Social movement: Happy Run more than just a weekly workout

PALMER — Some people run, some people walk briskly, others stroll with their dogs and chat leisurely to the person next them.

Happy Run is a year-round social run that started in 2014. It takes place every Monday at 6 p.m. in Palmer, starting at the Active Soles shoe store and ending up before 7 p.m. at the Palmer Ale House.

Lance Arnold, the manager of Active Soles, organizes the event with his wife Kate. Arnold said that Happy Run is increasingly popular, “we’re hovering around 200 people every Monday and we’re always aiming for 300,” said Arnold.

“Through the winter we’ll get anywhere from 75 to 100 people that will show up,” said Arnold.

In the dead of winter, Happy Runners wear reflective clothes, strap on headlamps and get on with it.

“We’ve never cancelled a Happy Run, no matter what the weather,” said Arnold.

The event is designed for every fitness level: There’s a 5k and a 2-mile option and the runs alternate between two courses every other week.

One course heads out to the Golf Course on Outer-Springer Loop. The other goes out on Airport Loop and utilizes the bike tracks back to Palmer.

The one-hour time limit means everyone comfortably finishes at his or her own pace.

Arnold emphasized that the goal of Happy Run isn’t speed; rather, it’s about developing a running community and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Niall Linden, a Happy Runner who has completed over 100 runs, is a model for how the event has spawned its own community. Linden has started his own 5-mile course within the Happy Run for “more serious runners who want to run a 7-minute mile.”

He also managed to come close to the front of the pack while pushing a baby in a stroller.

“This is his fourth happy run! He’s a great participant,” laughed Linden.

But what keeps him coming back is “being part of a community” and, “I’ve got a bunch of friends I’ve met through here.”

Stefan Marty, running his “third or fourth Happy Run,” echoed that sentiment.

“I’ve been running on my own quite a bit and started meeting people and now I do this,” said Marty.

Allison Qualls, who was also among the first to finish, said she runs because of “family, staying in shape and trying to keep up with running.”

Her mom is an avid runner who has completed 50 Happy Runs.

That’s an auspicious number as 50 runs registered through the website nets you some free nutritional supplement at Active Soles.

People who have 10 runs get a free shirt and 30 runs gets you 30 percent off anything in the store.

For people who might otherwise be sedentary, the idea of joining a weekly running club might seem intimidating but the family friendly atmosphere of Happy Run seems to be a great motivator to get people out and moving.

“There are people in the community who express that they’ve never seen their friends or relatives get motivated to get outside,” said Arnold.

“Monday seems to be their day.”

And as Arnold explained, there are incentives to finish within the time limit set by the organizers.

“We end up at the Palmer Ale House in the back of the yard. At 7’oclock we start the raffle.”

The weekly raffle is free to enter and has some very desirable prizes: hats, vouchers and a big Alehouse pizza.

The 200-plus crowd audibly groaned when the ticket was drawn and the pizza went to someone else.

For all those who didn’t win, Happy Run has also organized a deal with the Ale House where every Happy Runner can buy a pasta salad for $5 in summer and come indoors for $5 soup and breadsticks in winter.

Beyond the health and community benefits, Happy Run also has an altruistic bent. The June 5 run was the start of a shoe-drive for the Alaska based non-profit the Basics.

The drive, “finds young athletes and kids throughout the state of Alaska and brings them shoes,” said Arnold.

Active Soles also gives shoes to homeless shelters and teen facilities in Alaska and in 2016 they even “channeled shoes out to Africa,” said Arnold.

Last year’s shoe-drive was a marked success, Happy Runners donated over 600 pairs of shoes. Monday’s event saw 100 shoes donated.

There are other benefits for participants to be charitable. “Bring in your old running shoes and we give you a deal on a new pair of shoes,” said Arnold.

And the charity doesn’t stop at shoes. Arnold explained that it’s free for businesses and non-profits to come out and showcase themselves.

Since 2014, the event has raised awareness for a variety of issues facing Alaska, from teen substance abuse to speaking about individual cancer patients.

Arnold described that there are unique advantages to speaking to Happy Runners.

“You get a captured audience because they’re sticking around for the raffle!”

And that audience is growing.

“People come all the way from Anchorage, Eagle River, Talkeetna and Willow,” said Arnold. “The word has got out.”

Bad news for all those Happy Runners hoping to win that Alehouse pizza.