November Project Expands to 15 Tribes

Understand #Turbo15 http://t.co/WfKQNC57eU @Nov_Project_NYC @Nov_Project_MKE @Nov_ProjectLAX pic.twitter.com/2BtSLOKGPO

— November Project (@Nov_Project) March 5, 2014

#FYeah! (Not the real version of their popular Twitter hashtag, but you can read between the lines.) The November Project (NP) has expanded to 15 cities.

Last December, we reported that the free fitness movement had expanded to seven cities and now the tribe is 15 strong with outposts in Boston, Madison, Wis., San Francisco, D.C., Edmonton, Denver, San Diego, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and new additions: NYC, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

In case you’ve been living under a rock (which seriously is the only way you haven’t heard about them by now) here’s how we describe the group:

Free fitness. Three early mornings a week. Stadiums, hills, runs; public, free, and social. Think: sweaty hugs. And this is not all bros and frat boys. The age range is anywhere from 18 to 80 (even plus or minus a few years in some cases), and some days it’s hundreds of people. Yes, hundreds.

And it is not just doing stadiums at the 107-year-old Harvard Stadium (which, by the way, is the oldest permanent concrete structure in the nation), or running hills, sometimes the group gets creative and uses their workout time to do good for the community, such as when they shoveled out the homes and driveways on Summit Ave. after a big snow storm.

We’ve reported on the group countless times: Back when they celebrated their one year anniversary; when they were starring in New Balance ads; when they held a nighttime ‘Ninja Race’; and when they graced the cover of Runner’s World) just to name a few. And you know what? We’ll keep covering NP until they hit 30 tribes and beyond. And come spring, if the group makes a few of the workouts in the South Boston area, we just may make a verbal commitment.

The November Project is so popular that it’s even spawned an imitator (err… copycat?). A group in NYC calling themselves “The Rise” is using social media (@TheRiseNYC) to bring in new members for their free, three-mornings-a-week workouts. Even though NYC is one of the November Project’s newest expansions, and even though The Rise is using popular NP hashtags like #justshowup for their “movement,” how does NP handle hearing about the copycat? With positivity and love, of course. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

@JennaDeutsch Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Look for NP in NYC soon! @WellandGoodNYC @TheRiseNYC @Johnhonerkamp @ArgoBatts

— November Project (@Nov_Project) March 3, 2014

Check out photos of the new tribes and updates from the November Project world on their blog.