We may now be in a “marathon boom” with more aspiring runners influenced by social media, run clubs and general wellness, according to NBC News. There has been a growth in runners and the number of participants in races, increasing the demand for marathon participants, particularly in the world’s seven most coveted races in London, New York, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, Boston and Sydney.
The trend has reached Dartmouth and the Upper Valley. On Oct. 19, the CHaD HERO fundraiser raised over $1 million from the half-marathon, 5K and mile race. Students and supporters set a fundraising record and nearly 400 participants ran the half-marathon.
Recreational running is prevalent among students and faculty. Physics professor Timothy Smith, who is also faculty advisor to the cross-country team, started running in his freshman year of high school in 1974. He went on to run in college at State University of New York Geneseo where he was the 1982 runner-up in the New York State Collegiate steeple chase and continued to run competitively for a few years after college, but took a break during graduate school.
At age 51, Smith returned to running as his kids graduated from high school. Over the years, he ran in the Brooklyn Half Marathon and the Fifth Avenue Mile. He’s also been involved in the running community in the Upper Valley.
“I joined a running club, and I’ve been involved with the Upper Valley Running Club for the last dozen years,” Smith said. “I was a coach for the Upper Valley Running Club and I’m very much into the running community around here.”
The club trains with other local running groups. During the winter, the Upper Valley Running Club has group workouts with the Dartmouth triathlon team and the endurance racing team, Smith said.
Smith said that running provides a strong foundation for other sports. Out of all the sports to choose from at 51, Smith chose running because it had low barriers to entry and because he loves hiking.
Similarly, Tilly Testa ’29, from Boulder, Colo., who ran the CHaD half-marathon with a time of 1:49:33, said she was naturally drawn to running given her family’s love for the outdoors and endurance activities.
“I feel like my happy place is being outside just because that’s where I felt closest to my family,” she said.
Testa joined the cross-country team in high school and said running helped her “connect” with other people.
“I made all of my close friends in high school through the cross country team,” she said.
At Dartmouth, Testa has used the same approach to making friends and found a rewarding community among friends she runs with. Testa does not put her mind to running a specific distance each time. Rather, she prefers to explore the Upper Valley and get lost.
Despite the popularity of running for many students in the Upper Valley, not everyone has joined the trend.
As a former state-level golfer and tennis player, Severin Harmon ’29 only appreciates running in a group setting and “rarely goes on runs on [his] own.”
“I’m pretty content with the ways that I stay active,” Harmon said.
However, seeing so many runners at Dartmouth, Harmon admits he sometimes has second thoughts.
“Seeing so many people running all the time and hearing about all of these running events that go on with Dartmouth certainly makes me consider running more,” he said.
Autumn Nembhard ’29, on the other hand, has a stronger distaste for running. Despite being a former lacrosse player, a Scottish Highland competitive dancer and a daily gym-goer, running is something that she wants nothing to do with.
“I absolutely hate running,” Nembhard said.
Nembhard said running was the “worst type of cardio you could do” because it’s so “repetitive” and “without a goal.”
“You’re just punishing yourself to do extra-fast walking when you can just walk,” Nembhard said. “Running is just unnecessary at its core.”
For newer runners, Smith advised using a calendar to maintain the habit of running while accounting for rest.
Testa advises prospective runners to find their own motivation for running.
“Look for reasons to do it for yourself and start with no expectations,” she said.
