Running club takes strides to hear from community at town hall

A club dedicated to promoting, encouraging and providing access to running for everyone in the Algoma District, regardless of background or experience, is hosting a meeting next week and wants to hear from local runners, whether they be newbies still in walk-run mode or experienced runners doing marathons.

The Sault Stryders currently hosts group runs in town and on nearby trails but is looking for suggestions that the community would like to see from the group.

It will also be introducing its executive team and laying out plans for the coming year.

“We value everyone's ideas and feedback on how we can further enhance the Sault’s running community,” club president Jonathan Mogg said in a release.

The town hall takes place Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express located at 320 Bay St.

For more about the meeting or how to get involved in the running club if you are just starting out, check out the following news release:

The Sault Stryders running club in Sault Ste. Marie is excited to announce it will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express located at 320 Bay St.

The Town Hall is intended to introduce the new executive team, highlight the Sault Stryders plan for the upcoming year, and discuss any running-related suggestions that the community would like to see from the group.

“We value everyone's ideas and feedback on how we can further enhance the Sault’s running community,” said Sault Stryders president Jonathan Mogg. “This Town Hall will be a great way for us, as a new executive team, to learn what the runners want and how we can get them excited about running.” 

This meeting is open to the public and will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. All questions about the running community are welcome. The Stryders invite everyone to attend, regardless of running experience or fitness level.

“We want to hear from new runners and even experienced runners,” said Mogg. “This is a chance for the running community to come together and just talk. We want to hear what everyone is interested in and to hear their running goals. We just want them to reach their running goals, too. That’s why this group was created – to help encourage each other to do great things.” 

The Sault Stryders Running Club was created in 1979 to promote, encourage, and provide access to running for everyone throughout the Algoma District, regardless of background or experience. The running group currently hosts group runs in town and on nearby trails. 

“We’re currently hosting a variety of runs to provide the opportunity for runners to challenge themselves and to connect with others,” said Mogg. “We wanted to create runs that welcome everyone, from those building to their first 5-km run, to those competing in marathons. We want to build a running community that meets everyone's needs and also builds a culture that gets you excited for easy runs or hard workouts,” he said.

The Town Hall meeting will be held after the Sault Stryder’s first spring Couch To 5K run. 

The Stryders Couch To 5k is for runners who want to complete their first 5-km run and those interested in running again but don’t know where to start. 

The Couch To 5k run begins at the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library at 6 p.m. and runs along the boardwalk and the hub trail. The program is for nine weeks and follows a walk-run style, with each week's running time increasing. The goal is that by the end of the program, runners will be able to run 5 kilometres without stopping. 

“I started out running the Couch To 5k every Wednesday night,” said Susan Silver, Sault Stryders member. “The Couch To 5k run was an easy goal to achieve and the steps throughout the program are attainable. You just have to set your mind to it.

"Now I’m working on increasing my distance to 10 kilometres for fun and I’ve met so many people through the Sault Stryders who have the same goals as me. There are also several runs available with the club that got me out and involved, like the Summer Solstice run and Boxing Day run,” she said. 

The cost to register for the Couch to 5k is $15, which also covers a year's membership with the Sault Stryders. Anyone interested is encouraged to sign up here or can show up at the library with cash in hand.

More information on all the Sault Stryders runs can be found on its Facebook Group at Sault Stryders Running Club or Saultstryders.ca. For more information on membership opportunities, click here: Sault Stryders Membership.