Chris Partridge (right) and Jill Petkau (left) pose for a picture with a runner from Strides Running Club after completing his 40th run with Strides. Strides Running Club offers milestone rewards for runners to encourage them to be consistent with their running. (Braeden Redshaw/CMRU.ca)
Want to get the weekend started with some morning miles; Strides Running Club is the perfect way to get a Saturday run completed alongside fellow runners. Located in Marda Loop, Strides Running Store is the home of their Strides Run Club and their community of happy runners.
No experience required
Strides Running Club in Marda Loop meets at 9 a.m. at their store with plenty of runners showing up to knock out some morning kilometers. Whether it is in the sweltering heat of July or the frigid cold of December, the run club has routes mapped out each week ranging from five kilometers up to 15 kilometers, starting and ending right from the store!
Chris Partridge, one of the co-leads of the run club, says the running has blown up in popularity since 2020.
“I think especially post the pandemic running is having its moment in the spotlight with more people coming in. But people don’t know where to start. It’s just really nice to come out and we’ve got such a wide range of running ability. You’ve got people who are just happy to get out there and run and enjoy it, and then there’s people who have goal races that they want to go and train for. It’s much easier training with a bunch of people than by yourself.”
One of the wonderful things about the run club is how welcoming everyone is to new runners. If you are just starting out or are a seasoned runner, each person is welcomed with open arms to the Strides community.
Milestone rewards
One of the benefits that Strides provides for their run club members is the free gear that is distributed by showing up and completing a run! It takes dedication to earn the gear but with milestones at the 5th, 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, and 50th run it encourages runners to stay consistent.
Some of the different milestone rewards are:
- A Strides Run Club singlet
- A Strides Run Club running shirt
- A Strides Run Club quarter zip
- A Strides Run Club sweater
- A Strides Run Club running hat
Run club stocks are rising
It seems as if there are new running clubs that are popping up all over the city with how popular running has become. But Strides has been trying their run club for almost two decades!
Jeremy Deere, Strides Running Store owner, says the pandemic has helped the running club bring the community closer together.
“We’ve been trying the run club on and off since we opened 18 years ago but it’s been since Covid that it really has taken off. That really brought people together and made them want to run together as a group. Some of the benefits they get are not only the social aspect but having other people to support them and makes them feel like part of the community.”
Getting started with strides
If getting started with Strides is something that seems like fun, which it is, then all there is to do is show up on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in Marda Loop and go for a run with Strides! Once the run is over, sign in on the attendance sheet to start tracking your runs and give your email to the front desk so you can receive emails to see the run of the week before Saturday morning! If you can’t make it into the store to get signed up, another way of doing so is by emailing info@stridesrunning.com if you are curious for more information!
Strides has multiple different run clubs that take place through the week at their Marda Loop location and their Fish Creek location to cater to those who love running but are looking to run in a group instead of by themselves. There is no better part of your day than running, and why not run with a group who is just as excited about running!
Personal reflection
Working with Strides Running Club on this project it helped me realize a deeper meaning of running. As someone who has been a runner for my whole life, I thought that I had it all figured out, but that is not the case. Running is one of the most beautiful sports in the world, and when you are running alone or deep into a training block, you can lose sight of the beauty this sport has to offer for you. Having the opportunity to work with Strides it showed me how many people run every day because they enjoy the feeling of running.
The impact that I want this project to have on Strides Running Club is to bring more runners in each week to the run club. For runners in Canada, the winter can be the most dreadful time of year with the cold and snow. Having a group run on Saturday morning provides an opportunity to people who have a weekend long run planned in their training to get their run done early with those who are also getting some long miles in. I am hoping that this project also encourages those who are wanting to start their running journey but are unsure of where to look go to strides for their first run as the community they have built is supportive and strong.
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