It’s a new month and we have lots of new things going on. This might be a long post, but it’ll be worth it, I promise!
First off, thank you to everyone who participated in our June “1K a Day” virtual challenge! The community involvement was amazing and we loved seeing all of your pictures and activity logs showing how you got out and stayed active every day.
Secondly, we’re happy to announce that we will be starting up with in-person club activities again! We’ll be putting some safety protocols in place (details later in this post) to ensure everyone’s safety so that we can get out and run together again at long last. Is it just me, or does that call for a big fat YAY!!!
Weekly Group Runs
These are the weekly runs that will be starting back up:
Tuesday Trail Therapy – Tuesday nights, 6 p.m. at Hiawatha Highlands. Meet near the blue Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club building in the main parking lot for a hilly 5km trail run.
Thursday Morning Waterfront – Thursday mornings, 6:15 a.m. at Clergue Park. Meet by the library for a flat, scenic 5km run along the waterfront section of the boardwalk.
Long Slow Sundays – This one is for anyone training for longer distances (10km +). Sunday mornings, 9:30 a.m. Location changes weekly so watch our Facebook Page for weekly posts about where to meet. This run generally includes a 10-12km loop to start, with additional distance optional for anyone interested in going farther. Please be ready to stay for at least 90 minutes. This is so we can ensure that nobody gets left behind, nor does the group get split up! This run will sometimes take us to remote locations so we want to stick together for everybody’s safety. Special note: This group run will be re-starting Sunday, July 18th.
New Programs
We’re excited to announce that starting next Wednesday, July 7th, we will be introducing a group Couch to 5KM program! If you’re new to running or have been wanting to join in but aren’t sure you’re ready to tackle a full 5k with the group yet, this might be for you! The goal of this 9-week program is to start with the very basics and have you running a full 5km without walk breaks by the end. We will meet once a week on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Clergue Park. This program will be open to Stryders members only, so please contact us if you haven’t purchased a membership yet!
The 50/50 Draw is Back!
At the beginning of each group run, the Run Leader will accept $2 donations from any participants who wish to contribute. Participation is completely voluntary. After the run, a name will be drawn and one lucky winner who donated will take home half of what was collected. The other half will be collected by the Stryders to help pay for future events and prizes. :0)
Safety First
Everybody’s health and safety is our highest concern. As we go back to meeting in-person, we want to ensure that we are taking precautions to minimize the risk of COVID community spread. If you plan on attending ANY of our group runs or events, please contact us to confirm your email. You will receive a link that you can use to complete a Covid self-check and sign in before each group run. The Run Leader will confirm numbers/attendance prior to the run. If you have not completed a COVID self-check and signed in prior to the run, you will not be able to run with the group.
Additionally, we will continue to respect physical distancing and ask everyone maintain a distance of 6′ between individuals.
To Sum It All Up…
Our group runs are still open to anybody who wishes to participate. Stryders membership is not mandatory. We just need your email address so we can get you to sign in prior to a group run if you plan to attend.
Donations to the 50/50 draw are also completely voluntary. Your contribution helps us pay for future events and prizes but you only have to make a contribution if you want your name to go into the draw to win.
That’s it! We hope that you’re as excited as we are for our first Couch to 5K program and to get back to running together. Please feel free to reach out with any questions at saultstryders@gmail.com or on our Facebook Page. We look forward to running with you in the near future!
Sault Stryders 