Local Motion | Issue #6

Published: June 2, 2026

👋 A Note from Jason

Six weeks in. Summer is officially here, whether we're ready for it or not.

This week we've got a big one: the Port City Pickleball Summer Break Showdown is next weekend at W.O. Lott Park, the GrandMan is just 18 days away (have you registered yet?), Doc's Hot Trot gives you a reason to run at LuLu's on the same morning, and down in Gulf Shores they're doing outdoor yoga on the beach at sunrise — which is exactly the kind of thing we'd love to add to the rotation if any of you make it out there.

Also: it's June. In Alabama. If you're running(or doing anything for that matter) outside, hydrate like your life depends on it. Because it does. 💦

And can we talk about pickleball in this heat for a second? Tina and I are starting to think the only civilized option is a 6 AM court time. By 9 AM it's like playing inside a wet blanket that someone left in a dryer that doesn't work. If you see two people dinking in the dark at sunrise, that's us. Don't judge.

Let's get into it. 👇

🤯 Wait — Did You See This?!?!

MLP Columbus wrapped up last weekend at Pickle & Chill, and if you weren't watching, here's the headline: the Columbus Sliders — last year's defending champions — had to play the whole event without Parris Todd, who's serving a suspension after attending an unapproved event in Japan earlier this year. Todd is out for two events and was fined $50,000. The Sliders still found a way to compete, but it's a good reminder that professional pickleball now has enough money involved that players are getting fined fifty grand for schedule conflicts.

Let that sink in. A sport that started with a badminton net, a wiffle ball, and somebody's backyard in 1965 now has six-figure disciplinary proceedings.

This week MLP moves to St. Louis (June 4–7, Chaifetz Arena) for event #3 of the regular season. And if you're wondering when MLP might show back up in our zip code — keep watching. The tour has been expanding aggressively, and Pickle & Chill isn't going anywhere.

🔥 This Week's Top Picks

🏓 PICKLEBALL

🏓 Reminder that pickleball is the only sport where you can love your partner deeply and sincerely want to throw your paddle at them — in the same point. Tina will tell you I "poach too much." I will tell you I would have made that shot if I was 20 years younger, but my mind forgets how old I actually am most of the time.🔥 This Weekend

📅 Coming Up — Next Weekend

Port City Pickleball Summer Break Showdown — Sat–Sun. June 13–14 · W.O. Lott Park (Daphne Tennis & Pickleball Complex), Daphne One of the bigger Eastern Shore pickleball weekends of the summer. Home courts, 12 outdoor courts, all skill levels. This one has been on the calendar since Issue #1 — if you've been "thinking about it," now is the time. Registration is open.

📌 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 late May. You know what that means outside. Come inside.

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

🏃 RUNNING

🏃 Real talk: who has a training partner who wants to chat — full sentences, complete thoughts — while you are privately negotiating with your lungs just to survive the next quarter mile? We love you. We do. But please understand that our silence is not rudeness. It is survival.

🔥 This Weekend

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 bold. Good tune-up race if you've got something bigger circled on the fall calendar. No on-site registration — sign up on RunSignup in advance.

🗓️ Coming Up — June 20

Doc's Hot Trot for ARC 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run — Sat. June 20 · 7:30 AM · LuLu's at Homeport Marina, Gulf Shores (worth the drive) Flat, fast, certified 5K course — starts and finishes at LuLu's. Proceeds benefit ARC-Baldwin County. Party at LuLu's after (they're not going to let you leave without eating something, which is entirely fine). Packet pick-up Friday June 19, 3–6 PM at LuLu's; race day pick-up starts 6:00 AM. A race that ends at LuLu's is a race worth driving to.

📅 Ongoing — Every Tuesday

Summer Sizzle 10-Week Speed Program — Every Tuesday · 5:30–6:30 PM · Running Wild, 72 South Section St, Fairhope Three weeks in, runs through July 14. Speed work, hill intervals, and distance work rotating weekly. If a fall race is circled on your calendar — or you want one to be — this is how you build the engine for it.

📌 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 — June 20

GrandMan: Return of the Grand — Sat. June 20 · 7:00 AM · Fairhope Municipal Park

18 days. This is the one.

Jump off the Fairhope Pier into Mobile Bay, swim to shore, run a 5K through downtown Fairhope. Individual, relay, para, Athena/Clydesdale divisions. All proceeds benefit Mobile Baykeeper.

We've mentioned this in every single issue and we're not apologizing for it — because it's right here, it supports a great cause, and there is still time to train for a swim and a 5K before June 20. If you've been sitting on the fence: get off the fence. The fence is not comfortable.

🗓️ 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.

🧘 SOMETHING WORTH SHARING

Summer Salutations Yoga Series — Starts Fri. June 5 · Gulf Shores (worth the drive)

Gulf Shores Recreation is launching a summer outdoor yoga series this Friday — and the photo from their announcement is genuinely stunning. Two sessions each week:

All levels welcome. Bring your own mat and towel. Free.

A sunrise yoga session on the Gulf Coast in June — that's a pretty good way to start a Friday. Tina saw this and immediately started looking at the drive time.

That's Issue #6. 🎉

GrandMan week is almost here — and for those of you who have been following along since Issue #1, it feels like this one has been a long time coming. If you're racing it, we want to hear about it. Hit reply after June 20 and tell us how it went.

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 pickleball partner who keeps asking "is anything 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