Exploring Life & Business with Miguel Ramirez of California Brewery Running Series

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miguel Ramirez.

Hi Miguel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I organize 5k running events at different breweries around Southern California. I actually started out on the other side of things as a participant of these same events.

While living in Oregon, I participated in the Oregon Brewery Running Series back in 2021 and instantly fell in love with entire process. Our slogan is “Be Active. Have Fun. Give Back.” And that is exactly what our events embody.

So the next season in Oregon I started volunteering and really found a community within the group. Moving along, I knew I was going to be moving back home to California and I just had the strong desire to bring the events and amazing sense of community back home as well.

Luckily for me, there was not a chapter in California yet, so I jumped at the opportunity! It really was a ground floor operation to start, visiting brewery after brewery in order to build a lineup and calendar.

Starting out in California in 2023, we had 8 events our first year. We followed that up with 12 events our second year and now up to 21 for year three. It has been amazing to see the growth and popularity of our events, because we do truly love organizing and being a part of these events.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, I’d say it;s been more smooth than not over these three years. If I were to pinpoint any struggles, it would be the difficulty of getting in contact with the correct person within each brewery who makes decisions on possible partnerships. In the beginning, it took many brewery visits and emails sent out to build a calendar. I’ve probably visited at least 50 different breweries in an attempt to build calendars for our first two years.

On top of that, we lost a brewery in each of our first two years to closure. But just like with anything in life, it’s all about adjusting and continuing to push forward, which is exactly what we’ve done.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about California Brewery Running Series?
2025 is our third year in California, and it’s been an amazing few years. However, California is not the only place our events take place either, the original location was Minnesota in 2012 and from there has now grown to 28 states and counting.

So as I previously stated and putting it in the most simplistic terms, we organize 5k run events at local breweries throughout Southern California. Getting more in the details, we look to connect local breweries with a wide range of people within the community, while specifically focusing on three things. One of our slogans: “Be Active. Have Fun. Give Back.” And that is exactly what our events embody.

The first thing I typically have to point out to prospective breweries and anyone unfamiliar with us is that we ARE NOT simply a running club. We absolutely LOVE running clubs and the community they foster, and there are obvious similarities. We bring a different element where we label our events “fun runs” where participants can run, walk or jog to a untimed event where the only thing that matters is participants crossing that finish line. Our participants come in all physical fitness levels including families pushing strollers or with children on scooters or bikes, and even four legged furry friends, all are welcome to our events. This is the “Be Active” portion.

Crossing that finish line also comes with a beer from some pretty awesome breweries. From the more widely known breweries to some local gems, we have worked with a wide range, with each brewery bringing their own special vibes that make each event so unique. This is the “Have Fun” portion.

And lastly, and the one that I am personally most proud of is the “Give Back” portion of our events. Each season we choose a local non profit that we give a portion of our proceeds to. In our first two years the non profit that we have gave back to is East LA Rising Boys & Girls Club, an after school program for at-risk youth. They are such an amazing program that has such a rich history, even being supported by Kobe Bryant. This made the connection so even more special for me as he was my childhood idol. For year three, we are once again partnering with them as well as Fire Aid LA to aid those severely affected by the recent wildfires in LA.

The biggest thing we look to do is make our events personal and memorable. All of these things we look to do would not mean anything without the people that sign up, run the miles and bring such good energy to our events. So making it something that makes each individual feel welcome and special is the ultimate goal and we truly strive for that.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is something that is defined by the individual, which is dependent upon their own aspirations. Even for my own definition of success, I can see different levels. Of course achieving goals, whether they are big or small is the most simplistic form of success, but I see the bigger definition of success as continued progress and personal growth. Seeing my own progress and strides towards a goal or even strides in mental state is my biggest view of success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.breweryrunningseries.com/locations/california
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cabreweryrun
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CABreweryRun/