Rain, shine or snow, there’s one constant to be found 6:30 p.m. at the Armory from Mondays to Thursdays: a group of college students ready to run.
“We usually run outside through anything. Only when it’s really bad do we take it indoors,” Emily Ewers, president of the Illini Runners and graduate student, said.
Despite low numbers in the summer, the Ilini Runners continue throughout the year.
“It gives us a sense of motivation when we have someone to run with,” Nell Pounder, graduate student and fifth-year member of the Illini Runners said. “There’s some days when nobody else shows up, and then I have a lot less reasons to run.”
For the summer, the club combines with the Illinois Track and Cross Country Club to boost numbers and make sure people always have someone to run with, Ewers said.
With the recent stormy weather conditions, the club has been forced to push back the times some days but has trudged on, despite being caught in the rain a few times.
The club has been around for approximately 10 years, exploring different areas on campus and in Champaign-Urbana.
“My favorite place to run is the Arboretum,” Pounder said. “It is something different and really peaceful there.”
The runners usually go for three to five miles, depending on what pace each runner wants to run.
They typically split into various pace groups when there are more people.
Although they usually run simply to run, sometimes the runners go on ice cream runs to different shops in the city of Champaign to cool off on hot days.
“We try to switch it up a bit sometimes but mostly just focus on running and meeting people,” Ewers said.
Ewers also sends out e-mails with different road races and track meets in the area, encouraging participants to join.
“I like running because it gives me a chance to think and to release a lot of energy,” said Yusuke Kuwayama, graduate student and sixth-year member.
Kuwayama keeps coming because he enjoys meeting new people and staying in shape.
“If I hadn’t done this, there are a lot of people I never would have met,” Ewers said. “I’ll keep doing this all my time here.”