After an extensive cross country and track and field career dating back to primary school, third-year Dean McLane was ready for a change. He knew he wanted to continue running, and he knew didn’t want to do it alone. However, the austere “clock in, clock out” nature of most running organizations could not scratch the itch.
Once arriving at UC San Diego, he found just what he was looking for in his search at the Strides Running Club.
“I was like ‘OK, it genuinely feels like everybody’s here, at least in part, for the connections,’” McLane said. “They want to show up and make friends and talk to people and connect with other runners, and then maybe they won’t even go home right after that. Maybe they’ll go grab dinner.”
Since its revival in 2021, Strides Running Club has endeavored to strike the consummate balance between community and fitness by forging a space for holistic self-improvement on campus.
A typical run begins in front of the RIMAC gym, where an amalgamation of runners decide the routes, distances, and paces for the day together. Destinations range from La Jolla Shores to Mount Soledad and Lake Miramar.
The secret to Strides’ vibrant community lies in the club’s 20 or so appointed officers who “take care” of the runners on their daily jogs, according to club president and third-year student Jonathan Ho. Before the run, this primarily means facilitating the social aspects of the session. No runner is left out of the circles of chatter that dot RIMAC’s patio.
“Someone I met in the club found out that I was alone for Thanksgiving and she invited me over,” said third-year mentorship chair Jessica Ly. “You don’t know who you’re going to meet, and you don’t know what kind of relationships you can foster.”
Third-year Petal Radner added, “It’s the community; [that]’s just something that the treadmill can’t replace.”
Simplicity has always been the key for Strides, which has made a concerted effort to disengage from this modern world of college clubs increasingly defined by exclusivity and career progression. Instead, Strides stands as an organic and casual space free of academic bantering and LinkedIn connection requests.
Broadly, this easygoing show-up-and-have-a-good-time approach has yielded success for the organization, with some runs drawing more than 100 runners. The low barrier to entry has created a melting pot of individuals from a variety of different backgrounds and skill levels.
However, many Strides regulars come from more formal running backgrounds; a quick scan of attire reveals involvement in high school cross country teams and participation in races and fun runs.
Second-year Abby Larsen, an ex-high school cross country runner, concurred. While she savors the chance to listen to her music and calibrate her pace and distance on solo runs, she finds that longer runs often benefit from company. Both Radner and Larsen agreed that the community of running in a group alleviates the pain to help them finish tough sessions.
The relaxed environment of Strides is a welcome break for those who used to endure 6:00 a.m. practices and double-digit mile runs. Radner remembers the constricting single-distance and speed format of his high school cross country days, as well as the constant pressure to improve. Since transferring to UCSD this fall, Radner has found that Strides offered him a chance to continue doing what he enjoys, at his own pace.
“[Strides] is not as good for overall fitness because I can take breaks and stuff, but that casual setting is way more open and accepting than cross country,” Radner said.
For every formalized runner like Radner or Larsen, there is a first-time runner looking to reap the practical benefits of the sport. Strides’ offering of three distances and a variety of different paces for each run reflects the gamut of fitness goals these runners seek — ranging from completing a mile without stopping or getting race-ready. For those looking for the latter, Strides participates in several local races, including the La Jolla Half Marathon and Triton 5K.
Many students use the group nature of Strides to challenge themselves. Third-year Ronaldo Sanchez, who first encountered Strides at the La Jolla Half Marathon, recalled instinctively speeding up to keep pace with those around him.
“Once I see other people go past that pace that I’m comfortable with, it gives me a sense of: ‘I can run it quicker,’” Sanchez said.
Radner, who is working on the all-too-familiar goal of obtaining a six-pack before Thanksgiving break, has already seen improvements. On his latest Strides run to La Jolla Shores, he successfully made it up the steep hill “without dying.”
“Just seeing myself improve over time or just exercising knowing that I’m getting a little bit more fit is enough to make me go, ‘Alright, I’m having fun here,’” Radner said.For McLane, this is the essence of the club.
“We’re all there for the same reason, right? We want to get exercise, and we want to do it with people instead of alone, and there’s a lot of value in that.”
