Bennie starts weekly run club
On Monday mornings, CSB students can join fellow Bennies to run in St. Joe followed by meditation.
In a new attempt to empower women amid the dangers of running alone outside, CSB students can now run together on Mondays with the Bennie Run Club. Mari Hermerding, a CSB senior and climate justice coordinator for the IWL, started the venture to add approachability and fun to an activity that many shy away from, as well as to make an important statement about the safety of running as a woman, especially in the early hours of the day.
The formation of the club was inspired by Hermerding’s own troublesome experience while running this past summer, as well as a story halfway across the country that shed a new light on her own run. Hermerding comes from a family of runners and is comfortable lacing up her shoes and hitting the street, often without a second thought. However, this summer she was followed by a man on a motorcycle for several blocks until he eventually took off after she turned on to a busy road.
“In the moment it was pretty scary—I didn’t really know what to do,” Hermerding said. “[After the fact], I didn’t really think much of it because it happens to a lot of people unfortunately. That’s just part of life, and it’s just something I have to live with.”
The news of the abduction and murder of 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher, a regular pre-dawn jogger, spurred Hermerding to reconsider this view and her own experience. She decided to take action by starting the Bennie Run Club. The club, which meets at 6:15 a.m. on Monday mornings, provides an avenue to make the outdoors a safe, comfortable and empowering space, even under streetlight. Bennies will run two miles throughout St. Joe, then gather for a meditation practice led by the CSB+SJU Mediation Club to reset before the start of another hectic week.
She acknowledges that the early start time is not ideal for everyone. Hermerding emphasized that the club is meant primarily to make running accessible and to make a statement. She considered suggestions for an afternoon HIIT or yoga session but ultimately returned to running as a way to take back the space that some women feel is not available to them.
“The whole idea is to stay together, run as a pack, show that we’re all here for each other and we’re all safe together,” Hermerding said.
Runners will sign up weekly, allowing opportunities for more runners to enjoy the club and to be flexible for those who can’t commit to running every Monday morning. Currently, there are 10 runners signed up. Hermerding is hopeful that as the weather warms up, more students will join and sees the club potentially expanding beyond one morning a week. Additionally, she hopes that word of mouth will spark interest, once Bennies realize that after they’re up and out the door, an early morning run is energizing and empowering.
“We’re just trying to make it a warm, welcoming, affirmative space,” Hermerding said.
