Making running a social affair

The group is comprised of 361 members, 80 of whom are active. Members meet up multiple days a week, including on Mondays, when they run for an hour and then eat dinner at a local restaurant.  
“I’ve never met a runner who wasn’t nice and friendly,” Bieser said. “And one of the things that happens when you run with the group is you can’t Facebook, you can’t Snapchat, and you can’t be talking on the phone or texting. It’s one of the most fabulous ways to have extended long conversations with people that you wouldn’t have in any other context.”
Bieser, who has already done a couple marathons, will be participating in the first-ever Milwaukee Running Festival on Nov. 1 and the Boston Marathon in the spring. He qualified for the latter by 24 seconds.
“It’s free,” Bieser said of why people should give running a try. “All you need is a pair of tennis shoes and the guts to show up the first time.”