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The mid-season melt this winter has brought spring-like conditions to Saskatchewan early, both to the enjoyment and detriment of runners.
“It’s difficult driving down your street with all the ruts, and it’s no more fun on some of the paths and the trails and the sidewalks with the ruts,” said Curt Halpenny, active member of the Joggers & Lagers run club in Saskatoon.
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From troublesome black ice to clear trails and roads, the recent melt has brought some of the best and worst conditions of the winter — both scary and spring-like.
Regardless of the weather, Halpenny’s crew meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., usually at High Key Brewing, for a five- or eight-kilometre run with good company, capped with a cold pint or two.
Three years ago, the run club — affectionately shortened to J&L by many who participate — started meeting at 9 Mile Legacy Brewing’s 20th Street taproom. When the taproom closed its doors, the group relocated its meeting place.
“There’s been blizzards and rainstorms,” Halpenny recalled. “I think we may have only cancelled maybe once or twice.
The crew meets nearly without fail — only missing the very occasional week when Wednesday falls on major holidays like Christmas or New Years and when it might be hazardous to the health of runners to go out, like during some smoky summer days last year.
“It’s been cold at times (but) that doesn’t seem to bother us,” Halpenny said, calling the group “hardcore people: We bundle up, we layer up, and we go hard.”
The Joggers & Lagers run club meets each week on Wednesday’s at 6:30 p.m. at High Key Brewing in Saskatoon. Each week, the group takes a selfie before setting out on its five and eight kilometre routes, like this photo on Jan. 7, 2026. (Joggers & Lagers/Facebook)
Preparing for the conditions
This winter has been largely similar to those past, with some extremely cold days and some milder ones. Halpenny said the recent warm-up, though, has posed problems for runners with some significant rutting and very slippery ice, and conditions changing daily.
It hasn’t slowed down those who are trying to get out for a workout and some fresh air, though. Halpenny said many will wear some form of spikes or studs on their shoes to increase traction or adjust their stance and run speed to still make a go of their daily workout mid-melt.
“If you can get to a trail where it’s exposed by the sun, it’s usually probably dry by now,” he said, “but in the shade or where it melts and runs the water runs over a sloped part of the trail, then that’s a challenge, because it’ll be like that until all the snow is gone.”
He said typically, runners won’t see this sort of ice until March.
The Meewasin River trails can be a bit of a mixed bag of conditions during a melt, but are generally safe and well-maintained, year-round.
Halpenny said there are a lot of great places to run throughout the winter in and around Saskatoon, including the very lower single-track trails along the river, trails outside the city and some at the off-leash dog parks.
Those areas, he said, have more trees and tend to be more sheltered, so they keep the snow longer.
Anytime there’s a thaw, however, that snow will turn to ice and bare spots will appear. Runners in less-than-perfect conditions simply need to be prepared to adjust their runs.
To dress for a winter run, Halpenny said it’s general practice to wear a light base layer, an outer wind shell and add a third layer in between, depending on the temperature.
“Some people bundle right up and all you can see is their eyes. But you have to be able to pare that down, too, as you run,” Halpenny said.
Head coverings, fingerless flip mittens, and layers that can generally be easily pulled up or off can make those transitions easy to shed or add layers.
“If you start running in the dark in the mornings, if it’s a long run, and by the time the sun comes up, even at this time of year, the sun has a bit of punch and it’ll warm you up a lot. So you have to be able to adjust on the fly again depending on how long your run is and how hard you’re pushing,” Halpenny recommended.
After their evening run, most of the crew will stick around and bond over drinks together at High Key Brewing. Some regulars and pop-in runners enjoy a round together after their run on Jan. 14, 2026. (Joggers & Lagers/Facebook)
Snow or shine
While the average person might have some funny remarks to say about people who brave the elements to run in the midst of a prairie winter, Halpenny said the club’s social element and the benefits running in a group can bring to mental health are some of the reasons he’ll brave temperatures and conditions beyond that of “fair weather.”
“People like to socialize in all weather,” he shared. “The cold, dark winter months are particularly tough, and we are a very social group. We’re very inclusive, we’re very supportive. We tap into all walks.”
Halpenny said runners of all ages and running abilities will come to High Key on any given Wednesday, even on the coldest nights of the year. New runners will show up one night, and then they’ll come back again and again.
He takes that as a sign that their group is on pace and heading in the right direction.
Halpenny himself tries to get out for a run three or four times a week, at varying distances. Some people might get out everyday, others maybe once a week. With spring running right around the corner — and the race season coming along with it — Halpenny noted that early spring running and mileage throughout the winter can build or maintain a base fitness for runners
He’ll often join in with other run clubs, too.
“Saskatoon is a very active city,” Halpenny said. “There’s lots of running people, lots of people that run.”
Whether training for a specific race and looking for others who run the same pace or people training with friends, Halpenny said the running community in the city offers something for every sort of runner.
“Just get out there and do it,” Halpenny encouraged. “I know conditions are never perfect, but in Saskatchewan, if you wait for perfect weather to do anything, you may never do it.”
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