The newly revamped Ole Miss Club Running offers the opportunity to get some exercise and connect with fellow runners.
The club meets on Monday evenings at the Rail Trail by the South Campus Recreation Center. On Thursdays, the club meets at other parks around Oxford, such as Whirlpool Trails, Mtrade Park or Lamar Park.
The club was founded in 2017 but lost traction after only two years. Maddie Gossett and Ansley McNutt helped get the club back on its feet in 2023.
Gossett, the former president and a current participant in the running club, is a junior exercise science major from Scottsboro, Ala. McNutt, the current president, is a junior finance and real estate double major from Lebanon, Tenn.
“The team has been around for multiple years, but it had lost some traction and needed a revamp,” McNutt said. “In fall of 2023, Maddie Gossett and I restarted the club, and we have been going strong since then. Since spring of last year, we have over doubled in members.”
Sirena Pridgen, a sophomore allied health studies with a pathway in nursing from Dalton, Ga., serves as the club’s secretary.
“Since (the club reorganized) it has grown increasingly,” Pridgen said. “We went from having three people at practice to 10-12 people at practice.”
Pridgen described a typical practice for the club.
“The day of practice, we create a poll to see how many people are coming to practice,” Pridgen said. “Before we start running, we do any announcements and we talk about how far people want to run (just to make sure we know where everyone is and they are not left behind). Then we start running, and … once done, we make sure everyone is back and not injured.”
McNutt described the twice-weekly runs.
“At practices, we usually fall into two to three groups, making sure that everyone can go (at) a pace and distance they’re comfortable with,” McNutt said. “On an average day, our groups range anywhere from one mile to six miles.”
For McNutt, the running club provides a community of people who love running at any level.
“When Maddie and I restarted the club in 2023, our goal was to provide a place where runners of any level could come build community and be around people with the same hobby,” McNutt said. “We were lucky enough to have found an amazing, ever-growing group of runners to call our team.”
Gossett emphasized the close bonds among the runners in the club.
“Once everyone is finished running, we usually have some time to just hang out and chat with each other, which has been a great way to build community and to cool down after a run,” Gossett said.
Xyander Renteria, a junior electrical engineering major from Amarillo, Texas, who serves as the club’s treasurer, said that the Ole Miss Club Running provided him with an opportunity to prepare for a personal goal.
“I had been running for about a year before I heard about the club back in December of 2023 and had been wanting to train for a marathon,” Renteria said. “So I joined to motivate myself and train.”
Renteria emphasized that although many members are experienced runners, the club is open to runners of all skill levels.
“Most practices, everyone just runs at their own pace and mileage and find someone running around the same,” Renteria said.
McNutt elaborated on the club’s diversity in running skillset.
“I would encourage anyone who has an interest in running to join,” McNutt said. “No matter your experience, you will find someone who is in the same shoes as you. We have a super diverse group of runners ranging from first-timers to marathoners.”
For McNutt and other members of the Ole Miss Club Running, the organization has created a community.
“Even through the hot, the cold, the rain and the ice, these people show up day after day, and I couldn’t be more thankful,” McNutt said. “This team has really made Ole Miss feel like home to me.”
More information about Ole Miss Club Running can be found on their Instagram @olemissclubrunning_.
