Organizers say concerns from city leaders about crowd size forced a last-minute change for the kickoff of their 16-week challenge starting on Memorial Day.
LAWRENCE, Indiana — After last-minute concerns from city leaders moved a popular fitness event in Lawrence away from its home last weekend, the city is allowing it to return.
For the past seven years, local nonprofit Triple Blessed Inc. has hosted its fitness event, The Hill 317, at Lawrence Community Park.Â
It’s a 16-week challenge which started on Memorial Day, but Triple Blessed Inc.’s executive director, Brandon Beasley, said it’s much more than just a workout challenge.
“What started as a workout has turned into something much deeper… a movement, a lifestyle, and a culture shift for our city,” Beasley posted on social media.
What began with just five people running the hill in Lawrence has grown into a weekly event, drawing nearly hundreds of participants focused on fitness, health and community.
“Momentum has been crazy. The support from the city has been crazy, and it’s just grown. I love it. I’m proud of it. Beautiful thing,” Beasley said.
Beasley said organizers got a last-minute call from the city raising safety concerns about the size of the crowd at Lawrence Community Park, prompting them to relocate the event Memorial Day weekend.
“I wasn’t sure if it was true at first or how to go about it, but you know, we moved accordingly, knowing and found this hill to come to, and it all worked out,” Beasley said.
The Memorial Day workout instead took place at Paul Ruster Park on East Prospect Street, where hundreds still showed up, despite the change in location.
“In the wake of what happened Monday and the situation and location change and everything and still to see as many people come out here as it did, it was a feeling I can’t really explain, so I was happy that everybody still showed up and everybody still had a good time,” Beasley said.
RELATED: The Hill 317 fitness group finds new home for program
Now, the workout challenge is returning home to after Beasley announced a partnership between Triple Blessed Inc. and the City of Lawrence.Â
“This partnership allows us to continue bringing the community FREE workouts twice a week while making sure everything is done the right way so this movement can continue to grow safely and properly for everybody involved,” Beasley said in his post.
In a statement to 13News, Lawrence Mayor Deb Whitfield said:
“We are thrilled to see so many people utilizing our parks as places to gather, connect, and build community. Creating welcoming public spaces for residents and visitors has always been part of my vision for our parks system. Hill 317 has called Lawrence home since 2019 and has continued to grow each year. This year, participation and community interest expanded exponentially, which is exciting and speaks to the positive energy surrounding the event and our city. We welcome the event and are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with organizers to build even more excitement and create an even stronger experience for attendees for many years to come.
We encourage individuals and organizations to host events and activities in our parks, while ensuring organizers have the proper permits. The permitting process allows the City to provide valuable resources and support, including public safety personnel, traffic control, and Department of Public Works services, helping to ensure events are safe and successful for everyone involved.
We invite anyone planning an event or activity with more than 100 attendees to visit the City's website to learn more about the permitting process and to have their event added to our community calendar.”
The Hill 317 club meets on Mondays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.
For more information about how you can get involved, email info@thehill317.com or visit their Facebook page.
