With the UO’s dominance in college sports and such a vast population of active students and athletes, there are so many opportunities for students to get active and get involved in club sports. Ranging from hockey to ultimate frisbee, Oregon has it all, including the UO Running Club. The head coach Tom Heinonen, who has coached at the UO for almost three decades, is a member of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame.
The UO Running Club is a no-cut club sport founded in 2003, allowing any student at any level of running to come to optional practices whenever they want and allows students to train at their own pace. “The club is really here to get people fit and with a purpose,” Bob Williams, the assistant coach of the team, said. “It serves as an anchor point for students to look forward to.”
The team meets every school day during the fall, winter and spring terms at 3 p.m. on the intramural field next to the Student Recreation Center and south of 15th Avenue. Runners then have the opportunity to run at whatever pace is desired, and they can choose how far they run and who they run with. For runners that are looking for something a little less casual, Keaton Ibendahl, the student coordinator, said, “Tuesdays are more structured days, so during the fall that looks like going to the cemetery to do a workout like running laps there, running around the turf or wherever on Pre’s Trail. Then during the spring, we do track workouts on Tuesday evenings in Hayward Field, which is really cool.”
Along with the combination of casual and welcoming practices and more training-focused workouts, the team also has competitive cross-country and track opportunities as well. The team has competed in four races so far this year, including races in Eugene, Portland and Salem. When referring to past and upcoming races, Ibendahl said, “At our last race at Lewis and Clark in Portland, last weekend, we had around 20 to 30 athletes. Every winter, we also go up to Seattle to run an indoor mile at the University of Washington. We take 24 people on that trip, and it fills up as soon as we send that email out.”
The UO Running Club also gets involved in local events around Eugene, including the “Run to Stay Warm” half-marathon that will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17. Along with the half-marathon, runners have the choice to run a 10K or a 5K that begins at the Eugene Water & Electric Board building and goes through Alton Baker Park and the Ruth Bascom River Path. The annual race raises funds for the Eugene Water & Electric Board in support of residents who are struggling to pay their utility bills. With the race being at the end of the club’s fall season, it has become a tradition for students to participate. For those who choose to run, coaches Heinonen and Williams will give runners certain workouts with sets of interval or distance running, specific to the training needed for the 5K or half-marathon.
Ibendahl talked about her experience being a part of the team. “We try to incorporate day trips as well, like we did a day trip to the McKenzie River so our costs were just $10,” she said. “We did a trail run on the McKenzie River Trail, we went to the Belknap Hot Springs, ate pizza and stopped at a farm stand and got pumpkins. We try to do little things like that.”
With support from the coaches and students with diverse opportunities for people of all levels of experience, the UO Running Club offers plenty of ways for students to stay active and become a part of the community.
For more information about the UO Running Club and events, you can check out their Instagram @uorunclub or their website uorunning.com. For more information about the “Run to Stay Warm” half-marathon, you can also visit their website and register to run at https://runtostaywarm.com/.
A new club attendee talks with the club running coach, and former Oregon Cross Country coach, Tom Heinonen. The Oregon Running Club is a group that gets together on campus to run together and train for races. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)
