Tampa run club helping community stay healthy and active

TAMPA, Fla. - The co-founders of Rolling Proud Run Club (RPRC) say everyone is welcome regardless of their running abilities.

The Tampa-based club believes in holistic health and meaningful community engagement. Their first run was in February for Black History Month.

What started with a small group of friends has developed into hundreds looking forward to weekly runs.

"So the club pretty much got started because me and Claudi were both avid runners in the Tampa community. We noticed that were missing a diverse community here in the area," shared Gio Derogene, one of the co-founders. "It was a small group to the point now we’re upwards of 300 to 400 sometimes on Tuesday."

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Runs are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and they usually start somewhere in the downtown Tampa area.

The club embraces beginners and has different pace groups. The goal is to stay healthy and be active together.

"They [runs] are free to the community. We encourage people to come out whenever they can," shared Claudi Fleuzinord, co-founder of RPRC.

Fleuzinord says joining a run means becoming part of the family and growing community the duo has created.

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