Jessica Dison and Ryan Williamson weren’t looking for love when they joined Varsity Sports’ Baton Rouge Run Group.
“I was terrified to show up (to my first run),” Dison says. “I was shaking and so nervous. And I showed up on a Valentine’s Day run, actually.”
Instead, Dison remembers quickly forming a group of friends.
“Somebody’s going to talk to you, and somebody’s going to be there for any questions that you have and take you in with open arms,” she says.
But in 2023, Dison remembers spotting Williamson for the first time on a run around the Hundred Oaks neighborhood. She says he totally caught her eye.
At the time, Williamson was taken. Dison didn’t think anything would come from her crush. But after Williamson found himself single again, he and Dison got to know each other through out-of-breath running conversations and post-workout hangs.
The young runners eventually began dating. And last fall, Williamson ran all 26.2 miles of the Chicago Marathon with an engagement ring in his pocket, proposing to Dison at the finish line—and inadvertently backing up the viral social media trend that claims running groups have become the “new” dating apps.
“I knew I had to incorporate running into the engagement because it’s so important to us,” Williamson says. “It’s how we met. It’s kind of like our lifeblood. … Running is a good motivator and driver. And if you share (that), I feel like you’re automatically closer.”
There’s nothing new about this trend, according to Varsity Sports owner Jenni Peters. Dison and Williamson’s love story is one of many she’s seen blossom since organizing the group around 25 years ago.
“I know there are probably at least a dozen people that have gotten together, and many of them ultimately married (through the run group),” Peters says. “That’s probably an understatement. … And, I don’t think any one of them will tell you that they joined a running group to meet girls or meet boys or get married and have kids.”
Just like Dison and Williamson, husband-and-wife duo Andrew and Katie Brouillette first ran into each other through the local club. Katie joined the group in 2016, while Andrew had been running with Varsity Sports off and on since middle school.
“Hindsight’s 20/20, obviously. … I did not know (the group) would have the lasting impact that it did until I started getting more involved,” Andrew says.
Today, the couple continues to participate in the club’s outings, though they might be running behind a stroller carrying their toddler, Jude.
“You meet people who are like-minded and interested in the same things as you,” Katie says of the run group. “So, yeah, I think it’s a great way to meet people, make friends, and even find a boyfriend or a girlfriend.”
Aside from the love stories, Peters says the group is responsible for starting countless friendships, too. Member Claire Cashio can attest. Since joining the group in 2019, she’s gained a close-knit group of friends who she’s traveled nationally and internationally with to compete in races like the Boston Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Sydney Marathon and others. They keep in touch weekly through texts, lunch dates and, of course, runs.
“I just love the fact that I run with all different types of people that I would not come into contact with in my normal circles,” Cashio says. “I’m running with people with all different backgrounds and ages and genders, and we just talk while we’re running, which I know sounds ridiculous, but we do.”
Dison says joining the group has allowed her to connect with more people than she would have met on her own. Like Cashio, she too has found friends through the group, some of whom will stand as her bridesmaids next winter.
Though most in the group join to meet personal goals or get ready for a race, Peters says almost all have found a sense of community, too. She plans for the club’s meetings to start and end at local businesses to allow members to grab breakfast, dinner or a drink together after the runs.
Members of the run club have also formed multiple sub-groups. Some offer an extra running day, while others focus on other interests like reading, crafting or just socializing.
Many of Varsity Sports’ runners admit that, like Dison, they too felt nervous and intimidated to join for their first group run. But, they all encourage anyone who is interested to show up, saying that someone in the group will scoop them up along the way or chat for the distance.
Finding new friends, or even lovers, might be just as easy as putting one foot in front of the other and taking a leap, or jog, of faith.
Five run groups in the Capital Region
Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 a.m., locations vary. varsityrunning.com
Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m., downtown Baton Rouge. Find it on Facebook
Wednesdays and Saturdays, times and locations vary. Find it on Instagram
Thursdays at 6 p.m., starting at 101 S. Hummell St. in Denham Springs. Find it on Facebook
Sundays at 4:30 p.m., locations vary. Find it on Facebook
This article was originally published in the February 2025 issue of 225 Magazine.
