OCALA, FL (352Today.com) – It was March of 2024, and Sean Price was lonely and bored after retiring from professional football. One day he decided he needed something beyond the weight room, so he went for a run and realized it would be better with company.
“One day, I went for a run, and I figured while I was on that run, this would be much more enjoyable if I had some, you know, healthy guys who are like-minded to run with me. So, I decided to post my run on Instagram, post a poll, and see if any guys would be interested,” Price said.
Julius Bryant was the first to respond to that poll. The two began meeting spontaneously at places like Jervey Gant, the Zone parking lot, and Baseline Trailhead.
From those early runs, Movement Inspires Many (MIM Ocala Run Club) grew into a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5 a.m. gathering that regularly draws 150 to more than 200 people who run, walk, or simply show up on the pavement of the Ocala Square.
Price, a North Marion High School graduate, played tight end at the University of South Florida from 2012 to 2015. He had brief stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers and played for the Orlando Apollos. While working for the Ocala Police Department (OPD), he took a leave of absence supported by then-Training Chief Mike Balken to play a full season with the Las Vegas Vipers in 2023 before ending his football career. He remains an OPD officer.
Bryant’s path was different. His mother served in the military; the family moved every few years until landing in Ocala in 2003. He graduated from North Marion High School, is a husband and father, and spent his adult life in sales and management. At Church of Hope, he currently handles hospitality, social media, and a men’s ministry. He is a follower of Christ and, in 2025, began a newsletter called the Better Letter that has grown into a media and performance company focused on helping people become better physically, mentally, and spiritually. “MIM is the movement. Better is the mission,” he said.
The club is faith-based. “We wouldn’t call it spiritual,” Bryant said. “We say that it’s faith-based, and we keep it right there.” Their shared mantra is a judgement-free environment open to every fitness level and background.
Before the circle of runners forms in the mornings when they meet, they emphasize that “if you’re standing in the circle, you’re winning.” Newcomers are introduced and applauded; birthdays are acknowledged; the route is explained. The community is diverse, with every race, gender, and background. People arrive from across the country or on vacation, as well as from Ocala itself.
“We have every race, every gender, every background you can possibly think of. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, it’s like a box of like Halloween treats. You never know what type of people are going to show up,” Price said. “You don’t have to run,” Bryant said. “You can run. You can walk. You can actually just come out and fellowship and be in community with us. There’s no pressure, and there’s no expectation, and you will not be left behind. There will always be someone with you.”
At 5 a.m., the city is asleep, so parking is available in the square, along the street, or in the parking garage. The group starts stretching at 5 a.m.; the actual takeoff is between 5:10 and 5:15 a.m. The standard route is an out-and-back: go roughly a mile to a mile-and-a-half, turn around, and return the same way. Participants can turn back at any point or continue farther. Saturday mornings are typically reserved for longer runs (eight miles or more) for those training for half or full marathons. High-fives and intentional conversations with new faces are part of the morning.
“The beautiful thing about 5 a.m. is that the city is asleep, so you can park wherever you like,” Price said. “You want to feel comfortable. You immediately feel welcome…We give each other high fives. We want to make sure that we speak to people that have not been spoken to. That’s something we really emphasize. You don’t have to worry about getting lost because it’s a down and back course.”
The group gathers again around 6 a.m., checks for injuries, offers a short motivational word, and ends with prayer.
Safety is practical. As an OPD officer, Price is well known to many in the downtown transient community. He drives his patrol car to the square and addresses any issues himself before they escalate.
“I don’t let it get to the point where they try to harass our runners,” Price said. “I will approach them in a very respectful manner, just stern…I always drive my cop car down to the square in case I have to utilize my radio, trespass citations, or whatever. Usually, they get the first warning…If they are under the influence, I’ll either have to call an Uber or have the local police department respond.”
The City of Ocala Electric also stepped in after concerns about early-morning vehicle-versus-pedestrian crashes. Prompted by a city council member and Mayor Ben Marciano’s emphasis on public safety, the utility provided reflective vests for the group.
“The mayor’s big on public safety, so he got in contact with the City of Ocala Electric,” Price said. “Shout out to the City of Ocala Electric and Ben, the mayor, for bringing that out to us,” Price said.
MIM partnerships include Cadence, a sports nutrition and hydration company based in New York and Los Angeles, and Essential Health, an Ocala lab offering services such as red-light therapy, cryotherapy, cold plunging, massage, and blood work.
The club has formalized as an LLC and launched the MIM Foundation, a nonprofit focused on giving back in areas such as suicide prevention and intervention for children, breast cancer, schools, and programs in less fortunate communities.
Plans for 2027 include larger community events, including one on roughly ten acres with music, local health vendors, family activities, and wellness elements. Price, who earned a construction management degree and is interning with Ken Ausley in commercial construction, is working toward the long-term goal of a flagship facility in Ocala and, eventually, additional locations. The broader vision is to make Ocala the healthiest place to live and to expand MIM from a run club into a wellness destination.
“We see this growing from just a run club where people are just running and walking to a wellness club,” Bryant said. “When people think, ‘I need to become well mentally, physically,’ we want them to think about the MIM Run Club. We see a facility in the future, one flagship here in Ocala, but multiple across the nation.”
Price added that the club has launched the MIM Foundation nonprofit and is preparing for a major year ahead. “We have some huge plans coming up in 2027 with that nonprofit,” he said. “We want to raise money to give back to programs, suicide prevention, intervention for children, breast cancer, women, giving back to schools, the communities that are less fortunate…2027 is going to be a huge year for the MIM community.”
That same emphasis on community continues Thursday, November 12, at 7 p.m. at 18 Bar South. MIM is hosting its No Sweat Social and first Awards Night. Categories include Better Runner, Better Human, Better Habits, and Better Together. The dress code is cowboy or cowgirl attire; there will be awards, a guest singer, fellowship, and energy drinks. Bryant sees the evening as an opportunity to bring a community of healthy people into a space not always associated with that and “be the light.”
“MIM is for the better,” Price said. “The term ‘better’ embodies a lot…there’s nothing negative about the word ‘better.’ When you come to the run club, the objective is to be better, whether it’s holistically, physically, emotionally, financially. It doesn’t matter.”