De Neve Plaza is a hub of student activity, from impromptu acoustic guitar sessions to skateboarding practice. However, like clockwork every evening, one event stands out among the fray.
As 5:15 p.m. hits and the sun starts to set behind the residential halls, a large group of people sprints through the courtyard, laughing, chatting and settling in for a run.
For the unknowing bystander, a common question comes to mind: Who are they?
Bruinrunners, UCLA’s official running club consisting of an eclectic mix of trained long-distance runners and inexperienced beginners, meets each evening at the entrance to Drake Stadium, and members run at a variety of paces along routes through Brentwood and Bel Air.
While some of the club’s members officially compete as part of the Bruinrunners team at contests put on by the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association, many more participate in less competitive events such as the Mud Run.
A large sector of the club, however, simply shows up at the top of Drake Stadium at 5 p.m. each day just to run, with no further ambitions than competing against themselves.
“It’s just a good way to burn some energy,” said co-president Ryan Lenart, a fourth-year electrical engineering student.
As he stretched at the top of Bruin Walk in preparation for yet another 7-mile run, Lenart stressed the importance of the friendships formed through the club’s training over the outcomes of races.
“My whole friend group is from running club, so I’ve developed long-lasting relationships from running club,” said first-year nursing student Ashley Louie. “I feel like I’ve become a better athlete as well because in high school you’re used to a coach training you, but with Bruinrunners you’re more independent.”
The club boasts a roster of talented athletes, newcomers to the sport of long-distance running and those who are just there for the experience – a diverse range of members all equally committed to the group. This daily commitment makes Bruinrunners unique from other club sports on campus.
The club’s latest activity encapsulated the group’s spirit of fun and competitiveness: San Francisco’s annual Bay to Breakers, where serious runners were sprinkled among the crazy costumes and spirited spectators that make up the iconic race, according to co-president Daniel Smith, a fourth-year statistics student.
While Lenart and Smith were two of three Bruins officially seeded in the race, many other members of the Bruinrunners raced well in addition to soaking in the eccentric environment and experiencing San Francisco at its finest.
Team members all set new personal records over the course of the 12-kilometer race, with two runners managing to place among the elite field.
“We all did the 8-clap when they got their awards on stage,” Louie said. “There was a lot of team bonding and all the practices and training paid off since we had runners who actually placed.”
Each member of Bruinrunners has his or her own background and journey to the sport, but each has found common ground in the running club – a place not only to train, but also to have other experiences as well.
“It’s just an awesome group of people who like to run and it’s a cool opportunity to facilitate that. We try to do a bunch of events that otherwise people wouldn’t be able to get to or find an opportunity to compete in,” Smith said. “We travel around to races that are outside of people’s normal college experience.”