HISTORY

At the Salomon Toronto store at the shops of Don Mills was where the Toronto Trail Runners was started.

The winter and summer solstice runs were originally created by Ryan Barrett and the weekly store runs were born out of that shortly after.

Joshua Young was hired in 2012 and quickly began leading runners on the weekly Wednesday night runs and it has been ongoing since.

The winter solstice ended in 2013 and Brian Cultbert took over the Summer Solstice and then created Leaves ‘R Down in the fall.

Brand ambassadors would accompany the weekly runs and there were monthly draws to add gear to the inspiration. Runners would get a ballot for each week they ran and a draw would be done on the last Wednesday of each month.

We have runners of all abilities come out and learn about trail running, gear, safety, etc. It was a lovely time to share the trails and our love of trail running.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, the runs were suspended on March 17th, 2020.  Then during the 2nd year of the pandemic, Salomon made the decision to close all Canadian Stores and the Toronto store closed its doors on April 22nd, 2021.

When restrictions started to open we worked to organize and start up the Wednesday night runs again. The first run after COVID and after the store closure was Wednesday, July 14th, 2021.

At that time we were known as the Wednesday Night Runs.  Since this didn’t really explain what we were or what we did we decided a change was needed.  We wanted to make it easy for runners to find us. We decided to rename and re-brand, and the group decided through a poll that we should be called the ‘Toronto Trail Runners‘.

Over the years there has been such a community that has gathered both around the store and even after its closure and we will continue to gather around what binds us, the trails of Toronto and the sport of trail running.

Tuesday TTR Runs

In January 2024, The Steel Town Athletic Club of Toronto (STACTO) trail group, led by the passionate and dedicated Erin Doucette, officially joined forces with the Toronto Trail Runners, expanding the opportunities for runners to explore the beautiful trails of our city.

STACTO was started in summer of 2022 and modelled after the values of the original STAC Pack out of Hamilton.  The STACTO trail group, has been instrumental in creating an inclusive and welcoming space for runners of all levels. Their Tuesday night runs have provided a supportive environment for many individuals to try trail running for the first time. Erin and the STACTO team have worked tirelessly to break down barriers and make trail running more inclusive and accessible.  Now Tuesdays has been added to the regular weekday runs along side the Wednesday Night Runs.

Saturday TTR Runs from Brick Works

In January 2025, Toronto Brick Company  trail group, led by Verona Rillamas,  Thais Tambosi and Rajesh Srinivasan has joined the Toronto Trail Runners.

The Brick Company Runs originated from a Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) Running clinic that started in 2017.  It started on Wednesdays and taught the fundamentals of running. 

Three of the leads from the MEC program ( Paul O’Connor, Diana Kivi and Kelsey) started a Saturday morning runs and the new group was born.  They departed from and returned to the Evergreen Brickworks and hence the name The Brick Company Runs. 

Now a TTR Saturday regular run from Evergreen Brick Works has been added to the regular weekly weekday runs on Tuesday and  Wednesday nights.