Right now, somewhere on the roads between Nashville and Raleigh, a relay team from BC Block is in the middle of a 500+ mile run that won’t stop until they reach North Carolina. BC Block, a community-driven fitness concept founded eight years ago in an empty room in Nashville, Tennessee, is officially expanding beyond state lines. And instead of a ribbon cutting, they’re marking the occasion by running there.
Founder Shawn Booth and a core team of members set out on foot from BC Block’s flagship Nashville gym, trading off in relay shifts to cover the full distance to the site of their new Raleigh facility. The run is happening in real time, and the public can track their exact progress, mile by mile and shift by shift, on Instagram at @bcblock_nashville and @shawn_booth18.
Supported by a crew in RVs rotating runners in shifts of 3 to 10 miles around the clock, the team is scheduled to cross the finish line at their new site inside Raleigh’s East End Market (1020 E. Whitaker Mill Road) on Wednesday, September 16, in the late morning.
The new 7,500 square foot facility is slated to open in early 2027, bringing BC Block’s signature emphasis on community, discipline, and early morning culture to the Triangle region.
“Eight years ago, I signed a lease on an empty room in Nashville with no idea what I was doing,” said Shawn Booth, Founder and Owner of BC Block. “Nobody saw the early mornings before anyone showed up, or the nights where I couldn’t sleep because the numbers didn’t work. What grew out of that room is a community of people who show up for each other at 5:00 a.m. every single day. I became a business owner in that room, and I became a dad while building it. I want my kid to watch me do hard things, not just talk about them. For a while, I thought one room in one city was enough, but a culture this special needs to be shared. Running hundreds of miles across state lines is our way of physically connecting where we started to where we’re going.”
Located in the growing East End Market district, BC Block Raleigh will feature strength training and group classes alongside a full recovery suite: cold plunges, sauna, IV therapy, and a common workspace, all designed to foster the same tight knit culture that built its flagship location in Nashville.
“This isn’t a stunt. It’s literally what we do every morning, just longer,” Booth added. “Every member running a leg of this thing has been through a thousand hard workouts next to me. Raleigh isn’t getting a franchise. It’s getting the same people and the same 5 a.m. culture, delivered on foot.”
Follow the run as it happens: Instagram — @bcblock_nashville and @shawn_booth18
Local community members, media, and fitness enthusiasts are invited to welcome the running crew as they finish their 500 mile journey at 1020 E. Whitaker Mill Road on Wednesday, September 16, in the late morning.
For more information about BC Block and updates on the Raleigh expansion, visit bcblocknashville.com.
Shawn Booth is a fitness entrepreneur, trainer, endurance athlete, and father, best known to national audiences from ABC’s The Bachelorette. After moving to Nashville, Booth traded television for training and founded BC Block, building it from an empty room into one of the city’s tightest fitness communities. A marathon and ultra runner, Booth documents his training, his family, and the daily 5 a.m. culture of BC Block for more than 640,000 followers on Instagram (@shawn_booth18). The Run to BC2, covering 500+ miles on foot from Nashville to Raleigh, is his way of opening a gym the only way he knows how: the hard way.
About BC Block
Founded in Nashville, Tennessee, BC Block is a fitness concept built on three pillars: strength training, community, and recovery. Built on the belief that fitness is best experienced together, BC Block brings together people dedicated to showing up for one another and pushing personal boundaries. BC Block is also a successful HYROX gym, home to competitors who have raced at the HYROX World Championships. BC Block Raleigh will offer group classes, a full recovery suite with cold plunges, sauna, and IV therapy, a common workspace, and more.
team@bcblocknashville.com
BC Block
