gryt

WE RAN TAKOMAwith love

Join Us December 2026 for Run #2

GET ON THE RUN #02 LIST

Featured In

The Recap

WE RAN TAKOMAwith love

248

signed up

98

finished

5K

one loop

1

neighborhood

DO HARD THINGS TOGETHER

Run #02 · Early December 2026

Run Takoma again in December

248 people signed up for the first one and 98 finished. Run #02 is free, and the 100 bibs go to this list first. Pick your weekend and we'll send the date and route as soon as they're locked.

Get first dibs on a bib

Free. Every pace welcome, walkers too. Takes 30 seconds.11am EST Start Time.

Which weekend works for you?

We'll pick the date most people can make.

How do you run?

Just helps us plan. Nobody gets left behind.

No spam. Just the date, the route and your bib link.

NEXT UP · PHILADELPHIA

Shake & Ship

A music x endurance hackathon on Philadelphia Marathon weekend. A 30-minute shakeout run at 10:00 AM Friday, Nov 20, then an open build session. Ship by 11:59 PM Saturday. Free. No coding required.

Venue in final selection.

See the event

Run #02 · Draft course

SIX LAPS. ONE PARK.where we first met.

Every step stays inside Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park. No streets, no road crossings. One 819 m lap, run 6 times, plus a 86 m stretch to the finish line for a full 5K.

Draft course. Final route depends on approval from Montgomery Parks.

12345678910NSTART · FINISH
Clockwise. Dashed line is the park boundary. Numbers match the directions.
total
5K
laps
6
total climb
420 ft

Elevation · one lap

260 ft205 ft0 m819 m

Downhill first, then climb back to the start. About 70 ft up per lap.

TURN BY TURN · EACH LAP

  1. S

    Start · 0 m

    Northwest corner of the park. Head northeast along the upper edge.

  2. 1

    Bear right · 86 m

    Swing southeast and start the long descent.

  3. 2

    Straight · 200 m

    Keep downhill along the east side.

  4. 3

    Slight right · 253 m

    Ease right, still dropping.

  5. 4

    Turn right · 337 m

    Head southwest along the bottom, still dropping.

  6. 5

    Slight right · 402 m

    Low point of the lap. Begin climbing west.

  7. 6

    Straight · 480 m

    Short push up the south edge.

  8. 7

    Turn right · 517 m

    Head northwest, climbing.

  9. 8

    Turn right · 568 m

    North up the west side, the longest climb.

  10. 9

    Bear right · 652 m

    Crest the climb and swing northeast.

  11. 10

    Bear left · 693 m

    Run back to the start to finish the lap.

  12. F

    Finish

    After lap 6, run 86 m past the start to the finish line.

In partnership with

Glacéau smartwater

Hydration partner

Montgomery Parks, M-NCPPC

Parks partner

Run #02 · Dec 2026

YOUR BRAND HERE?

Fuel the community at the start line for Run #02.

PARTNER WITH US FOR RUN #02

COMMUNITY.   MOVEMENT.   TAKOMA.

The story

How we got here

A love letter to a neighborhood — and the run that turned it into a Sunday morning ritual.

  1. Chapter 01

    A love letter dropped.

    April 30, 2026 — Oddisee and Heno. release From Takoma With Love. Twelve tracks about the block that raised them both. Not nostalgia — gratitude. Two artists, a generation apart, writing home to the same neighborhood.

  2. Chapter 02

    Five years. Then a collision.

    Four hundred miles away in Pittsburgh, one of the first listeners wasn't a stranger. Nick and Heno. had spent five years building together — music ventures, tech partnerships, late-night ideas that became real things. The last two years, Nick's project was different: doing hard things and getting his health back.

  3. Chapter 03

    We run it back.

    August 2, 2026 — Run Takoma With Love. One loop through the neighborhood the album is written to. Free, 100 runners, small on purpose. Not a concert. Not a promo. A community moving through its own streets — the most physical way to say thank you.

READ THE FULL STORY

The album · the friendship · the route

About GRYT

What is a GRYT run?

GRYT makes artist-led 5Ks. An artist makes an album about a real place. We map a route through that neighborhood, and fans and neighbors run it together, with the artist there. Then everybody hangs out.

The first one was Run Takoma With Love, inspired by "From Takoma With Love" by Heno. and Oddisee. On August 2, 2026, 248 people signed up and 98 finished in Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park in Takoma Park, Maryland, followed by a picnic under the shelter.

It is small on purpose. Free for runners, built with local partners. Every pace welcome, walkers too.

Questions people ask

What is a GRYT run?
A GRYT run is an artist-led 5K. We take an album about a real place, map a route through that neighborhood, and invite fans and neighbors to run or walk it together, then hang out after. It is not a race with splits and podiums. It is a hang with a 5K in the middle.
Who is behind GRYT?
GRYT Club was founded by Nick Merich. It started as his own project of early mornings, long miles and doing hard things, and grew into a run club community in Pittsburgh. Nick and Heno. had worked together for five years, so when "From Takoma With Love" came out, a 5K in Takoma was the natural next step.
What happens on the day?
At Run #01, check-in opened at 8:30 at the covered picnic shelter, there was a welcome, then everyone walked or ran the 5K with marshals at every turn. After that came water, snacks and a picnic, with the park left clean by 2:00. Nothing amplified, no stage.
Do I have to be a runner?
No. Every pace is welcome, walkers too. At Run Takoma With Love the finish stayed open until the last person was home, and strollers and leashed dogs joined at a walking pace from the back.
How much does it cost?
GRYT runs are free for runners and built with local partners. Run #01 was supported by smartwater as hydration partner and Montgomery Parks (M-NCPPC) as parks partner.
When is the next run?
Run #02 is planned for early December 2026 in Takoma Park, Maryland. The date and route are still being confirmed with the park. Join the free list and we will email you when it is locked.
How is GRYT different from parkrun or November Project?
parkrun is a free timed 5K every Saturday, and November Project is free early-morning weekday workouts. GRYT runs are occasional special events, each run built around one album and one neighborhood, with the artists there and a picnic after. Our compare pages go into detail.
Can I bring a GRYT run to my city?
Yes, if you are an artist with music about a place. Pitch your idea on the artists page and we will review it and follow up. Brands and local businesses can partner through the partners page.
Past runs

Past runs

08.02.26 · Takoma Park, MD

Run Takoma With Love

98 finishers

Next up

Your city next?

Bring a run to your neighborhood.

Find your door

Find your door

For runners

Join the list

Free. Every pace welcome.

For brands

Partner with us

Meet the community face to face.

For artists

Host a run

Your album. Your neighborhood.

Run #02 · Early December 2026

Do hard things together

01 · The opportunity

100 bibs. One neighborhood.

Run #02 is coming to Takoma Park this December. Free for runners, built with local partners. Grab a spot on the list or bring your brand to the start line.

02 · The value

248 signed up. 98 finished.

Run #01 filled fast with every pace and every experience level, walkers included. Partners met a real community face to face, at the shelter and on the field, long after the finish.

03 · The story

A hang with a 5K in the middle.

Not a race with splits and podiums. We're here to love Takoma and each other; the run is just the excuse. Food, games, music, and we leave the park better than we found it.

Join the Run #02 listRead the full story
RUN #02 LIST · FREE

Runners and brands, 30 seconds