@onthe9runcrew

OnThe9 Run Crew · South Side Chicago Run Club · Est. 2024

Run
the 9.

A run crew named for 79th Street. Group runs on Saturday mornings for every pace, in the neighborhoods we call home.

Join a Saturday runWhy “the 9”
OnThe9 crew holding a sign on the marathon course
Next runSaturday morningFind this week's start time and spot on Strava.
WhenSaturday mornings
PaceEvery pace
The ruleNobody finishes alone
WhereThe South Side

The name

South Siders need no explanation.

People call 79th Street “the 9.” Our first run, on February 24, 2024, started at the Regal Theater and finished at Mahalia Jackson Court on 79th and State. Neighbors stopped us to ask questions and cheered us on down the block. We've been running here ever since.

Founded by Neishé Russell, Philip Weatherspoon and Tess Branklin to make endurance running a normal sight on the South Side, in Chatham, Avalon Park, South Shore and beyond.

“We are all South Side runners. There's nothing wrong with the South Side. I feel safe here. Let's run on the South Side.”
Neishé RussellFounder, OnThe9 Run Crew

What we stand on

Endurance running, made accessible on the South Side.

01

Inclusion

First mile or fiftieth marathon, walk breaks or tempo pace. You belong in the group.

02

Community

We run through our own blocks and spend our money at the local spots that keep them going.

03

Health equity

Coaching, training and race access should not depend on which side of Roosevelt you live on.

Your first Saturday

Show up once. We'll take it from there.

The OnThe9 crew together
  1. 1

    Find this week's start

    Every run is posted as an event on our Strava club with the start time and meeting spot. Join the club and RSVP.

  2. 2

    Get there a little early

    Come a few minutes before the posted start. Say hi and tell the crew it's your first time.

  3. 3

    Run your pace

    Distances vary week to week. Run, walk, or mix both. Nobody finishes alone.

  4. 4

    Stay for after

    Coffee, breakfast, conversation. Most of the crew started as strangers.

Where we run

Our blocks, our lakefront.

Saturday routes move across the South Side so every neighborhood sees the crew.

Two OnThe9 runners on a South Side sidewalk, one in a RUN OT9 tank

79th Street

Chatham

Where it started. Regal Theater to Mahalia Jackson Court at 79th and State.

Group photo at the Beverly mural

Beverly

Far South Side

Cold-morning miles and a group photo under the Beverly wall.

Crew in front of the mural on 47th Street

47th & Greenwood

47th Street

One of our biggest Saturday turnouts, in front of the mural on 47th.

Running the Lakefront Trail

The Lakefront

Lakefront Trail

Long, flat miles by the lake, from 31st Street Beach south.

Runner passing a South Side mural

Our storefronts

Along the route

Murals, flower stands and neighbors cheering from the sidewalk.

Crew member in an onthe9 Run Crew tank flashing a 9 at the Chicago 13.1

Race days

Citywide

We line up together: Chicago 13.1, Shamrock Shuffle, Lakefront 10 Miler and more.

Saturday faces

OnThe9 crew on a Saturday run
OnThe9 crew on a Saturday run
OnThe9 crew on a Saturday run
OnThe9 crew on a Saturday run
OnThe9 crew on a Saturday run
OnThe9 crew on a Saturday run

Race day · Chicago 13.1 · June 2025

We race together. We celebrate louder.

Green singlets in the field, confetti in the air, and nobody crossing that line alone.

Crew member in the RUN OT9 singlet, arms up through the confetti at the Chicago 13.1
Crew member in an onthe9 Run Crew tank flashing a 9 mid-race
Crew member in a visor laughing as confetti falls
Runner with an arm raised under a burst of confetti
Runner in a bucket hat smiling through a confetti shower

Chicago Marathon · Community Cheer Zone

Mile
23

When the marathon comes south, we're the loudest block on the course.

Every October the crew holds down an official cheer zone in Bronzeville, right when runners need it most. Bring a sign, a cowbell and your voice.

Find us3429 S. Indiana Ave35th & Indiana · Mile 23 · Bronzeville

Scenes from Mile 23

Megaphones, cowbells, tambourines and handmade signs. Three miles to go, and the South Side shows up.

Runner hug at Mile 23
Megaphone crew, black and white
Cheering on the megaphone
Tambourine at the barricade
Running alongside a marathoner
Cowbell in a green cap
Big-head sign on the course
OnThe9 tee, confetti popper raised
Crowd at the barricade
Spray-stenciling the OnThe9 logo
As featured inChicago CitizenRead & Run Chicago6th Ward

Run Chicago

Guides from the crew.

Finding a run club, running the lakefront, getting through winter and cheering the marathon. All guides

Three crew members in front of the OnThe9 Run South Side tent
Chicago run clubs

How to find a run club in Chicago

Two OnThe9 runners on a South Side sidewalk, one in a RUN OT9 tank with her arms up
South Side run club

A run club for the South Side

Two OnThe9 runners smiling by the crew tent
Beginner's guide

What to expect at your first run club

Five OnThe9 runners showing their race medals
Where to run

Running the Chicago Lakefront Trail

Questions

Before your first run

No. Every pace is welcome, walk breaks included. The crew makes sure nobody finishes alone.