Park near 212 Valley Brook Road in the South Hills and follow the group toward the Montour Peters Trail.

Check the meeting-point details before you come, since restroom access can depend on what is open at that hour.

Do I need to be fast?

No. We have walkers, joggers, comeback runners, and people training for races. If you can move for 30 minutes, you can come.

Yes. Most people come alone the first time. Arrive 10 minutes early and introduce yourself. You will know people before the run is over.

What if I cannot run four miles?

No problem. The route is out and back, so you can turn around whenever you want. Walk, jog, run, or mix all three.

No. Strava is helpful for RSVPs and weekly event details, but you can show up without it.

What is the Group Message for?

The Strava Group Message is the group chat. That is where we post updates, answer questions, and keep the community moving between runs.

What happens if it rains?

We still run in normal rain, cold, and imperfect weather. If conditions are unsafe, like ice or lightning, we update the group chat.

Can I bring a friend?

Yes. Bring someone who needs this.

Can I bring a stroller or dog?

Yes. The trail is flat, wide, and friendly for both.

What is the after like?

We hang in the parking lot after the run with coffee, water, and sometimes fruit. Stay for 10 minutes or stay for an hour. Either way, you are invited.

DO HARD THINGS TOGETHEREMAIL DROPS EVERY FRIDAY

One email a week. No spam, no sharing. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

THE GO-TO SOUTH HILLS PITTSBURGH PARENTS RUN CLUB

A RUN CLUB FOR BUSY,
ATHLETIC PARENTS.

Name: GRYT Run Club
Address: 212 Valley Brook Road, McMurray, PA, US
Price range: Free

GRYT is a free Pittsburgh running group and South Hills run club for former athletes, busy parents, and comeback runners who miss having a team. We meet every Saturday at 7 AM on the Montour / Peters Trail in McMurray. Come walk, jog, or run and do the hard thing together.

Show up. Do the work. Earn your day.

10+

regulars each Saturday

runners on Strava

0–27

From beginner to marathon runners — the founders Laura & Nick combined

RSVP for Saturday →JOIN THE STRAVA

GRYT runner at night — motion, grit, and forward momentum

Montour / Peters TrailSat · 7 AM

Do hard things together●Real people●Real miles●10+ regulars●All paces welcome●Do hard things together●Free forever●Coffee after●No one gets dropped●

Built by Laura & Nick Merich

Save your spot

RSVP for this Saturday.

Tell us you're coming and we'll send one nudge Friday and a wave Saturday morning. That's it. No spam, no funnel — just a standing invite to the trailhead.

WHENGRYT Run #17 · Sat, Aug 15 · 7:00 AM

WHERE212 Valley Brook Road, McMurray · trail parking · Get directions

FIRST?Most people come alone. Show up 10 min early.

↓ Add to calendar (.ics)Google Calendar →

I'm in this week

This week's run

✓Saturday · GRYT Run7:00 AM

First name

Email or phone

How'd you find us?

Free, always. One reminder Friday, one Saturday. Unsubscribe anytime.

We'll only use this to send run reminders and GRYT updates. No spam.

The plan is simple

Saturday is already planned.

You do not need a training plan, a perfect week, or a fast pace. You just need shoes and the decision to show up.

I'm coming this Saturday

WhenSaturday · 7:00 AM

Where212 Valley Brook Road · McMurray, PA · Get directions

RouteMontour / Peters Trail · Peters Township & Upper St. Clair

DistanceAbout 4 miles · out and back

PaceWalk, jog, run · all welcome

CostFree, always

AfterCoffee, water, sometimes fruit in the lot

The data behind the feeling

Loneliness is not a you problem. It is what adult life looks like when everything gets fragmented.

Work. Kids. Screens. Commutes. Group chats that are not real community. Most adults are not failing at connection — they are living in a system that makes real connection harder to keep. That is why IRL clubs like GRYT matter.

1 IN 5

Feel lonely or isolated most or all of the time.

