SSH Running Club founders, from left, Sam Kelly, Heidi Clowe, and Shannon Chidley, have been overwhelmed with the success of the group. Mark Squibb photo
By Mark Squibb
Last January, Sam Kelly, Heidi Clowe, and Shannon Chidley decided on a whim to start a running club for the Southern Shore.
They dubbed it the SSH Run Club, and while many people at first believe the acronym to stand for Southern Shore Highway, they would actually be wrong.
“It’s actually the Sam, Shannon, and Heidi Run Club,” said Shannon Chidley, laughing. “When we named it, we named it as a joke because we honestly didn’t think anybody would show up. We honestly thought it would just be the three of us running… And so when people started showing up, it was a little bit embarrassing to let people know we named it after ourselves.”
To date, over 130 women have participated in weekly runs hosted by the SSH Run Club.
“It’s overwhelming to see the community that has developed,” said Chidley. “People hang out together now that have met at run club. It gets you out of your house, and so it’s good for your mental health and your physical health… and when people say to you, ‘Run Club has changed my life,’ it’s overwhelming. It just feels so good.”
Chidley noted a number of members ran this year’s Tely 10, some of them for the first time.
“A lot of girls ran it for the first time because they had someone to run it with,” said Chidley, adding some members have also participated in other races, including the Conception Bay South T’railway Trek Half Marathon.
The group has hosted runs in the Goulds and Cape Broyle and every where in between, with the majority of the runs being in either Mobile or Witless Bay. Members run Saturday mornings and Monday evenings. Additional runs are held throughout the week for those who can’t make it out on Saturday or Monday. All told, the group runs probably three or four times a week.
As a means to keep the club welcoming to new runners, routes are kept to a distance of about four kilometres, although some runners opt to run longer distances. The social aspect, added Chidley, is just as important to the club as the athletic.
If someone is interested in joining, Chidley said, it’s as simple as showing up.
“We’ve had a lot of people message and say, ‘I’d like to get involved but I’m nervous to show up,’” said Chidley. “Showing up is the hardest part. It’s so intimidating to show up for the first time, and you think that all these girls have been running forever.”
The club, she added, is one where no one runs by themselves.
“If you come and decide to walk, myself, Sam, or Heidi will stay behind with whoever is walking,” said Chidley. “You won’t be left behind.”
There’s no registration fee to join, although members are encouraged to bring a toonie Saturday morning to go towards supplies.
