When Dylan Hammons and Jordan Leach co-founded PRoject Rise nearly two years ago, they had one goal in mind: to create an all-inclusive run group where everyone in the community felt welcome regardless of ability level. What they did not expect was how fast the participation would grow. The group, which started with five people, has grown to include nearly two hundred people on their biggest day.
Project Rise meets on Thursday mornings in front of the Riverpark Center at 5:29 a.m. Hammons refers to his group as “a Tribe that is full of spontaneous encouragers of all levels, all abilities, all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.”
Social media has helped to boost awareness about the opportunity to join the tribe and create record-breaking attendance. Hammons believes that goal will be surpassed this Thanksgiving Day at an event that is geared towards giving back to the community and reaching 250 attendees.
PRoject Rise will be teaming up with Pure Barre to offer the community a chance to meet and move before they give thanks. Participants are asked to donate coats (new or gently used), gloves and packs of tall socks. The community is invited to come out and join PRoject Rise for a thirty-minute group run designed to keep everyone close together and stick around for a free Pure Barre class.
Studio owner Annie McCrary is excited about the collaboration between Pure Barre and PRoject Rise.
“Our main focus is to not only see our community become motivated about reaching their fitness goals, but also become motivated about reaching out to those in need,” McCrary said. “People want to feel better about themselves. This event is the perfect way to give back to the community and get active at the same time.”
McCrary said she feels blessed to live in a town where there is encouragement and support, no matter how big or small the goal.
The hope of the November 22 PRoject Rise event is to encourage new participants to join the tribe and see personal gains towards their fitness goals while helping out those who are less fortunate.
Hammons wants to create a place where no one feels “dropped” by the group. He hopes that during the run no one will know who is “leading” and who is “last”. All you have to do is JUST SHOW UP and become part of the tribe.
One success story from PRoject Rise comes from Eric Reichelt, an ex-Marine who started his fitness journey to get back in shape. According to Hammons, PRoject Rise was Reichelt’s first running experience since serving our country.
In just six months, he went from couch to 60K — completing a trail run, or 38 miles. During the six months, Reichelt lost more than fifty pounds. Hammons describes this story as one of his favorites and deems the feat “truly amazing.”
As a new runner, local pastor Jeremy Hatfield has found the PRoject Rise tribe to be a source of encouragement and coaching. He enjoys the diversity of the people that attend: men, women, young, old, ultra marathon runners and walkers.
“Bright and early on Thursday mornings, you’ll find a group of people that would typically never hang out high-fivin’, cheering and encouraging one another,” Hatfield said. “I’ve gained some dear friends and a community committed to one another’s health and well-being!”
Larkin Wetzel has been attending PRoject Rise since this summer and described the atmosphere as a happy place.
“It is all-inclusive, no matter your background or your fitness level,” Wetzel said. “We all attend PRoject Rise with different goals, but we ‘just show up’ to make ourselves better. The encouragement at PRoject Rise has inspired me as a runner and as a person.”
Wetzel said she returns week after week because of the positivity and constant support of the other runners.
For more information on this event, visit the PRoject Rise page on Facebook.
