Ballantyne residents looking for a free, no-sign-up way to run with neighbors have a standing invitation every Thursday evening at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.

The Ballantyne Running Club meets weekly at OMB Ballantyne, 15025 Bowl St., from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. through October. Starting Nov. 5, the time shifts to 5:30 p.m. to account for earlier sunsets.

Walkers are welcome alongside runners.

The club is the only Ballantyne-based group among 29 Charlotte-area run clubs, walking groups and hiking crews listed in an Axios Charlotte guide published Aug. 21. That guide, written by Alexis Clinton, maps the city's growing network of recurring group runs, many of them hosted at breweries on weeknight evenings.

No registration or membership is required. The club's Instagram account, @ballantynerunningclub, posts updates.

Charlotte's run club boom

Charlotte's run club scene has exploded. Mad Miles Run Club, one of the city's largest, draws 1,200 to 1,500 runners on good-weather days, according to Axios Charlotte. Founder Cornell Jones told Axios Charlotte in a May 9 profile that the appeal goes beyond fitness.

"Running is really not that fun…but if I can do it with somebody else, and I can share that pain, and I can share the goals, it makes it a whole lot easier," Jones said.

The growth coincides with demographic shifts. Roughly 157 people move to the Charlotte region daily, according to Axios Charlotte's reporting on loneliness data, and a 2024 Cigna study found 57% of Americans report feeling lonely, up from 46% in 2018. Run clubs have become one answer for newcomers trying to build a social circle.

For Ballantyne, the Thursday group offers that entry point close to home. The goBallantyne events calendar lists dates every Thursday through the end of 2026, with the first upcoming date on Thursday, Aug. 27.

The club's fall schedule: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. through Oct. 29, then 5:30 p.m. starting Nov. 5.