The new Run Club at Occidental seeks to close the gap between sports on campus and recreational athletic activities through running. Club President Sloan Wittliff (senior) and Vice Presidents Jordan Deemer (senior) and Burch Sansbury-Carter (sophomore) said that creating a space to participate in something active and social is integral to the Run Club.
“Running is such a restorative thing to do to better yourself and make friends. That’s the premise of this club,” Deemer said. “Having a space to do something that makes us feel better every day while feeling more like a community.”
Committed to the pillars of community building, Wittliff said they wanted to create a place for all runners, with or without experience.
“We want it to be very inclusive,” Wittliff said. “Whatever fitness level, wherever you are coming from, that’s okay.”
According to Wittliff, newcomers to the club can expect more informal runs with social activities. More serious runners can expect a higher-intensity program, including workouts and longer runs, that meets more regularly.
“For people who are looking for a social space to run and that’s not hard, we have that,” Wittliff said. “Two practices a week tailored towards that. Three additional practices that are a little more intense.”
According to Deemer, club members will also receive emotional and physical support from current and former athletes.
“As for emotional support, all people running this club are former athletes,” Deemer said. “We also know what it’s like to struggle in your prospective sport. Running is hard, there is no denying that, but we want to be there to help out.”
Besides the extreme LA heat, the Run Club recognizes there will be challenges. According to Wittliff, at a recent SLICE meeting for new club training, Wittliff and Sansbury-Carter discovered they were both starting a run club at Occidental. Both had already set up leadership, schedules and future plans in their respective clubs.
“We both went to the club leadership training, and I said we’re starting a run club,” Wittliff said. “And one of the leaders of the other run club also said, ‘We’re also starting a run club.’”
Sansbury-Carter said that although both clubs could have operated separately, they agreed to merge into one Run Club.
“We thought these people were cool; let’s choose compromise over complication because having two clubs at the same time would be a little silly,” Sansbury-Carter said.
According to Sansbury-Carter, both clubs started preparations for their run clubs in the Spring 2024. Their goals, ideologies and vision for the Run Club were similar.
“Me and Sheilyn started working on the club in spring of last year. Little did we know that we were both working together on the same thing,” Sansbury-Carter said.
According to Wittliff, the Run Club took an optimistic view of the merger because of the additional leadership.
“We all have strengths to bring to the table that will hopefully make it a popular club,” Wittliff said.
Wittliff said the club also has plans to connect with the larger community through city runs, such as 5Ks, 10Ks and marathons around LA.
“We have two to three races planned around LA,” Wittliff said. “Half marathon, 5K and 10K, just for anyone if they want it.”
Sansbury-Carter said the Run Club wants to make a change through their running efforts.
“Running for causes is super important to us,” Sansbury-Carter said. “We are trying to run for charities. There are so many things to run for.”
According to Deemer, for anyone unsure about joining the club, the journey of running is a rewarding experience.
“Running is always there for you; you just need a pair of shoes and a place to run,” Deemer said. “If you’re hesitant, just trust the process and kind of lean into that fear because in doing so, you find that you develop a new kind of confidence that you didn’t even know you had in the first place.”
Contact Elise Kim at ekim8@oxy.edu
