06/04/2026
Craig Kent has logged thousands of miles through German Village, but for him, running has never been only about distance.
“It was always my thing that I could step away from my phone, work, laptop, life for a moment,” Craig said. “It’s my time for mental health.”
Craig, who has lived in German Village for nearly 18 years, first knew the neighborhood as a kid visiting family in Columbus. Years later, he and his wife Erin would raise their two sons here, walking the brick streets, stopping into neighborhood businesses, and building a life in a place that felt unusually connected.
That same sense of connection eventually formed the German Village Running Club, also known as the Bricklayers.
The idea started simply. Erin wanted to run more, but it was winter in Columbus. Dark, gloomy, and not always easy to feel safe running alone. So, Craig posted on Nextdoor, created a Google Form, and asked if anyone would be interested in starting a running group.
In December 2021, Craig, Erin, and three other people showed up.
“Who starts a running club in December?” Craig said. “We did.”
Since then, the group has grown from five runners to a community that has welcomed hundreds. The Bricklayers regularly start and end their route at the Sycamore, partly because it is a neighborhood gathering place, and partly because someone is there early with the lights on.
That detail matters to Craig.
“Safety and respect are the two biggest things,” he said.
Craig is also quick to acknowledge that he moves through the world differently than many others.
“I can go out and run and not think twice about it,” he said. “Not everyone has that.”
So, the structure of the club is intentional. The group runs the same route each time, at a pace designed to keep people together. Some join for a mile, some wave from their porch, and new runners are never left to figure it out alone. If someone shows up for the first time, someone runs with them, and if they arrive late, the consistent route makes it easy to find the group.
There’s even a family who lives on the edge of Schiller Park with two young kids who don’t run the full three miles, but instead pick up the group for a loop around the park before heading home.
Over time, that consistency has created something people rely on, not just for running, but for each other. When something comes up, people check in, follow up, and make sure others are taken care of. Craig is often one of the people who steps in, not because he has to, but because that sense of responsibility is built into what he has created.
Craig still loves his solo miles, including ultramarathons and a 10-year running streak averaging nine miles a day, but the running club has changed what running means to him.
“There’s nothing like showing up and having 12 people to run with, or 90 people to run with,” he said. “The biggest win is watching people show up for other people.”
That spirit has expanded beyond running. The Bricklayers have organized food drives, prom dress collections, fundraisers, and support for other community efforts. Craig sees the group as part of something larger, not just in German Village, but across Columbus’ running community.
In a neighborhood known for its brick streets, the Bricklayers are building something of their own, a community where people look out for each other, one 10:30 mile at a time.
