Tampa running club fosters friendships with post-run beers at Irish 31

TAMPA, Fla. - A Bay Area running club forges friendships as athletes pound the pavement. 

It's not just about bar food and booze at one local bar. It's also about exercise.

People get together for more than fun and good times at Irish 31 bar in Tampa, but they also gather to run. 

"There are a lot of runners in Tampa," said Susan Cano, lead liaison for the Irish 31 Run Club. "We like to run. We enjoy running. I myself been running since third grade." It's not a competition but a fun run. 

Some say it's 3.1 miles of joy. 

Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. approximately 150 runners meet up for the "Irish 3.1 Run Club." 

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"It's definitely a great social thing to do every week," said Naoni Tarrasquillo. "Yeah, to run and then have a beer and be social with everyone is a lot of fun."

Two friends started the run club back in 2012. Now, it has more than 1,000 runners throughout the city. 

"I think it's a good thing we have people from all walks of life. We have people of all ages. They feel that there is a community here," Cano said.

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Maria Lackner and her husband recently ran their last run with the group. The couple has been participating for the last two-and-a-half years, but they are returning to their homeland of Sweden. 

"This is a fantastic group," said Maria. "They made it really easy to get into this community. We've been on trips with them to run races. So yeah, it's been fantastic." 

Lackner says she will miss the group, but will always treasure the memories of her running friends. 

"It was hot and sweaty, but it was fun to get one last run in." I enjoyed that," Lackner said. 

The 5k run is free throughout the year and it contributes to local non-profit organizations.