Pepperdine Running Club turns an individual sport into an opportunity for wellness, community and belonging on campus.
Alum Zach Dalzell (‘22) founded the club in 2019.
Pepperdine Running Club boasts 75 members and according to its mission statement, is centered around building community and finding opportunities for everyone to exercise physical and emotional wellness.
Senior Morgan Croshal, the club’s current president, said the club hosts two to three events a week, involving a trail run on the weekends, Thursday track night and one other weekly running or training event. Members of Pepperdine Running Club can count on these events every week, rain or shine.
Track Thursday is the main consistent club meeting each week, involving running around the Pepperdine track or participating in various track-specific workouts, Croshal said.
“By having three practice days a week, people find a very consistent sense of community,” Croshal said.
Alumna and former President Cassidy Blaha (‘24) said the club offers a variety of events to accommodate different skill levels and interests within the running community on campus.
“We tried to mix up what kinds of runs we did so that we could suit everyone,” Blaha said.
The club is inclusive and open to all students on campus, regardless of their experience with running, Blaha said. At each meeting, club members have the option to run as a group, individually or participate in other workouts they would like. Some running club meetings include running from main campus to Ralphs Beach, running to Malibu Bluffs, hiking to the cross or just jogging on the track.
Sophomore Anthony Benavidez, the club’s race coordinator, started running in high school and found that it was a great way to release stress, especially during midterms and finals.
He began attending the running club this year, and was very excited about the energetic group the first time he attended the club.
“Everyone was super pumped and hyped to run,” Benavidez said.
Benavidez has found a great sense of community through the organization.
“It feels great to have a lot of people that enjoy running with you,” he said.
Running is a great opportunity for people to take a break from school and bond with one another, Blaha said.
“Getting to go for a run with someone at 4:30 a.m. is such a great form of bonding that you can’t really find anywhere else,” Blaha said.
Croshal said running was a source of community for her before she came to Pepperdine, and she sought out similar communities as soon as she came to college.
“The second week of [my] freshman year is when the club hosted their very first Track Thursday,” Croshal said.
Croshal has been a member of Pepperdine Running Club since her first year and joined the executive board her junior year. During her first year, Croshal said she was recovering from an injury and found community support through the club.
“A lot of the girls would go on runs with me when I was training,” Croshal said.
Blaha said running as an individual activity has been helpful in fostering mental and spiritual wellness.
“It is a very impactful part of my life, it’s such a constant,” Blaha said. “If I am stressed, I can go for a run, if I need to think about things, I can go for a run. It is a very gratifying thing for me to do.”
Each semester, the club participates in a local race. Croshal said the race is an opportunity for members to have a specific goal to train for during the duration of the semester. This semester, the club planned to participate in the Great Race of Agoura Hills at the beginning of April.
Participating in Pepperdine Running Club helped Croshal stay consistent, committed and accountable in accomplishing her goals.
“Whether my goal was to make it through a track workout or to run a half marathon, they were always there cheering me on in that goal,” Croshal said.
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Contact Cassandra Barron via email: cassandra.barron@pepperdine.edu
