Marchio Whyte wasn’t always a runner but when the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, he took up the sport as a way to stay active.
Whyte looks like he’s been running for years. He’s dressed in a bright green Puma windbreaker that reads ‘RUNTOMTL’ — a 650 kilometre relay race from Toronto to Montreal. But for the 33-year-old Brantford, Ont., resident, running came with a learning curve. During the pandemic it became difficult to stay motivated.
“During COVID I was always running by myself,” Whyte told CBC Hamilton. “When you’re by yourself it kind of sucks. You run better when you’re with a community,” said Whyte.
In the summer of 2024, Whyte set out to find a running community. There are many. According to a 2024 report released by Strava, there was a 59 per cent increase in running club participation worldwide last year.
Whyte found Ultra Black Wellness Society, a wellness and fitness group focused on empowering the Black community.
The non-profit launched in January 2024. Its run clubs began in May that year.
Whyte learned that the run clubs met Tuesday evenings in downtown Toronto and Mississauga — not an easy commute for the Brantford resident.
“I ended up joining the Saturday morning run in Mississauga …. I’d wake up at 6 a.m. in the morning and go run with them,” said Whyte.
Hamilton chapter launched in April
Whyte became the lead runner for the Mississauga club and soon realized there were others making the trip in from Hamilton.
That’s when Whyte realized there was a need for a club in Hamilton.
“When it comes to running, distance running, you don’t see much Black people … so for me, I just wanted to really try and build that community and let people see that we belong in these spaces, too,” Whyte said.
He helped launch Team Ultra Black Hamilton in April. They meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Bayfront Park.
Since the launch, the Hamilton team has seen an outpouring of support. In the team’s first few weeks, about 20 runners from Hamilton and surrounding areas showed up.
Since then, about 10 to 12 dedicated runners have shown up consistently every Tuesday.
“We trusted him [Whyte] and because we had people asking us, like come to Hamilton, it just made sense,” said Diana Anyim, president of Ultra Black Wellness Society.
Anyim is a runner based in Toronto. She organizes events for Ultra Black Wellness Society and oversees the three run clubs in Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton.
There have been a few similar initiatives in Hamilton in recent years. The Air Up There Run Crew started a club for racialized runners but stopped their regular runs in 2023. Steeltown Athletic Club, or STAC Hamilton, runs a number of athletic programs for equity-deserving communities in the city, including a track program for BIPOC youth.
Team Ultra Black is different. While it is a space to run with community, it also focuses on overall wellness specifically for Black people.
“We’re not just a run club. We do offer events and socials and wellness sessions,” said Anyim.
She says the organization’s aim is to start a bigger conversation about both mental and physical health in the Black community.
‘Nice to be around people you can relate to,’ runner says
For one member, the open conversations surrounding mental health is what inspired her to join.
On a damp Tuesday evening in May, Team Ultra Black Hamilton met up for a 5 km run. Jade Addai was the first to show up.
As Addai kept up a quick pace around the waterfront, she told CBC Hamilton how she became part of the group.
“The first event I think I went to was earlier this year. They did a panel conversation on just like health and wellness and mental health,” said Addai.
Just like Whyte, having a team based in Hamilton was more convenient for the Burlington, Ont., resident.
Since joining the club, Addai has been a consistent member. She grew up in Saskatchewan and felt it was important to find spaces where she could see people that looked like her.
“It’s just nice to be around people you can relate to,” Addai said.
Team Ultra Black Hamilton is just the first group to expand outside the Greater Toronto Area but the future goal is to take the organization nationwide.
“Although we have created this community, we also want it to be a network for everyone where we all can share and all take what we need from Ultra Black,” said Anyim.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.