"Seeing it go from a group of people who were really strangers just start running together [to] now turning into this group that just keeps building ... and bringing more people in, and just seeing everybody hang out and find a group of people that they're comfortable with ... it’s rewarding,” Litton said.
The overview
Josh said he and his wife were regulars at the brewery before the creation of the club and the idea began after one of the owners of Fass Brewing, Aaron Edrington, recognized Josh while volunteering at an event. He shared his idea with Edrington and details of the club were then actualized, Litton said.
The Fass Brewing Run Club meets twice a week on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, rain or shine, run club member Chris Wilson said. The club has two separate designated routes—one a 5K and one a 10K—and caters to all skill levels.
“We've got people that do [ultramarathons] on the weekend, we've got people that are working on their first races and we've got people that walk,” Wilson said. “But the cool thing is that everybody is super positive ... and they're excited about what you're excited about. ... It's nice to have that boost of positivity in your week.”
At the end of the run, participants get a free brew and chat with each other at Fass Brewing, which Litton said is where the community has formed.
A closer look
The first run was on July 21, 2022, and what started as a group of five to 10 people has grown to a core group of 30 members with a total of over 175 participants, Litton said.
“We try to provide a space for people of all skill levels,” Litton said. “We do have a group of people that walk together every Thursday. We have people that have kind of started doing intervals where they'll walk for one minute, and they'll run for two minutes, and they'll do that throughout the entire [run].”
Members of the club range in age from 18-year-olds to a man in his 80s who travels from Huntsville every Thursday to run with his crew, Wilson said.
Litton jokes that the name of the club should change to Fass Recreational Club since the organization has expanded to activities like bike rides, pickleball outings and more. Litton now sees the club as part of his family.
“I hate to use the term because it's just so cliche, but whenever I think about it, it really does just kind of feel like an extension of my family,” Litton said. “I see these people twice a week. I sometimes see them more than my own family. ... It's pretty awesome.”
Beyond the running, the club has given back to the community as well. Over the holidays, the Fass Brewing Run Club teamed up with Goose’s Acres Running Club in The Woodlands and collected over 60 toys to donate to Toys for Tots.
”It's more than just running twice a week in Conroe. We've really started branching out and doing a lot more activities together,” Litton said.
