Group Joins Prospect Park Run

By COLlive reporter

A Crown Heights running group which began for women, and has lately expanded to include girls, has been helping local women make healthy lifestyle changes.

WRun, founded by Rivky Zalmanov, a Crown Heights resident, trains women in running for exercise.

Zalmanov, who has been running for years and has participated in the NYC Marathon, started the group to teach some friends about running, and it has grown from there.

She now trains over 100 women who run three times a week, as well as a group for girls ages 9-12, which helps the girls develop healthy fitness habits and increased self-esteem.

The group is not only about running, Zalmanov says, “it is about a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy eating and becoming more active.”

Many of the women had never done any exercise before joining her group, Zalmanov explains.

“Many of them have kids, and busy households to run, and they never had time for themselves before,” she says.

While one of the runners has shed 40 pounds since joining, the bi-weekly workouts are not just about losing weight, says Zalmanov.

“Running lifts the mood and eliminates stress, and many of the women have said this has changed their life – they are happier, more energetic, and feel that they are better wives and mothers as a result,” she says. “For so many, running is literally life-changing.”

WRun recently held their annual race, including a 5K and 10K race, in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

Their families stood by to cheer on their wives, mothers, daughters and friends, and got a sense of the great accomplishment they are achieving, which Zalmanov said is important as well.

WRun is open for all women, with beginners (no prior experience necessary) and advanced groups. For more information or to join, email Rivky Zalmanov at [email protected]

Event organizers thanked the sponsors, Calabria Pizza, The Streetlite Co, Crown Drugs and Brooklyn Running Co.