W
hen Sarah Riley relocated from Toronto to Halifax back in 2013, she was on
the lookout for a new running club to join. On a warm evening in April of
that year, she headed downtown to meet up with a local crew she had heard of but
was disappointed by her experienced that night. So on the way back home to the
North End neighbourhood of Halifax, Riley immediately thought about creating
a crew of her own. “I think I was already committed. I’d already thought of North
Brewing as a potential meeting spot,” Riley says, “they make amazing beer, and
they’re a zero-emissions brewery and community-minded like we are.” She
headed straight from the run to
the brewery where she met Peter
Burbridge, the North brewmaster,
who also happened to be a runner
and they decided right there on
the spot to make it happen.
Fast forward to 2019, the North
End Runners celebrated their
6th anniversary. They now have
more than 200 active members
and attract up to 50 runners every
Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. for
a 6k run. The crew is free to join and open to all levels of runners; they even offer a
4 k option for those just getting into running. The club initially started off with five
to 10 runners at the North End location of North Brewing but rapidly outgrew the
space, and now on the lookout for a new home base for next year.
In addition to their Wednesday meetups, the ner also offer a #tnt, other-
wise known as Tuesday Night Track for hills and interval workouts as well as a
run with the #TimberWolves, for a chance to explore the nearby trails. Plus, the
group also gets social once a month after their crew runs, the perfect occasion to
enjoy their North Brewing collaboration, a lagered ale called “Little Beast .”The North End Runners Celebrate
6 Years of Running in the 902
The Halifax-based run crew is proud to represent this unique North End neighbourhood
By Melissa OffnerThis locally focused group has a real sense of pride
representing the North End area. “Halifax is a small city
with distinct neighbourhoods, so it’s far from homog-
enous, and we couldn’t be prouder to rep the North
End ’s unique, badass spirit,” Riley says. “It’s a formerly
marginalized area transitioning into a high-test mix
of artists, entrepreneurial spirit, community-focused
organizations and young people, but it’s always been a
proud underdog and the place where difference-makers
get their start .”
It therefore comes as no surprise that the ner are also
heavily involved in organizing local community events.
Each year, they team up with Halifax P ride and host the
Halifax Rainbow P ride Run, a community 5k held before
the Halifax P ride Parade. They also put on the coveted
Smashed Dash, an annual team-based beer run that sells
out within 2 4 hours. Moreover, the crew supports North
End ’s Parker Street Food Bank and organize a handful of
smaller events throughout the year like run gear swaps
and movie nights.
Even with the crew’s success, Riley still considers
the ner to be a black sheep or an anti-run-club run club.
“We’re a young, diverse group who have wildly different
running goals; it’s that diversity that makes us a crew, not
a club,” Riley says. “We’re about getting together for the
sake of the awesomeness of running together.”Melissa Offner is a television and podcast host, the leader
of the North Vancouver run crew RUNDISTRIKT.NORTH END RUNNERS
HALIFAX,
NOVA SCOTIAClub StatsFOUNDED 2013
MEMBERS 197
WEBSITE northendrunners.comrunningmagazine.ca Canadian Running 69Sa
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