On Wednesday night, the UO Student Recreation Center hosted a Nike+ Run Club group run for students and community members to stay fit and explore the Eugene campus area.
University of Oregon students and local runners alike joined to form a pack of about 50 who ran either three or five miles round trip along with Nike’s team of “pacers,” many of whom are also students.
Nike provided reflective bibs and flashlights for the runners to safely navigate the trails at night and store their valuables. Trainers from the SRC led a dynamic warmup for all the runners where they convened at Hayward Field before they departed towards the Autzen footbridge.
After crossing the Willamette and winding to Autzen Stadium, the runners merged onto Pre’s Trail and looped back to campus. Upon returning to Hayward Field at the conclusion of their runs, they gathered for a raffle giveaway of two pairs of running shoes from the Nike Running Eugene store.
The SRC and Nike+ Run Club have collaborated on a handful of runs every month or so on campus and have seen attendance of up to 75 per session. They’re usually evenly divided between students and local running enthusiasts.
Since its beginnings in April 2012, the regular crowd at the Nike+ Run Club has seen an increase in student attendance with UO and Lane students, comprising of around a fifth of the turnout at non-campus runs.
“We strive to serve all types of runners—all ages, all capabilities and all levels. Our main goal is to bring the running community together,” said Lauren Holton, who has been a part of Nike+ Run Club since 2013. “We love seeing new faces and we love expanding the running community here in Track Town USA.”
Nike+ Run Club offers students a connection to opportunities to participate in running events that are happening in the community, as well as occasional discounts for races.
“We really are a little family,” Holton said. “You get support from, you get encouragement. The bigger we can make that family, the better.”
Nike+ Run Club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m., and Monday at 9 a.m., at Nike Running Eugene at Oakway Center for runs routed around Autzen Stadium, through Alton Baker Park and along the Willamette River.
The SRC is also encouraging students to participate in this year’s Ducks Unite Fitness Week (formerly known as Pac-12 Challenge, a five-day period for the UO community to exercise, track its activity and compare its results with other Pac-12 schools.) The SRC will host events throughout the week and offer prizes for logging at least 120 minutes of activity.
Those interested can log up to 120 minutes daily here during the Ducks Unite Fitness Week from Feb. 23-27.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @kennyjacoby