07/31/2025
Really cool to have a write up about Trails and Ales in . Scroll down for article!
Like postal workers, members of the Trails & Ales Run Club show up no matter the weather.
For two years, the State College-area group has met every Tuesday — in rain, heat, snow, and cold — to run, walk, and enjoy each others’ company.
Molly Love, a chiropractor, and her husband, Cody, a mental health therapist, were inspired to start the group after seeing thriving social running clubs in Portland, Oregon, where they previously lived, and other cities they traveled to for weddings and bachelorette trips.
Once a week, runners and walkers of all ages and abilities gather at Boal City Brewing in Boalsburg to hit the trails (and some pavement) nearby. Runners meet at 6 p.m. for a 5K route (about 3.1 miles), while walkers leave at 7 p.m. to complete 2 miles. When they’re finished, club members linger at the brewery.
The club “allows a lot of people’s worlds to collide in a healthier and a social way,” Love told Talk of the Town.
She’s proud of how the group has grown. Eight people joined the first run in 2023. Recently, about 30 runners showed up.
The inclusion of walkers was informal at first: Love couldn’t run as she reached the end of her second pregnancy last fall, but wanted to stay involved. Walking became a more organized part of the club in June.
It’s important to Love that people feel welcome no matter their skill level. A pole vaulter in high school, Love said she didn’t really consider herself to be an “actual” runner when Trails & Ales started. Running was a newer passion, and she had run the occasional 5K.
Two years in, she’s thankful for the regular exercise and the people she’s met, noting that making friends as an adult can be hard.
“This can be a really good community to have consistent, meaningful conversations and relationships with,” Love said.
—Sarah Rafacz, State College managing editor
