The Run Club That Has Everyone Stepping Up
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and there’s a new walk or run club in town to help make sure that first step isn’t being taken alone.
In the summer of 2026 Dr. Carley O’Neill of Acadia’s School of Kinesiology and her Master’s student Alyssa Perry launched, “Maintenance Miles.” They created the club to assist current and former members of Acadia’s Cardiac Maintenance (ACM) program work more cardio exercise into their lives, and participants are encouraged to bring their friends and family. The ACM program is designed to improve the health and fitness of people recovering from heart procedures in a social setting.
The club meets twice a week, once on Thursday evenings and once on Sunday mornings. One member, Janet Woodworth, says that on occasion there are four generations of her family attending.
“The Maintenance Miles Club has been such an inspiration to me,” she says. “Having set days and times has motivated me to get out and get my steps in - it really has made a difference in my life.”
How We Got This Far
Acadia’s Cardiac Maintenance program pairs community members who have recently graduated from hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation with an upper year Kinesiology student.
The program is mutually beneficial: the students gain valuable experience working as personal trainers three times a week, and the participants are able to be involved in a community-based rehabilitation program.
“The students teach us how to exercise with confidence, while we give them an opportunity to develop communication and people skills that will serve them throughout their lives,” says John MacKay, another member. “ACM gives us the confidence to stay active, challenge ourselves, and enjoy life after a cardiac event.”
From this program, the Maintenance Milers were born.
“The participants of the ACM program wanted an opportunity to chat with one another about their experiences. They work one-on-one with the students - which they love - but they never had the chance to talk to other participants and share their stories. In hearing that, I wanted to provide some kind of social opportunity that would be low pressure, fun, and completely free,” says Dr. O’Neill.
Meetings usually consist of 10-25 participants and their routes typically range from 3-5 km.
“We had a good turnout for the beginning of the program,” says Alyssa. “We started off with smaller distances and flatter routes. As we slowly increased the difficulty, we noticed that yes, it was challenging at first for the participants, but that they quickly adapted. Now, those who come regularly can walk/run 5k significantly easier, with most of them saying their endurance has improved tenfold.”
Simple Activity, Special Results
There’s a humanizing quality about walking and running that makes them such simple and yet such empowering activities. They’re not flashy like other sports and you certainly won’t see them making any top 10 highlight lists, but that’s not what they’re about. They’re about resilience; doing the same thing - left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot - over and over again. They’re about showing up day in and day out, making those gradual improvements, and putting in the work. And there’s a strong sense of pride when all that hard work finally pays off.
“The stories we have coming out of our group are really inspiring,” says Dr. O’Neill. “For example, before one of our Thursday sessions, a member came forward and shared it was his three-year heart attack anniversary, and you could really tell how proud he was to have gone from lying in a hospital bed to climbing a very long hill and finishing a 3.5 km walk.”
Dr. O’Neill says that for her, the most exciting of all is that seven of their Maintenance Milers decided to register for the Valley Harvest Marathon 5km race as a result of their work together. And the participants are just as excited. Club member Boyd Jagoe attributes their success to both Dr. O’Neill and Alyssa Perry. “How else would a 72 year old Bypass Survivor be out on Thanksgiving Weekend trudging along for 5 kilometres?"
With such a dedicated membership, it’s no surprise that there’s been a unanimous expression of interest in keeping the club open during the winter. “We’ve had so many people ask us if we’ll keep it going, and since there’s been such a big appetite, we’ll definitely go until December and then evaluate again in January,” says Dr. O’Neill. “We just received a grant from the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation which will help us get anything we may need for those darker and chillier months.”
Walking and running in the Canadian cold is no easy feat, but no matter the weather, the Maintenance Milers are up to the task.