It’s hard to imagine just 10 years ago the Toronto Running Community barely existed except for the 1 or 2 run crews just appearing on the scene. At the time, Heather Gardner moved from Hamilton to Toronto and would occasionally run past the Lululemon Store on Queen Street, stopping from time to time to chat about running. Eventually, Heather was asked to become an ambassador and help build-up the community by leading group runs. Three years later, Heather’s time with Lululemon ended, but thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit, Tribe Fitness was born. Initially, Heather and the team offered over 500 free community fitness events, but she soon realized they needed a space where the community can come together, so Heather, and her husband Mark, opened a fitness studio on Lower Spadina Avenue. The studio offered yoga, spinning, and running groups (making Heather the first female leader of a Toronto run crew!).

Sure races are cancelled, but community isn’t canceled and coming together and being together is bigger than this.

Heather Gardner

In this episode Heather will share what the Toronto Running Community means to her as one of the founding leaders; she’ll also discuss the decision to rebrand the studio earlier this Summer in response to the global awakening connected to Black Lives Matters.

While the global pandemic may be a challenging time for fitness, Heather and Mark are finding new ways to invite the Toronto community to stay active while staying safe by sweating local.

To learn more about Heather, you can follow her on Instagram at: @catchingheather

To learn more about Kardia, you can follow him on Instagram at: @kardiaathletica