South Side run club
A run club for the South Side
OnThe9 Run Crew is a South Side Chicago run club named for 79th Street. Saturday group runs for every pace in Chatham, South Shore, Bronzeville and more.
People on the South Side call 79th Street "the 9." OnThe9 Run Crew took its name from that street, and our first run went right down the middle of it: on February 24, 2024, we started at the Regal Theater and finished at Mahalia Jackson Court on 79th and State. Neighbors stopped us on the sidewalk to ask who we were. Some of them cheered us down the block. We've been running here ever since.
Who we are
OnThe9 was founded by Neishé Russell, Philip Weatherspoon and Tess Branklin to make endurance running a normal sight on the South Side. The crew runs in Chatham, Avalon Park, South Shore, Greater Grand Crossing, Bronzeville 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 Russell, founder
How Saturday runs work
- When: Saturday mornings. The start time is on each run's Strava event.
- Where: every run is posted as an event on our Strava club with the meeting spot, so join the club and RSVP.
- How far: distances change week to week as the group builds mileage.
- After: coffee, breakfast and conversation. Most of the crew started as strangers.
Run, walk or mix both. If it's your first time, get there a few minutes early and tell someone in the crew. Our first run club guide walks through the rest.
Where we run
Saturday routes move around so every neighborhood sees the crew. We've run 79th Street, the Beverly mural, 47th and Greenwood, the lakefront from 31st Street Beach south, and plenty of side streets in between. We pass murals, flower stands and storefronts, and we spend our money at the local spots that keep those blocks going. See South Side running routes for more.
What we stand on
The crew has three pillars:
- Inclusion. First mile or fiftieth marathon, walk breaks or tempo pace, you belong in the group.
- Community. We run through our own blocks and support the businesses on them.
- Health equity. Coaching, training and race access should not depend on which side of Roosevelt you live on. We wrote more about that in running and health equity on the South Side.
Race days and the cheer zone
We line up together at races across the city, including the Chicago 13.1, the Shamrock Shuffle and the Lakefront 10 Miler. Every October we hold down an official community cheer zone at Mile 23 of the Chicago Marathon in Bronzeville, at 35th and Indiana (3429 S. Indiana Ave), right when runners need it most. Our marathon spectator guide explains how to join us there.
Get in touch
Follow @onthe9runcrew on Instagram, join the Strava club, or email onthe9runcrew@gmail.com.
Common questions
Where does OnThe9 Run Crew meet?
Each Saturday run is posted as an event on the OnThe9 Strava club, strava.com/clubs/onthe9, with the meeting spot and start time.
What time are OnThe9 runs?
Saturday mornings. The start time is posted with each run on the OnThe9 Strava club.
Why is it called OnThe9?
South Siders call 79th Street 'the 9.' The crew's first run, on February 24, 2024, went down 79th from the Regal Theater to Mahalia Jackson Court at 79th and State.
Do I have to live on the South Side to run with OnThe9?
No. The crew was built on the South Side, for the South Side, and anyone who wants to run with us is welcome.
