By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
A San Benito native, physical therapist, and running enthusiast is expanding his running club to the place where he was raised — all in the name of healthy living.
Dr. Samuel Lopez, PT, DPT, M.S., said the mission of this club, Stride with the Tribe Run Club, established in 2024, is to build a strong community through running.
“It’s my life’s mission to get the community healthier and stronger while building strong, meaningful relationships,” said Dr. Lopez, who is also a U.S. Army Reserve medical officer and captain.
“Anyone is welcome to join our community runs, especially people from San Benito, since it’s the city where I lived for 18 years.”
As a child, Lopez attended La Paloma Elementary School, then Riverside Middle School as a teenager, and finally San Benito High School (Class of 2013).
“My love for running began in middle school. I would run to my grandma’s house on the weekend,” Lopez shared. “San Benito had a profound impact on my development, starting with the values I was born with, such as hard work, humility, and a strong desire to serve the community.”
Visits to the Stride with the Tribe Run Club’s Instagram page reinforce runners’ unity and strength.
“I have a strong desire to help the place that raised me grow and connect with a healthier version of itself,” Dr. Lopez said.
The videos that are published on Instagram are accompanied by upbeat songs, some of which include inspirational messages, as the male and female runners dash around.
The runners, or even those who jog slowly, appear spirited, huddling together, with one hand in the middle, as they let out a cheer to pep themselves up.
“Let’s get down, let’s get down to business,” is what one singer vocalizes in the club’s Instagram video.
There are no age, body shape, or size limits to join, and there isn’t a fee to join the group either, which has been in existence for two years.
“At present, all runs are held at Event Center Brownsville, but I would expand to San Benito,” Lopez said. “All sizes are welcome; in fact, I prefer it, because it means I am reaching all members of the community.”
He was asked how the club’s name came to be.
“It was in the late summer and evening that a group of 19 joined by Orange Theory Brownsville, and my Stride with The Tribe Run Club participated in a run at Event Center Brownsville,” Lopez said. “Since that day, the mission has been to build a strong sense of community through running.”
Club members typically run two to four miles, and the schedule includes an icebreaker, stretching, and running. Afterward, they cool down, take team and/or individual photos, and participate in a social activity.
There are usually about 12 people who participate in this activity, with this orthopedic physical therapist leading the way next to the edifice, which is surrounded by semitropical greenery.
Those who want to join what Dr. Lopez calls “the coolest tribe in town” can meet club members every Wednesday at 6 p.m.