Every Wednesday at 5:45 PM, we gather on the Bobbie Peels parklet (Queensberry St) for a casual 4 or 5km (roughly) run through the beautiful North Melbourne streets to Royal Park. Afterward, we cool down with a well-earned beer, cider, or wine from our partners at Kaiju! Beer and Ricca Terra Wines, Riverland SA. Best of all, it’s completely free to join, including the drink afterwards! Runners also receive 10% off their post run dinner; after all, running a 5k does work up an appetite.
The recent surge in running culture, highlighted by the sold-out Melbourne Marathon and achievements by local athletes like Andy Buchanan and Jessica Hull, inspired us to get involved. Our group is open to everyone, whether you're just starting your fitness journey or you're a seasoned marathoner.
Phil Gjisbers, co-owner of Bobbie Peels, is an accomplished marathon runner (2h43m PB) and ultra-marathoner (5th place in the Grampians Peaks Trail 50km race, November 2024). He’s passionate about encouraging others to take part in this sport (obsession) and aims to keep these runs held in a friendly, stress-free environment and welcome those who are only just starting out their journey as well as those experienced marathon runners. One of the aims of the group is to welcome absolutely everyone on their personal fitness journeys. “We have people who walk a bit, jog a bit, have a chat, push a pram, run with a dog. A bit of everything.”
Bobbie Peels recently has progressively grown to be a home for some niche sporting events (it’s not the traditional sports pub); from last year’s Tour de France watch parties (which will be held again this year), where every stage of the 3-week event was matched with a wine from the region and dishes like coq au vin and French onion soup, to hosting a massive crowd to watch the Paris Olympic marathons.
We’ve seen great success with this event, which is aimed at growing community spirit, making new friends, and showing that fitness and having a social drink midweek is a great way to improve one’s week.