM · Tacky Jacks, Gulf Shores (worth the drive — this weekend)
Walk This Way: 80s 5K & Block Party — Sat. Sept 12 · Downtown Foley
Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon — Sat. Sept 12 · Gulf Shores West Beach (worth the drive)
NEW: Marathon Watch — Boston Marathon 2027 registration opens Sept 14; a regional marathon's 4-month training window opens in ~3 weeks
Miles for Heroes 5K & 1-Mile — Sat. Sept 26 · 8:00 AM · Olde Towne Daphne
PINKleball Tournament: Paddle for a Purpose — Sat. Oct 3 · Veterans Park, Alabaster (worth the drive — a longer one than usual, for a good cause)
🏓 PICKLEBALL
🏓 My drop shot has exactly two settings: right in the net, or "here, please have this free overhead slam." There is no in-between, and neither one is up to me.
🔥 This Weekend
Rock and Roll Round Robin wrapped Sunday at the Foley Event Center — no formal pickleball tournament on the local calendar this weekend. Open play courts are running all week if you need your fix.
🗓️ Save the Date — October 3
PINKleball Tournament: Paddle for a Purpose — Sat. Oct 3 · 8:00 AM–6:00 PM · Veterans Park, Alabaster (worth the drive — full disclosure, this one's about 4.5–5 hours from Fairhope, well outside our usual radius, but it's for a great cause and we've got Birmingham ties) A doubles tournament across 10 skill-level divisions (2.5 beginner through 4.0+, men's, women's, and mixed), benefiting FORGE — a Birmingham-based breast cancer survivor center. USA Pickleball rules, round-robin group play into knockout brackets, medals for 1st–3rd. $25 tournament entry + $15 event fee per person. ⚠️ Registration closes Sept 26.
📌 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.
Gulf Shores Sportsplex — Every day, sunrise–10:00 PM · 19025 Oak Road West, Gulf Shores (worth the drive) 12 outdoor lighted courts · Free · Can't be reserved, just show up. Restrooms and water on site.
Know of open play anywhere else on the Shore? Hit reply — we'll add it.
🏃 RUNNING
🏃 Genuine question: does anyone else drool over every new Garmin Fenix drop despite the five-year-old one on your wrist still doing literally everything you need it to?
🔥 This Weekend — September 5
10th Annual Bloody Mary 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run — Sat. Sept. 5 · 7:30 AM · Tacky Jacks, 240 East 24th Ave, 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 did the Shark Run on July 4th, this is the natural next step. ⚠️ Registration closes September 4 at 4:00 AM.
📌 Weekly Runs
Five 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.
Foley Run Club — Every Tuesday · 6:00 PM · Moe's BBQ, Foley (new this issue) Gather at the Pavilion out front for group photos, then head out on 1-mile, 2-mile, or 5K routes through OWA — run, walk, jog, or just move at your own pace. No pressure, no judgment. Afterward, everyone heads back to Moe's for drinks, food specials, and good company. Open to anyone training for a race, starting a fitness journey, or just looking for their people.
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.
Fly Creek Nature Preserve Trail Run — Every Saturday · 7:00 AM · Fly Creek Nature Preserve, 22430 Main St, Fairhope Running Wild's newest weekly listing — a trail run/walk through Fly Creek Nature Preserve. All paces welcome, whether you're pushing it or just enjoying the woods.
Know of a group run we missed? Hit reply — we'll add it.
📅 Coming Up — September 12
Walk This Way: 80’s 5K & Block Party — Sat. Sept 12 · 5:00–10:00 PM · Heritage Park, Downtown Foley (new this issue) Lace up, dress up, and party like it's 1985. A scenic 5K through Historic Downtown Foley and the Rose Trail, finishing at Heritage Park, then a full-on 80s block party — live cover band, food trucks, costumes highly encouraged. Not a runner? Block Party Only tickets are available. Hosted by the South Baldwin Chamber Foundation, benefiting local education. BYOB friendly.
🗓️ Save the Date — This Fall
Miles for Heroes 5K & 1-Mile Run/Walk — Sat. Sept 26 · 8:00 AM · 1705 Main St, Daphne Certified 5K course through Olde Towne Daphne, benefiting IGY6: Gulf Coast — supporting suicide prevention and mental health for veterans and first responders. Finishers Festival with food trucks and music after. Registration is $35 ($28 for ages 15 and under). ⚠️ The reader discount code (Localmotion15off) has expired — standard pricing applies now.
Bras Across the CAUSEway 5K & Festival — Sat. Oct 10 · USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park (worth the drive)The 10th annual — a full decade of "Turning Miles Into Miracles." Timed 5K, a family-friendly 1-mile fun run, or a virtual option. All proceeds fund the Patient Assistance Program, helping local breast cancer patients with gas, groceries, copays, rent, and other essentials.
Keesler Federal Battleship 12K (new this issue) — Sun. Nov 15 · 8:00 AM · USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Spanish Fort The race the training-program flyer kept pointing to — now with its own confirmed date and registration. A 12K (7.45 miles) around Battleship Memorial Park, 2.5-hour time limit. ⚠️ $65 through Oct 5, price increases after.
🚴 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.
🏅 MARATHON WATCH (new section — first run, feedback welcome)
A recurring look at the Abbott World Marathon Majors and any regional marathons worth a training plan — appears when there's something worth flagging, not necessarily every issue.
The Majors calendar, if you're chasing one:
BMW Berlin Marathon — Sun. Sept 27, 2026 (4 weeks out). Loaded women's field, headlined by world record holder Tigst Assefa.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon — Sun. Oct 11, 2026. Widely considered the fastest of the six majors.
TCS New York City Marathon — Sun. Nov 1, 2026. The largest of the six by finishers.
Worth the drive if you're training for a winter marathon:
Mobile Marathon (formerly First Light Marathon) — Sun. Jan 10, 2027 · Mardi Gras Park, Mobile (worth the drive). Full marathon, half marathon, and relay options, benefiting First Light Community Foundation. ⚠️ Training-plan math: a standard 16-week marathon block means training should start around September 20 if this is your race.
Keesler Federal Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon — Sat–Sun. Dec 12–13, 2026 · Biloxi, MS (worth the drive). Full and half marathon distances. ⚠️ The 16-week training window for this one opened in late August — still time to jump in if you commit now.
⚠️ Boston qualifying-eligibility for the Mobile and Mississippi Gulf Coast courses wasn't confirmed in this round of research — check directly with each race before counting on a BQ time from either.
That's Issue #19. 🎉
Rock and Roll Round Robin is in the books, and it's straight into race season — Bloody Mary 5K wraps up the Run the Coast Summer Series this Saturday, and September 12 doubles up again with Walk This Way and the Brett Robinson Triathlon. New this issue: Marathon Watch, tracking the marathon majors plus a couple of regional options worth the drive — Boston Marathon registration opens September 14, and if a January marathon's on your radar, training should start in about three weeks.
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 Tuesday night Foley Run Club regular — 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