(by Nicholas Ellens) [Picture from Bruce Trail Hikes in Ontario] Over the past months, a motley running club has emerged from the cubicles and labs of Sunnybrook and taken to the footpaths in adjacent Sunnybrook Park over lunch. Despite the hospital’s name, my personal experience of Sunnybrook over my first several months was a fluorescent-lit, windowless cubicle. I decorated my cubicle with a poster of Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom—which I took to calling my window—but while it never showed the gloom of a rainy day, it also never really evolved with the changing seasons and certainly didn’t offer any fresh air.

That all changed when our great leader, Ms. Janet Denbeigh, boldly led us forth into the park. Exploiting her knowledge that graduate students (and junior researchers) will do pretty much anything for free nourishment, Janet promised free freezies (say that fast at 1 MHz) and certainly continues to come through. The group changes with experiment schedules and conference absences, but seems to carry on. Anyone is welcome: there are graduate students, employees, and even a few brave PIs (Stuart and Anne). Running (in)ability should not deter. While we leave as a group, we tend to separate a bit: some walk, some run the more unkempt trails, while others run a generally default route to a giant oak tree on York’s campus. I think it’s pretty amazing to see such diversity of flora and fauna (one run included a handful of snakes, even) in the middle of such a significant city. The trees and bushes I brush up against are certainly more yielding than the cars and concrete that populate my bicycle commute.

I’d recommend such a break to anyone! If interested, send Janet an email and you’ll be added to the mailing list. In case anyone from downtown is interested, we tend to leave from S-wing where there are also lockers and showers available.