NoMa Run Club Newsletter: February Edition

Hi runners! Welcome to the February Edition of the NoMa Run Club (NRC) newsletter!

This January, we braved extreme cold, heavy snow, and lingering ice—making it the coldest January in 11 years. Many of us found ourselves in treadmill jail, hoping for fewer icy days ahead. As February begins, mileage ramps up for those preparing for spring races, including the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. To help with race prep, we’ll be doing a special Saturday run at the end of the month to get familiar with the Calvert St. hill. Stay tuned for more information on that.

In local news, the e-bike voucher program is now accepting applications through February 21, the pandas have made their debut at the zoo, and if you have design or architecture skills, consider submitting your own rendering of the RFK site— as this design made a splash.

On a final but important note, with everything happening under the new administration, we want to acknowledge that many people in our community have been impacted by recent events. Our thoughts are with you, and we hope you’re doing okay. Now, more than ever, let’s support and be there for one another.

NoMA MoMA: Monthly Member Awareness

Allie S. has been coming to Run Club for about a year now and has been a consistent participant and wonderful presence to the group. She always has a kind word to say when you talk to her and is incredibly encouraging to all runners. She embodies the motto of “No’Ma Running Alone” with her community building attitude, and that is why I am nominating her for Member of the Month. - Diego T.

Why did you join NoMa Run Club?
I was looking to meet new people who could challenge me to be a better runner. I had no idea I would make such enriching, genuine friendships on day one.

Favorite running route in DC? 
I love running on the mall - it’s the perfect blend of functional and scenic for me. It never gets old (except maybe while dodging hordes of tourists in the spring).

What do you do when you’re not running?
When it’s not frigid out, I like to hike with my dog, Pancho, and play tennis (I’m always looking for new hitting partners so hmu if you also play!). I also love baking, sampling DC’s pastry scene, and arguing about who has the best croissants in town. 

What’s your favorite walking destination or DC activity with Pancho?
There are so many! We love the mall, Rock Creek Park, and the Arboretum. We also enjoy afternoons at beer gardens like The Brig and Midlands. And during Halloween and Christmas, we love walking through Capitol Hill to look at everyone’s decorations. But our absolute favorite DC activity is an off-leash romp through Congressional Cemetery.

Route Changes and Cancellations

As you may have noticed, we’ve had to cancel or adjust many of our runs in January due to weather and special events around the Capitol and National Mall. We do our best to make these decisions as early as possible and keep you updated via Instagram and Discord. Safety is our number one priority, and we follow this Event Cancellation Policy to make our decisions to cancel a run.

If you're out and notice anything that could impact our usual routes, please let us know directly and/or share it on Discord—we appreciate your help in keeping everyone informed and safe!

Help wanted! Get involved with NoMa Run Club!

You’re reading this newsletter, so you’re already a BIG fan of NoMa Run Club. But are you looking for more?? Are you interested in:

A. Volunteering in your community
B. Helping to organize weekly runs
C. Event planning
D. Getting a great exercise
E. All of the above?

Then we invite you to become part of the Leadership Team for NoMa Run Club! To learn more about the team and have any questions answered, please email us at [email protected].

Run Club Merchandise

We have merch! There are shirts, tanks, race singlets, hats, and even sweatshirts and beanies to keep you warm as the weather cools down. Pick your favorites, and your order will be shipped straight to you. Also, 10% of the proceeds will go to the club, which we’ll use to help fund our fun runs, socials, and events throughout the year. Looking forward to seeing our runners in NoMa Run Club gear. Thank you for supporting us!

Newsletter Contributions

Do you have a running related story you would like to share with us? Did you participate in a race and want to send in a race report? Do you want to nominate someone as the member of the month?

Weekly NRC Runs Calendar

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to stretch 🙂