Student stays active with running club | The Voyager

Robin Thompson, a senior public health major, has found a way to stay active and have fun at the University of West Florida by bringing students who run together.

Thompson, who founded the UWF Running Club last August, is also the president.

?Everybody needs someone to run with,? Thompson, the president and founder of the UWF Running Club, said.

She said the purpose of the club is to get people into running without feeling they have to compete.

?Competition isn?t the incentive,? she said.? ?The incentive is to be more active.?

The club has about 30 members who run at different times of the week.? They post the times on Google Docs.

People can compare their running schedules with other in the club and choose running partners.

Thompson said the club vice president, Anna Bauer, a sophomore,was a huge asset she started the club.? Thompson said Bauer coordinates the runs, the events and the volunteer work.

The group will be doing volunteer work in the coming weeks, giving out water and supporting the runners in the Santa Rosa Triathlon.

They also hope to run a ?trash trot,? a run during which they pick up trash on campus.

Thompson also mentioned doing a shoe drive.? She said she is setting the goal higher this year by donating the shoes to organizations such as the Manna and the Waterfront Rescue Mission.

Thompson said she is planning to set up long runs for people who are interested in training or who just want to run with a group.

She has been using a website called www.mapmyruns.com to create a trail using local streets and locations.? She encourages runners to try it out.

Thompson said she wasn?t sure what she?s going to do after she graduates.? She said she would like to work for the National Intramural Recreation Sports Association or get a job in her field with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

She said she will graduate in the spring and hand the reins over to Bauer.

Thompson said she hopes to have shirts printed with the recreation logo, saying ?No matter what the pace, you?re faster than the guy on the couch.?

Upcoming community events include the Pensacola Seafood Festival 5k at 7:30 a.m. this Saturday at Seville Quarter and the Santa Rosa Island Triathalon at 7 a.m. on Oct. 1 at Pensacola Beach.

By Josh Cooper
Staff Writer

Source: http://www.thevoyager.net/2011/09/student-stays-active-with-running-club/

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