This is not rare, and it is not just a bad week. A meaningful share of Americans say loneliness is part of normal life now.

Source · Pew Research Center, 2025

UNDER 50 GETS HIT HARDER

Adults in the busy years feel it most.

Pew found 22% of adults under 50 feel lonely or isolated all or most of the time, versus 9% of adults 50 and older. That is the exact life stage where routines break and community gets thin.

Source · Pew Research Center, 2025

73%

Say technology contributes to loneliness.

We are more connected digitally and less connected in real life. More notifications did not give people a crew, a ritual, or someone to notice when they stopped showing up.

Source · Harvard Making Caring Common, 2024

75%

Say more community events would help.

People are not asking for more content. They are asking for more places to go, more reasons to gather, and more ways to see the same people every week.

Source · Harvard Making Caring Common, 2024

CONNECTION IS HEALTH

Social connection is not extra. It is foundational.

CDC says social connection supports mental and physical health, and the Surgeon General warns that loneliness and isolation raise the risk of serious health harms. A run club is not just fitness. It is protective structure.

Source · CDC + U.S. Surgeon General

You do not need another app.
You need a place to be expected.

Same trail. Same time. Same people. That is how strangers become regulars.

One run · one crew · one cadence

Do hard things. Together.
Every Saturday.

One crew. One rhythm. Same standing appointment, every week. Same people. Same promise. Show up once and you're halfway. Show up every week and you're in.

Saturday · GRYT Run

TIME TO
LOCK IN!

7 AM sharp. One hour. The big effort. The crew. Home before the day gets away from you.

Meetup pin

Montour / Peters TrailheadSat · 7 AM

Get directions

When: Saturdays · 7:00 AM
Meet: 212 Valley Brook Rd, McMurray
Distance: ~4 miles out & back
Pace: All paces · all parents welcome
Hosts: Nick & Laura Merich
After: Coffee in the lot

RSVP Saturday Add to Calendar Strava event →

Who it's for

If this sounds like you, you belong here.

01 — The comeback

You're a former athlete.

You miss being around people who get it — the quiet competitiveness, the jokes before the work, and the feeling that nobody needs a speech because everyone already knows why they came. GRYT brings that back without making it complicated.

02 — The early hour

You're a parent.

You need something that is yours, early enough that the rest of the day still works. Saturday at 7 AM gives you the workout, the headspace, and the reset before most people are fully awake.

03 — The rhythm

You're getting consistent again.

Maybe you used to run. Maybe you are starting over. Maybe you just need a reason not to bail when the alarm goes off. One Saturday is a run; twelve Saturdays is a rhythm.

04 — The crew

You want a real crew.

Not another group chat you ignore. Not a networking event disguised as fitness. Just real people who learn your name, notice when you miss, and make the miles go faster.

Wilton Gorske/Aaron Maize/Michael DiVella/Dave Friedman/Maria Friedman/Ian Baun/Nick Merich/Matt Pardon/Kyle Bloser/Jeana DeNardo/Zac Kuch/Pete Ross/Matthew Bianco/Nathan James/Matt Messerley/Laura Merich/Jay Wysocki/Eli Wysocki/Caleb Wysocki/

First time?

Your first Saturday is simple.

No insider rules. No awkward guessing. Here is exactly what happens.

Park at the trailhead.

Pull into 212 Valley Brook Road in McMurray, Peters Township. Parking is free and easy. Look for the group near the trail sign. If you are new, come 10 minutes early. Someone will say hey.

We circle up at 7.

Quick names, quick route, quick check for new people. Nothing formal. Just enough so you know who you are running with. Then we move.

You find your pace.

Walkers, joggers, and runners naturally split into small groups. You can push, cruise, or take it easy. Nobody gets dropped. Nobody cares what your watch says.

We finish together.

The route is an out-and-back, so everyone ends up back at the same place. Stay for coffee if you can. That is where strangers become regulars.

Sign the waiver before you come.

