Local Motion | Issue #9

Published: June 23, 2026

👋 A Note from Jason

Saturday happened.

The GrandMan: Return of the Grand. People jumped off the Fairhope Pier into Mobile Bay. They swam. They ran. They collected medals.

This week: the Shark 5K is July 4th — ten days out — and there's a new reason to think about running on a treadmill. Which is not something I expected to type this summer, but here we are.

Let's get into it. 👇

🤯 Wait — Did You See This?!?!

I'll be honest — I hate the dreadmill. Always have. The scenery never changes, the belt just keeps moving, and at some point you realize you've been staring at the same wall for 45 minutes and gone exactly nowhere. Give me a road, a trail, a sidewalk — anything but that conveyor belt to nowhere.

So it is with great respect — and genuine bewilderment — that I bring you this.

World Athletics just announced the first-ever World Treadmill Championship. We need to talk about this.

Technogym and World Athletics have partnered to create RUN X — an official 5K championship held entirely on connected treadmills. Registration is open now. Your result gets synced to a global leaderboard in real time. The top-ranked runners in each country advance to regional championships, then to a world final at an "iconic location" at the end of 2026. Prize pool: $100,000.

Here's my honest take: if you've been running outside in Alabama in June — 87 degrees at 6 AM, humidity you could wring out of the air — a sanctioned world championship on a climate-controlled treadmill doesn't sound like a gimmick. It sounds like peak rational decision-making.

The outdoor purists will have opinions.

🔥 This Week's Top Picks

🏓 PICKLEBALL

🏓 Does anyone have a doubles partner who keeps abandoning their side of the court to attempt an erne — leaving you to cover the entire court while they fling themselves around the post? I am that partner. Sorry Tina.

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

🏃 Ten days until the Shark 5K. Which means ten days to decide if you're the kind of person who runs a 5K on a national holiday at 7 AM in Orange Beach. (You are. You know you are.)

📅 Coming Up — July 4

12th Annual Shark 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run — Sat. July 4 · 7:00 AM · The Wharf, Orange Beach (worth the drive)

Fourth of July tradition at The Wharf. Everyone gets a finisher's medal. DJ awards party, custom age group awards, and post-race options at The Wharf on Independence Day that are, frankly, excellent.

Series angle worth knowing: The Shark Run is race two of three in the Run the Coast Summer Series — the first race (Waves 2 Wine 5K in Pensacola Beach) already happened in May. Run the Shark 5K and then the Bloody Mary 5K at Tacky Jacks in Gulf Shores on September 5th, and you'll earn a special series finisher medal at the championship race. Two races left, one summer, bragging rights included.

Price already went up after June 19 — register now before the next tier hits.

🗓️ Save the Date — July 21

Half Marathon Training Kickoff — Mon. July 21 · Running Wild, Fairhope Meets every Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30–6:30 PM. Race day: October 11, 2026. If a half marathon has been on your list and you haven't found the right program, this is your window. Registration through Running Wild.

📅 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

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. 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.

That's Issue #9. 🎉

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