‘A true testament to him’: Fishtown Beer Runners celebrate late founder with memorial run
On Saturday at Philadelphia Brewing Co., more than 200 people paid tribute to David April, who founded the group more than 15 years ago.
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The Fishtown Beer Runners lined up at the corner of Frankford Avenue and Hagert Street for a run around the neighborhood on April 27, 2024. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)
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The Fishtown Beer Runners paid tribute Saturday to the group’s founder, David April, who passed last year from cancer.
April created the group more than 15 years ago after being inspired by a study on the rehydration benefits of beer after exercise. Since then, hundreds of people have become members, something April said he never thought possible.
More than 200 people gathered Saturday to celebrate his legacy, and of course, run around the Fishtown neighborhood, which April called home for years.
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More than 200 people gathered at Philadelphia Brewing Co. to celebrate David April’s legacy on April 27, 2024. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) -
More than 200 people gathered at Philadelphia Brewing Co. to celebrate David April’s legacy on April 27, 2024. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) -
The Fishtown Beer Runners were selling limited edition merch Saturday to raise funds for the David April Emergency Patient Support Center. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) -
Photos of David April with his beloved Beer Runners and family members were on display during the celebration of his life. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) -
The Fishtown Beer Runners were selling limited edition merch Saturday to raise funds for the David April Emergency Patient Support Center. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) -
David April's legacy lives on with the Fishtown Beer Runners, as well with a bench placed at Palmer Park in Fishtown. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)
Carolyn Redmond helped coordinate the event and was overjoyed by the turnout.
“I’ve been seeing faces that I haven’t seen in years, people that flew here that I didn’t know were coming,” Redmond said. “It’s really overwhelming. It’s a true testament to him.”
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Listen 1:08Josh McNamara met his wife through the group. The couple, along with their baby boy, were among the crowd gathered at Philadelphia Brewing Co. to honor the late founder.
“David April was about just bringing people together,” McNamara said. “Initially with running and beer and from that, finding deeper friendships and tighter friendships and meeting new people and running new places, and trying beer, as well.”
Longtime Beer Runner Johanna Heskamp-Goode said April rarely found people he didn’t want to talk to.
“When I look around a crowded room, I just see a crowd,” Heskamp-Goode said. “When David looked around a crowded room, he genuinely saw friends and future friends.”
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ListenThe group is looking to raise $250,000 for the David April Emergency Patient Support Center with Legacy of Hope. CEO Mike Rowe said during his battle with cancer, April would go out of his way to help other patients, even hours after his treatments.
“David’s legacy will reverberate and live on for generations, and through the support center we can honor his legacy in perpetuity,” Rowe said. “David, I love you, and we’ll never forget you.”
The group meets each Thursday in the Fishtown neighborhood. It’s free for anyone to join.
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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