Austin-based running club Good Grief has shaped an experience for community members to find solace in staying active while working through their grief with people going through similar situations.
The inspiration
The club was founded by Samantha Hendel, who received news in 2022 of her mother’s lung cancer diagnosis. While trying to make sense of the news, a week later Hendel was notified her father had received a colon cancer diagnosis.
To cope, Handel started running in addition to going to therapy. She said while run clubs were popular in the city, she wasn’t finding an exact space like the one she was looking for.
“But I was meeting so many amazing people who I learned started running for similar reasons to me,” Handel said. “Whether that was the loss of a loved one and coping with grief, or going through a breakup and training for a race or just being new to the city and trying to make new friends, I found that a lot of people had similar backgrounds to me and were looking for the same thing.”
Handel recognized the gap in running clubs for runners who use the activity for mental health or to cope with grief, and hosted her first meetup in May 2024. About 20 people showed up.
“I got up on a table and I shared why I was starting yet another run club in Austin, but this was really really special to me,” Handel said. “I just shared my mission and my goal for starting Good Grief. I just remember I got in my car that day and cried because I was so moved by everyone showing up and supporting me and also hearing the other stories from people.”
Today, the group averages 100 people every Monday morning at Noble Joe’s Coffee Co. in South Austin. Individuals interested in joining a run can find eight to 11-minute pace groups with a two and a half-mile route and a four-mile route.
While the space can be used as a form of coping, Handel said she encourages members to find other outlets of therapy as well. She said after her mother’s passing, she found comfort in the running club in a way she wasn’t able to in other facets of her life.
“Because I was in my early 20s, I didn't really have any friends that understood what I was going through,” Handel said. “While my friends were lovely and supportive, it wasn't the same as talking to someone who really gets it. Good Grief gave me a community of people that just understood me on a deeper level and helped me cope with grief in a different way.”
The meetup has expanded beyond state lines and hosts a weekly group in Washington, D.C. The expansion opportunity came up through the running group’s partnership with Asics, who sponsors race bibs for races across the country.
Asics sponsored a handful of bibs for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in Washington, D.C. and the group decided to launch a chapter in June 2025.
While Handel doesn’t have any current plans to expand to additional cities, she said she hopes to deepen the connection in the two cities the group takes place in.
“I would love in 2026 to host larger community events outside of the Monday runs,” Handel said. “Whether that's certain charity races, fundraisers, dinners where people can kind of sit down and talk about grief, or panels.”
- Every Monday, 7 a.m.
- Noble Joe Coffee Co., South Shore Eatery, 1620 E. Riverside Drive, Austin
- www.goodgriefrunning.com
