Community
BY DACIA GARCIA
The Austin-area group meets every Monday morning at 7 a.m. at Noble Joe Co ee Co. in South Austin.
The running club averages 100 attendees at its Austin group.
PHOTOS COURTESY GOOD GRIEF
Austin’s Good Grief running club o ers community
The group as founded by Austin local Samantha Hendel, who hosted the rst meetup in May 2024.
rst meetup in May 2024. About 20 people showed up. “I remember I got in my car that day and cried because I was so moved by everyone showing up and supporting me and also hearing the other stories from people,” Hendel said. The local impact Today, the group averages 100 people every Monday morning at Noble Joe Co ee Co. in South Austin. Individuals interested in joining a run can nd 8-minute to 11-minute pace groups with a two and a half-mile route and a four-mile route. While the space can be used as a form of coping, Hendel said she encourages members to nd other outlets of therapy as well.
Austin-based running club Good Grief has shaped an experience for community members to nd solace in staying active while working through their grief with people going through similar situations. The inspiration The club was founded by Samantha Hendel, who received news in 2022 of her mother’s lung cancer diagnosis. While trying to make sense of the news, a week later Hendel was noti ed her father had received a colon cancer diagnosis. To cope, Hendel started running in addition to going to therapy. Hendel recognized the gap in running clubs for runners who use the activity for mental health or to cope with grief, and hosted her
COLORADO RIVER
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Every Monday, 7 a.m. Noble Joe Co ee Co., South Shore Eatery, 1620 E. Riverside Drive, Austin www.goodgriefrunning.com
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