It’s almost time for the hardest workout in all of November Project: the Old 96er.
The Old 96er is a special workout we hold twice per year at Commonwealth Stadium. On these days, we open the stadium up a half hour early, and you have 59 minutes to complete two laps of the stadium stairs (or as much of it as you can). Of course, we’ll also have our typical 6am workout happening concurrently if you want to just do 30 minutes. And if you want to come just to cheer, that’s totally welcome too!
Traditionally, Old 96er days involved only one version: completing the entire lower deck, then the entire upper deck. However, the in the modern era of NP, this has expanded to three versions with varying difficulties: the Old 96er (the traditional lower deck, then upper deck), the Gristle (two laps of the upper deck), and the Bucket of Salad (two laps of the lower deck, aka “the Tenderloin”). The names come from “The Great Outdoors”, an 80’s movie starring John Candy (link to the Old 96er Scene).
Now, these workouts may sound daunting. And there’s no question about it, they are extremely hard. Finishing one of these within 59 minutes is a huge accomplishment and finishers will receive a special tag.
However, no matter your fitness level, we encourage everyone to come give it a try. What this is really about is embracing the suck for 59 minutes among a supportive and positive community. In the words of former co-leader Andrew Ference: “NP isn’t really about a competition or highlighting the fastest person, we truly value the effort of an Old 96er finisher just as much as a half lower bowl finisher, effort is the only thing we care about. But as the Old 96er has evolved and more members have earned their tag, it has become my favourite day because it is hard as hell and I am convinced that it can be done by most every member. You might scoff at this and think there is no way that you can do it because you hardly made it to the upper bowl today, but I respectfully disagree.”
When is this happening? Stay tuned, we’re announcing the dates on Wednesday!
Lift each other up,
Eric
- Wednesday – Commonwealth Stadium, Gate 2, 5:58am
- Friday – Walterdale Hill
- Monday – Location TBA
