Bay Area Brew Runs, a new local series of casual 5K runs under the umbrella of Colorado's Rocky Mountain Brew Runs, plans to bring its first event to the region in fall.
Founders Justine Hilton and Marysia Lopez say they're in the process of reaching out to breweries and setting up an events schedule. Tampa's Ulele Spring Brewery is on board for a run in October, and St. Pete Brewing Company has confirmed for November.
Two years ago, a husband-and-wife team formed Rocky Mountain Brew Runs, which teams up with a variety of craft breweries to organize informal weekend 5Ks throughout the year. After Hilton began volunteering with the organization in 2014 and it started discussing expansion into other states, she brought Lopez on board to establish Tampa Bay's chapter as an LLC.
Similar to Colorado's runs, participants will sign up for the Bay area events, each sponsored by a select brewery, online. Starting out, Hilton and Lopez hope to collaborate with three to six breweries for their fall and winter schedule. They tell CL Rocky Mountain holds 10 gatherings during summer.
The brewery partners will supply runners with one free beer, one free swag item (typically a pint glass) and the space for an after-party, where booze, food trucks, Olympics-style beer games and live music are often featured. Though the runs function as events more than races, the top male and female finishers will receive prizes.
Rocky Mountain Brew Runs, according to its website, is continuing to expand into cities around the country that feature thriving running and beer communities, and there's another new affiliate planned for California. Locals may follow Bay Area Brew Runs' launch progress on Facebook.
