Ja’Naz Crawley and Beryl Mbanwi have known each other for a few weeks; however, their shared belief that running can be an escape from the stresses of everyday life has brought them together to create a new club on campus.
“Running helps me feel free,” Crawley said. “You don’t really have to worry about anything like homework, your only goal is to put one foot in front of the other.”
Second-year middle school education major, Ja’Naz Crawley and third-year computer information systems major, Beryl Mbanwi are creating a new run club at Stevenson University R.A.C.E, which stands for Running and Community Engagement. Their motivation for creating the club is sparked by both their peace found while running and the desire to build new relationships.
“Running with people is always about having conversations,” Crawley said. “You get to know other people and you get a chance to know what their aspirations are because people open up while running.”
Mbanwi, a transfer student from Prince George’s Community College, explained that this club would help build connections on campus.
“The first thing I would love to get from this club is a community and a group of friends, and as a transfer student I don’t have any friends on campus,” Mbanwi said.
Crawley and Mbanwi hope to build a community of runners that encourages each other. Crawley believes that no matter the skill level running is an activity that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re not the fastest runner you can be the slowest runner and you can still feel the freedom of it,” Crawley said.
Mbanwi is a member of the U.S. military in the branch of the army. The importance of running for Mbanwi is interconnected with her army training.
“I have to run,” Mbanwi said. “So, I might as well join a running club or something to get my time a little bit better and to stay healthier.”
Crawley and Mbanwi expressed that a running community on campus could help students stay dedicated to the exercise lifestyle. Reseachers at Pen State University in 2017 found that college students engage in less exercise compared to their time spent in high school.
“65% of students reported engagement in regular vigorous and 26% in regular moderate physical activity during high school,” researchers write. “Upon follow-up however, during their college years 38% of students participated in regular vigorous and 20% moderate PA.”
An outcome of the creation of the club that Crawley has considered is that it can act as an outlet for out-of-state students to see the natural sights of Maryland.
“I would love to go on off-campus hikes,” Crawley said. “There’s so much in the world that we don’t get to see all the time, so people who are not from Maryland probably do not know the scenery in the area, and I think it would be cool to show them around.”
Students that are interested in joining the run club can find flyers displayed on event boards on campus with a QR code that leads to an interest form. Crawley explained that the first interest meeting for the club will take place towards the end of the 2025 spring semester after more students fill out the form.
“College can be very stressful,” Crawley said. “So, I want this club to be somewhere where people can come here and meet new friends.”