One signature covers every gryt run activity through Dec 31, 2026. Takes about a minute. Do it from your couch so Saturday morning is just showing up.

Sign the 2026 waiver →

Meeting Point

212 Valley Brook Rd · McMurray

Look for the group near the trail sign on the Montour / Peters Trail.Get directions →

First time? Come 10 minutes early. Nick, Laura, or one of the regulars will introduce you to someone before we start.

I'm coming this Saturday

One signature covers you through Dec 31, 2026. Takes about a minute.

The run

THE ROUTE IS EASY. WAKING UP AND SHOWING UP IS THE HARD PART.

We run the Montour / Peters Trail because it is flat, wide, simple, and friendly for every pace. The usual route is about four miles out and back — but you can turn around whenever you need.

You can bring a friend, a stroller, a dog, or just yourself. Most people come alone the first time.

Flat, simple, out and backWalkers, joggers, runners

The people behind it

Started by Laura & Nick Merich.

GRYT started because we needed it too. Between work, family, training, and everything that fills a week, we wanted one non-negotiable place to keep showing up.

Not a race team. Not a social club with running attached. A real Saturday morning ritual for people who still want to do hard things together.

Laura and Nick have finished 27 marathons combined, but GRYT is not about medals. It is about consistency, community, and becoming the kind of person who keeps promises to themselves.

Where they've shown up

Laura

LULULEMON RUN CLUB AMBASSADOR
NUUN ATHLETE

Nick

FREAK ATHLETE
DAD DAY RUN CLUB LEADER

Laura & Nick gryt club bear

marathons — Nick & Laura, combined

2014

running together since

9–15

regulars each Saturday

total Strava members

From the community

Gryt RC is a game changer. I never really considered myself a serious runner, but I’ve found a new enjoyment in it through the run club. Doing hard things together makes everyone better, and it’s something I’d recommend to anyone.

Aaron MaizeSr Manager, Retail Sciences & Optimization, DICK’S Sporting Goods

The community

This is not about one run.

The run is the entry point. The community is the reason people come back.

We use Strava for weekly events and the Strava Group Message for the group chat. You do not need the app to show up the first time. But once you come once, you will probably want to join in.

The GRYT crew at the trailhead before a Saturday run

This is the crew.Saturday · 7 AM · McMurray

Photos

Cooling down on the trail after a Saturday run

The crew running over the bridge on the Montour Trail

Three runners heading down the trail at sunrise

Big crew huddled up after a Saturday run

Crew posted up at the trailhead before the Saturday run

Runners rolling out on the Montour Trail at first light

Strava

See the run, RSVP, and track the activity. Strava is where the weekly event lives.

Next upGRYT Run #17 · Sat, Aug 15 · 7 AM

View this week's run →

Group Message

The Strava Group Message is where people coordinate, ask questions, share photos, and stay connected between Saturdays.

Join the group chat →

Live from the club · Strava

RSVP for this Saturday →Join the Strava club View this week's Strava event

What we believe

Growth is the goal.

We show up no matter what.

Progress > perfection.

Hard is the point.

Earn daily.

Questions before
you show up

Ask in the chat →

Park near 212 Valley Brook Road and follow the group toward the Montour Peters Trail.

STOP WAITING TO FEEL READY. START NOW.

You do not need to get in better shape first.
You do not need to know someone.
You do not need the perfect Saturday.
You just need to show up.

Saturday. 7 AM. McMurray.

RSVP for Saturday →Join the Strava club

We'll be by the trailhead.

Support GRYT · Suggested donation

Keep Saturday free.
Chip in what feels right.

GRYT is free and always will be. Donations cover coffee, trail cleanup, first-timer gear, and the small stuff that keeps the crew showing up. One-time only. No membership, no strings.

Email (optional — for receipt)

Secure checkout · Powered by Stripe · One-time only

All payments in the preview are in test mode. Read more

A RUN CLUB FOR BUSY,ATHLETIC PARENTS.