Can you tell us about the club and how it got started?
Hannah Roe is a student at Kirkwood who has a background in running throughout high school. She missed the team atmosphere, so during her first year at Kirkwood, she expressed interest in starting a running club. Jolene Bruno is an employee at Kirkwood who is known to run on campus often, so they reached out to her to see if she would be interested in advising this club. Hannah and Jolene met up and discussed their vision for a Running Club and spent the spring of 2023 planning and implementing the club.
What is the purpose of the club?
The purpose of the club is to give runners a community to belong to while they are attending Kirkwood. We want everyone to feel included and give people the opportunity to make new connections. It is meant to be a fun activity for those needing a break from daily obligations.
When and where do you meet?
Members of Running Club are sent a schedule every week of where and when the runs will be for the upcoming week. At this point we are staying on campus, but hope to expand our runs off-campus.
What do meetings consist of?
So far, meetings consist only of running. Runners know how far and at what pace each run will be, and come to the meetings that will have a distance/pace that they are able to maintain. Eventually we will have some Rec Center workouts included.
What are some of the benefits of joining?
Some people find it difficult to motivate themselves to run alone. Having someone or a group of people to run with has proven to be extremely beneficial to helping people achieve their goals. There are numerous mental and physical benefits to being active, and we want to support people in their journeys to a healthier state of being. Also, there is safety in numbers, so we hope that people who don’t always feel safe running alone will join us.
How can students join?
Email Hannah Roe (Hannah-roe@student.kirkwood.edu) or Jolene Bruno (jolene.bruno@kirkwood.edu)
Who are members of the leadership team?
Hannah Roe is the Captain and Jolene Bruno is the Advisor. As the club grows, we hope to have opportunities for more positions, such as additional co-captains to organize and lead runs.
Do you have plans for upcoming events?
Our main focus at this point is to develop a running schedule that accommodates all of our members. Once we have gained a core group of members and are confident that we are serving the needs of those members, we hope to expand to participating in community events and fundraising.
Is there anything you would like to add?
We created this club with the objective of making running a fun and enjoyable activity for our members, and to create a positive environment at Kirkwood. Although running regularly can be a bit intimidating, we are here to uplift our members and help keep them motivated to achieve their goals.
Outreach Coordinator | Distribution Manager
Categories: Club Corner, Feature
