Local Motion | Issue #3

Published: May 13, 2026

👋 A Note from Jason

Three weeks in. Still here. Still running (slowly).

The response to Issue #2 was great — a lot of you wrote back about the Grandman announcement, and the energy around that event is real. If you haven't registered yet, this is your reminder.

This week we've got a big one: a free women's self-defense seminar coming up next Tuesday that I think every woman in this community needs to know about, the Summer Sizzle speed program kicks off at Running Wild tonight, and the Grandman is now just five weeks away. Let's get into it. 👇

🤯 Wait — Did You See This?! (I am trying to keep this section short but there is waaaay too much good stuff happening)

You know how last week we mentioned that pickleball landed at #11 on the ACSM's global fitness trends list? Here's what that actually looks like in numbers: 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025 — up from 4.8 million just four years earlier. That's 311% growth. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association officially named it the dominant multi-year growth leader across every sport they track. Every. Sport.

And if you need one more data point to send to your tennis friends: an Apple Heart and Movement Study found that pickleball surpassed tennis in popularity among Apple Watch users for the first time in 2025. The torch has officially been passed. 🏓👑

And while we're on the topic of pickleball doing impossible things — did you catch what happened last weekend in Atlanta?

15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro — a Hawaii kid who discovered pickleball after his family stumbled across people playing it during a skateboarding trip to California, bought a cheap Target net, and set it up in their driveway — beat the #2 seed Federico Staksrud, Noe Khlif, and Hunter Johnson before losing the gold medal match to the world #1 Chris Haworth at the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships — one of the biggest tournaments on the PPA Tour.

A 15-year-old. Target net. Men's finals. We'll be in our feelings about our own pickleball game for the rest of the week. 🏓

This Week's Top Picks

⚡ Something Worth Sharing

Free Women's Self-Defense Seminar — "No Easy Targets" Tue. May 19 · 6:00–7:00 PM · Running Wild, 72 South Section St, Fairhope

I'm going to step outside the event calendar for a second.

Most men — myself included, for most of my life — don't think twice about heading out for a run alone. We just lace up and go. It took someone close to me, someone whose love of running I've watched up close for years, to make me really understand how different that experience is for a lot of women. The quiet calculation that happens before every solo run. The routes chosen not for scenery but for safety. And for some women — eventually — the decision that it just isn't worth it anymore.

That's not a small thing. That's something that deserves to be talked about.

Running Wild is hosting a free women's safety seminar next Tuesday — covering situational awareness, personal safety tools, and practical tips for runners, walkers, and hikers. Expert panel. Giveaways. Free.

If you're that woman, this was built for you. If you love that woman, send this to her.

P.S – Someone close to me, Tina, is going. See you there!

🏓 PICKLEBALL

🏓 Still no pickleball emoji. We’re told they’re “reviewing submissions”. We’ll believe it when we see it.

📅 Coming Up — Next 2 Weeks

Port City Pickleball Summer Break Showdown — Sat–Sun. June 13–14 · W.O. Lott Park, Daphne One of the bigger Eastern Shore pickleball weekends of the summer. If you've been on the fence, now's the time — registration is open and spots won't last forever.

📌 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.

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

🏃 RUNNING

🔥 This Weekend

🔥 Tonight

Summer Sizzle 10-Week Speed Program — Kicks off TONIGHT · Tue. May 13 · 5:30–6:30 PM · Running Wild, 72 South Section St, Fairhope Speed work, hill intervals, distance work — rotating weekly through July 14. If you've got a fall race circled on the calendar (or you want one), this is how you build the engine for it. Running Wild runs one of the best communities on the Eastern Shore and this program fills up. Don't wait until next week.

🗓️ Coming Next Month

Medal Madness 5K, 10K & Half Marathon — Sat. June 6 · 8:00 AM · Medal of Honor Park, Mobile, AL Three distances, finisher medals, and a costume contest if you're feeling ambitious. Good tune-up race if you've got something bigger on the fall calendar. No on-site registration — sign up on RunSignup in advance.Details→

📌 Weekly Runs

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.

🚴 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.

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

📅 Coming Up — Memorial Day

PhinMan Youth Triathlon — Mon. May 25 (Memorial Day) · Johnnie Sims Park / Bodenhamer Rec Center, Gulf Shores (worth the drive) This one's for the young athletes in your life — ages 6 to 14. Two formats:

Check-in begins at 7:00 AM. Limited to 150 kids total — lock in a spot now. Nothing better than watching a 7-year-old crush a triathlon on Memorial Day morning. 🙌

🗓️ Coming Next Month

GrandMan: Return of the Grand — Sat. June 20 · 7:00 AM · Fairhope Municipal Park We said it in Issue #2 and we’ll say it again: this one is a big deal.

The Grandman — one of the most beloved races on the Gulf Coast — went dark in 2024 when Mobile Baykeeper had to cancel. It's back. And they're calling it "Return of the Grand" for good reason.

We said it in Issue #2 and we'll say it again: this one is a big deal.

Jump off the Fairhope Pier into Mobile Bay, swim to shore, then run a 5K through downtown Fairhope. Individual, relay, para, Athena/Clydesdale divisions. All proceeds benefit Mobile Baykeeper. The Grandman went dark in 2024 — its return this June has been the most talked-about race announcement on the Eastern Shore this year.If you've raced the Grandman before, you already know. If you haven't — June 20 is your day.

🗓️ On the Radar — This Fall

Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon — Sat. September 12 · Gulf Shores West Beach (worth the drive) Olympic and Sprint distances. Swim the Gulf, bike the coast, run the beach. Early registration is open — worth locking in now if a fall tri is on your list.

That's Issue #3. 🎉

Three weeks in and this community is already finding us — which means you're finding each other. That's the whole point.

If you know of a group ride, open swim, yoga in the park, or any local fitness event we've missed — hit reply. This newsletter is only as good as the community that feeds it.

And if someone in your life would love this — a neighbor, a training partner, your pickleball doubles partner who's always asking "what's happening this weekend?" — 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