By Karianne Salisbury
Ready, set, run. The BYU Running Club kicked off the semester Friday with organized groups and running times to help students get out and run.
“The club is for anyone and everyone,” said David Murphy, the club president. “It is designed to accommodate anyone at every level.”
The Running Club is one of the newest clubs on campus and has already set up running groups organized by ability for students running to stay in shape, training for a race or working towards joining a team.
Whether a student is interested in joining the recreational, road racer or pre-varsity groups, the Running Club offers support and unofficial coaching.
Matt Fisher, a graduate student studying sociology, is the leader of the recreational group, which he said focuses more on people who run for exercise.
Fisher started running for the first time in December 2004 and, although he has asthma, stuck with it and increased both his skill and ability. Now, as a leader, Fisher makes sure everything goes well with the group and helps other people gain a greater appreciation for running.
“I thought it”d be a great opportunity to help people who were like me get excited about running,” Fisher said.
Murphy, a senior double majoring in physiology and developmental biology and exercise science, said he believes there are lots of people interested in running at BYU but who might not have the motivation or people to run with.
“It”s always hard to find a roommate or someone at your same level who wants to run,” Murphy said.
The Running Club wants to help solve this problem by introducing students to a community of runners who run together at least three times a week.
In addition to benefits that come for those in training or wanting to get in better shape, running also offers students a break from school.
“Running is really therapeutic,” Murphy said. “You can find yourself and clear your mind of all the stress.”
According to the club”s mission statement, it will “promote running to help its members improve health and well being, achieve running goals and meet new people regardless of their age or level of ability.”
The Running Club, as Murphy puts it, is for the people at BYU who have goals to get out and run. Information about times and meeting locations can be found on the club”s Web site, runningclub.byu.edu.
(For comments, e-mail Karianne Salisbury at )
