Running the Fort

For this issue of Madeworthy, we wanted to spotlight some clubs for athletes. Our longtime friend Brad Nowlin is a runner, and he graciously agreed to write about his passion.

Running along the trails by the Trinity River can be very enjoyable, especially with friends. It’s a free and fun family activity that’s open all year and is a great way to connect and spend time together outside with fresh air and sunshine. For me, it’s good for my mental and physical health to get away from the office.

A great way to start your running journey is to find a running club, which is not unlike a golf or bowling league; people form a community based on their passion. In Fort Worth, the running community is helpful, encouraging, and fun.

I started running cross country and track at Fort Worth Country Day. When I moved back to Fort Worth, I reached out to people in the running community. One of the first people I connected with was local chef and runner Jon Bonnell; we did a stair climb fundraiser for cystic fibrosis at the Pier One Building.

l: Jon Bonnell
r: Brad Nowlin

I then discovered the Fort Worth Runners Club, which has 5K races monthly throughout the year. It was there that I met people like dairy farmer Robert Grantham, who picks up trash in the park after races because he’s that type of person. The racers are friendly, and the 5Ks are a good way to make running friends.

I love Cox Racing Services, which puts on many runs throughout Tarrant County. Ricky Cox won the Cowtown Marathon three times in the 1980s and is a local legend. He and his son Demery conduct family-friendly events throughout the year. For example, the Trinity 5000 is a 5K that’s run on Thursday evenings in the summer for 40 years. Yes, it’s hot, but with an evening breeze, it’s doable. People bring chairs, food, and drinks and stay after to chat and bond.

My next Fort Worth running discovery was the Fort Worth Running Company (also known as The Herd). Amy and Jon Clark pushed me to try longer runs, and they’re very rewarding. Runs of 10-plus miles at an easy, “talkable” pace are the basis for much of the training for marathons or half marathons, and it’s been through these Saturday morning runs that I’ve made friends as we stop for water and Gatorade regularly.

Our pace group in The Herd trains together with a coach, and around 20 of us ran the Jack and Jill Downhill Marathon and Half Marathon last summer near Seattle. It was exhilarating to run in the Cascade Mountains and very rewarding to see my friend, Irma Allen, qualify for the Boston Marathon, which she recently completed, setting a personal record. I am so proud of her.

Of course, Fort Worth’s biggest running event is The Cowtown Marathon, which is held every February. Heidi Swartz has been leading the organization as it grows in stature and reputation. Initially, I ran the 5K, but for the last two years, I’ve run the 10K and the half marathon. The combination of the two races is called the Cowtown Challenge.

The C.A.L.F (Children’s Activities For Life and Fitness) program is a cool community outreach program affiliated with The Cowtown Marathon to promote a lifelong love of fitness. It donates shoes to children in need at area schools. The Cowtown C.A.L.F. program serves about 100 schools annually, and they partner with the Tarrant County Food Bank to provide boxes of food for those students.

If you’re interested in finding a running club, Tamara Ogle and Gary Anderson lead the Cowtown Trailblazers, which is a training group like The Herd that often runs through Tanglewood (where the shade helps during the summer).

Other running groups include the Ranch View Gang led by Carla Storey, which tackles that hill in Tanglewood. Running Familia is led by Bernie Gonzalez and runs the trails at Sansom Park. There are many more in Fort Worth.

For running gear, we have some great running stores: Luke’s Locker, Fleet Feet, and Fort Worth Running Company, which offers a fun run on Monday evenings.

I’ll leave you with the lyrics of a band called Riverside off of their latest album, ID.Entity:

I don’t have to be the best
Feel pressure all the time
“The winner takes it all” is not my thing
Stop comparing me
To someone else’s dreams
Let me stay in the place where I belong.