Suffolk University is getting its very own run club on campus for the first time, starting this semester.
The club was started by Aydan Wulf, Imani Chanka, Collin Merwin and Aaron Blatt. All are students of the Suffolk Sawyer Business School. The club will meet on Tuesdays during the activities period. They will also hold additional events on various weekends throughout the month.
The group has had around 30 people sign its interest form after tabling in the Sawyer building, according to club vice president Aaron Blatt. The group hopes more people will join as their events get off the ground.
The club’s President Aydan Wulf said the idea for the club was hatched over the summer with Blatt. They said that work on the club really started this semester after Wulf and Blat met the other E-Board members in classes.
The group spoke about their plans for the fall semester, their vision for the club and how they hope to include people in their events.
“For this semester, we’re still trying to get started, but there are some races around Thanksgiving, like turkey trots, and all of that. Maybe we can get at least one race this semester, or do one event with another school,” Wulf said.
The group plans to hold club races each month where they will give away club merchandise. They also plan to hold club runs on certain weekends, and events during the week.
“One of the main ideas of the club is not necessarily the running itself. I mean, yes, the races are nice, connecting with other clubs is nice, but it’s more of like a community to build, to build a place where people can go and just connect with people,” said Collin Merwin, the club’s treasurer.
Merwin hopes that people feel comfortable joining the club, even people who may be new to the sport or running for fun with friends.
“It’s not just all or nothing. There’s different skill levels you can try, you can go all out or you can just be a little behind others and stay back and chit-chat more,” Merwin said. “You can get to know people more on a personal level, or you can go out and just compete with people that are, you know, maybe a part of the race teams here.”
The group also had advice for people considering taking up running.
“I would say just do it, just go for your first run. I feel like it’s a little bit daunting to start running, cause it’s like God everyone is going so fast and they can run so far, but you knock out the first mile and then all of a sudden you’re not gonna have more firsts than that,” Chanka said.
The club held its first general meeting on Oct. 29, and their first club run will be on Saturday Nov. 2.
The group encouraged everyone to join their events, with Chanka adding “if they’re feeling a little bit intimidated, they should just come check it out first before they take it off their plate 100 percent, just give it a try.”
