For runners who miss the structure and the social aspect of running in a group, a campus running club offers students just that.

The Christian Student Fellowship Running Club meets every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and on Fridays at 10 a.m. The club normally runs roughly three miles at various places around campus and the surrounding neighborhoods.

With around 10 consistent members, the running club is not a formal club and there are no dues or required equipment, Austin Searcy, president of the running club, said.

 Searcy is an intern with CSF, where the club meets. He ran at his high school and missed running in college, so he brought together like-minded students.

“I love running, I’ve always ran,” Searcy said. “I wanted to meet some new people, bring some new people in. So through that opportunity I started the running club.”

Originally the club started small at CSF before it eventually expanded to include all of WKU, Searcy said.

Searcy said there are plenty of benefits to running, not only is it a good way to stay physically healthy but it can be a social and friendship building activity as well.

“A lot of sports you don’t necessarily have conversations while you’re playing the sport,” Searcy said. “Running is different. Normally you talk while running. It’s a chance to have those one on one conversations with no distractions.”

As a college student, Searcy said running has also become a stress outlet for him.

“After a long day you go on a run and the world disappears. No one’s trying to get a hold of you. You’re not looking at your phone,” Searcy said. “You’re just out by yourself.”

Even if a student is just starting to run, Searcy encourages them to stop by and join in the activity.

“It’s also nice to see other people’s improvements and how quickly they meet their goals,” Searcy said.

Searcy does believe the weather will cause some slowing, but he has not noticed any measurable difference in turnout yet.

“We’re kind of learning as we go. This is our first semester of it,” Searcy said. “So far it hasn’t been too bad. The weather has been pretty consistent.”

For more information about the club, follow them on Instagram @csfclubs. 

News reporter Michael Crimmins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @michael_crimm