Runners in the Royal Oak-area are lucky. While we don’t have the mountains and trails, we do have the weekly Hanson group run.

What moves this run ahead of the others is it attracts runners of all speeds and it’s year-round on every Thursday. And it’s been this way for about a decade or so. It’s just a dependable way to get a good run in, whether it’s 4, 6, or 8 miles.

The run starts on Thursdays at 6:30pm from their store at 3407 Rochester Road, just north of 13 Mile. There are other Hanson group runs in the Detroit-area as well.

I used to bike to the shop to start my runs. It’s a bit of a pain because I can’t always ride the 2.5 miles in my running gear, so I’d have to change. Still, the ride home offered a nice cool down. Now I’m running from my house to the 2 mile mark to join the group in route. That eliminates the need to drive and gives me an additional 2-2.5 mile run home.

Of course the run is free and the store provides water at the end. You can pay them back by buying all your running shoes at the shop. The Hansons do a whole lot more for running in Metro Detroit than these groups runs, including the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

It always feels good to give them the support in return.