Run Rio, Run: Local starts up 'Rio Rancho Run Club'

RIO RANCHO — If you build it, people will run.

This is not a misquote from the movie “Field of Dreams” but instead Michelle Mora’s blueprint behind her “Rio Rancho Run Club.”

“I saw that there was a run club out in Albuquerque, but most of them are so far away from us here in Rio Rancho, and we didn’t have anything like that here in our community,” Mora said. “So I thought, why not? Why not create a club here in Rio Rancho for us runners, and I know that there’s a lot of us out here, so I decided to just go ahead and start a club.”

Run clubs, a social trend turned staple of the fitness community, have taken over city by city since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic up to now. The concept’s focus on getting active has allowed this former athlete to get back to it.

“I started as a competitive swimmer when I was a child, and then as I went into high school, I did cross-country,” Mora said. “As I graduated high school, running and triathlons were ways for me to continue doing the sport. Within the last year, I’ve gotten back into running because I took a break for a little while during COVID. I mean, didn’t everyone stop doing everything during COVID?”

Back into the swing of things, Mora officially started the club in March. They meet every Tuesday at 6 or 7 p.m. at The BLOCK in Enchanted Hills, running a loop in the Mountain View Middle School neighborhood. The club also occasionally has special events on the weekends.

Starting with just two runners and herself back in the spring, the club has now grown to a handful of runners (and walkers) of all ages, skill ranges and backgrounds.

“It is inclusive to everybody, so whether you’re a walker or a runner, it doesn’t matter your age or anything like that, everybody’s welcome,” Mora said. “Sometimes we even have people who bring their children in their strollers or their wagons to join in.”

Inclusion has not only helped the club but has also led to Mora making some friends along the way.

“That’s part of why we meet at The BLOCK, because it does provide a social aspect of it,” Mora said. “And it’s been great because, at least speaking from my perspective, I’ve met friends and running partners that I go running with other than just on run club days.”

For more details on the club, visit Mora’s Instagram page at “rioranchorunclub” for more information.