Bayshore Run Club cleans up beach during sea turtle nesting season

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — A Naples run club is putting its miles to work for the environment.

Bayshore Run Club partnered with Friends of Rookery Bay and Ankrolab Brewing for a beach cleanup. The group ran three miles through downtown Naples before trading in their running shoes for trash bags to clean up the beach.

"I feel like you can't live in a place that has a ton of wildlife and beach areas and not be affiliated with the animals that are around here and keep them safe and respect them," said Jamie DePaola, founder of Bayshore Run Club.

Bag after bag was filled with trash picked up along the shore. Some of the trash was found near sea turtle nesting areas during nesting season.

"Especially being turtle season right now, it's really important because these little babies are being released," said Katelyn Mirly, a runner with Bayshore Run Club. "They're coming out of their nest, and we have to keep our beaches clean."

For Mirly, who grew up in the area, the cleanup is about protecting more than just wildlife. She said her child could pick up something unsafe without knowing it.

The run club has turned a fitness group into something bigger for the community. "But it definitely makes it feel like you're part of the community and not just like your run club community, like the actual community," said Daniel Hofacre, a runner with Bayshore Run Club.

Bayshore Run Club reaches its three-year anniversary next month. Runners can celebrate with a beach a little cleaner and a reminder that the most rewarding miles are the ones that give back.