How ‘Baby Steps’ Got More People Hitting the Streets in Hawaii

Find what you love, stick with it, and take one small step at a time.

This is a story about a girl who was looking for a way to share her passion. She wished to see more people hitting the streets and enjoy the pleasure of listening to fast heart beatings as much as she did. This is a story of struggle and success.

My sister likes running — a lot. So much that she had put some good miles under the sole of her sneakers in different parts around the globe. But it was not enough. She wanted to spread the joy of ‘active legs’ to as many people as possible. She started taking baby steps.

After a friend connected her to a local entrepreneur selling juices, she created ‘Run Clubs’ whose sessions started and ended at the branches of these juice stores. The beginning was not easy as she lacked business experience and people close to her could not fully capture her vision.

She struggled mighty but was determined to not give up. Only few people showed up for the first and free running sessions. She was the first coach and shared with residents and tourists a bit of her long experience running all types of short and long races.

The small ‘management’ steps she took was vital to the success of this enterprise. This allowed her to make mistakes and correct them as soon as they occurred. She also learned that running was much more than training for races, staying fit, or an opportunity to take and share pictures online. Running, in its most essential form, was much larger and deeper than all that. It is a social gathering event. A rudimentary collective effort that allows people to connect and share an honest laugh with no strings attached. Runners could come and go as they wish. There was no pressure whatsoever to train, pay or fake. She just wanted people to safely enjoy themselves in this ultimate outdoor playground called Hawaii.

The baby steps then grew. The largest running organization in the fiftieth state approached the ‘Run Clubs’ seeking a partnership. More people showed up. The number of clubs increased. She was invited to talk about the values behind the ‘Run Clubs’. The small local juice store was acquired by a large international conglomerate, which envisions a long partnership with her strategy of sharing the Aloha spirit.

The girl who once had a big dream now works with the coolest coaches leading each of the ‘Run Clubs’ on Oahu. Organizations want a piece of her story and she quietly enjoys witnessing her passion is touching so many lives. But she is still who she has always been. And this could not be any different. As mother of two, including one just few months old, her only way forward is to keep on taking baby steps. And this is the path that will ensure that her passion for running, laughing and connecting is never lost among those joining the weekly and free-spirited ‘Run Clubs’.