The Brew to Brew Run started at 7 a.m. March 19 at the Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Mo., and ended near city hall in Lawrence, which is less than a block north of Free State Brewery, which sponsored the event with Boulevard.

Debbie Zerrer, who competed with seven other members of the Tonganoxie Striders Running Club at the event, said beer was being served near the starting line before the 43-mile relay run.

“And you’d be surprised at seven in the morning how many people had a beer,” Zerrer said with a laugh. “I couldn’t do it I know that.”

The relay run consisted of 10 legs in a course that followed Kansas Highway 32 at times and went through Linwood, which is on K-32.

With eight runners on the team, Zerrer said two members had to run two legs to the other six members’ single legs.

Debbie, along with husband, Mark, and Rachel Journey, Dave Wahlgren, Justin Smith, Brian Klamm, Bill Mages and Mike Frye competed in the co-ed division.

Out of 232 teams, the Tonganoxie group placed 38th in 5 hours, 31 minutes.

“We were pretty excited,” Debbie Zerrer said about the team’s finish.

Striders members also participated in an Olathe marathon relay two years ago, Zerrer said.

As for the more recent relay, Zerrer said team members gathered at Free State Brewery for food. She said Free State also served its brews, as well as Boulevard beers.

“It was fun,” Zerrer said. “We stayed for a couple hours and hung out there in Lawrence. It was a fun day.”

Next month, several club members will head to Oklahoma City for its annual marathon. Zerrer said some members planned to participate in the full marathon, while others would run half marathons.

The Tonganoxie Striders running club was established more than four years ago, Zerrer said. The group currently has about 15 runners. Runners meet at 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Unlimited Fitness, 1198 Front Street and run about five miles on those nights. Some runners, though, run six times a week, Zerrer said.

Local residents likely see club members running on city streets and sidewalks.

Zerrer said members usually wear reflective armbands or arm vests so that they’re more visible to drivers at night.

“We run against traffic, so we can also see the cars better,” Zerrer said.

Anyone interested in joining the club can show up at the Monday running sessions at the center, or call Zerrer, (913) 845-2900 or (913) 708-2377.