7 Exploring the Role of Running in Fostering Collegiate Ideals

By: Baihui Cao, Zhiqi Huang, Siyu Wang, Rui Kong

History

The University of Washington’s digital archives highlight the historical significance of running as a popular sport among students, both male and female, during the early 20th century. Several images provide insights into how running was promoted and developed at UW during this era. The archives feature a wide variety of sports-related resources, including high-quality photographs and well-documented collections, prompting curiosity about their management. Covering the years 1903 to 1951, the artifacts illustrate the rich and diverse history of running at UW, showcasing various types of races and activities. The digital archives of the University of Washington reveal that running was a popular sport among students, both men and women, as early as the 20th century. Artifacts from 1903 to 1951, including images of various running activities, highlight the rich and diverse history of the sport at UW.

Why Running?

The benefits of running| Why we should run? 

Video Credit: HellahGood         CC license: BY

Exercise expert Hellah Good highlights several benefits of running, including the opportunity to connect with nature, boost confidence, relieve stress, feel a sense of control and personal growth, foster companionship, and establish a healthy routine. This video is particularly valuable for our article, as Hellah Good, a passionate runner who regularly shares his experiences on YouTube, demonstrates how running integrates seamlessly into his life. His journey can serve as an inspiration and motivation for many runners, including college students. This aligns perfectly with our theme, showcasing how these benefits can support students in shaping and achieving their collegiate ideals.

Connection to the Place of Sports in the University

The place of sports in the university is a community where students can actively engage and interact through shared experiences. They need to cooperate or interact and improve both their physical and mental health through playing different kinds of sports, which can be motion or stationary. And also they can start a new friendships from different backgrounds with common interests together. Or that place can create a way for students to relax.

How Running is Represented on Campus

The first photo captures the University of Washington women’s cross-country team at the start of the 2016 Washington Invitational, showcasing their determination and competitive spirit as they race alongside top athletes. The second photo features the men’s cross-country team in action, running in a tight pack while receiving encouragement and strategic advice from their coach during the same event.

Both images exemplify the essence of running as a sport that demands discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. In cross-country, success is not just about individual performance but also about collective effort—each runner’s contribution is critical to the team’s overall success. This aligns closely with the collegiate ideal, which emphasizes holistic development through both individual achievement and community engagement.

Conversation with Runners

 “So I would say, running isn’t just a way to stay healthy, it’s also a space for me to connect with others who share similar passions as me, challenge myself, and represent my personal growth.” — Current UW Student

Through interviews with peers and family members at the University of Washington (UW), our group explored the multiple impacts of running on college students’ lives. Most interviewees think running not only our physical fitness but also personal growth, social connection, and relieving their stress. Additionally, one interviewee emphasized that running is a metaphor for the college journey itself, with its ups and downs, moments of triumph, and periods of struggle. Even though all the interviewees indicated that they started running at a very young age, some of them take running as coping for exams, course requirements, or losing weight. But when they grow up, they actually feel a sense of achievement during and after running. These achievements not only shaped their physical fitness as they grew up but also helped them develop a sense of discipline, which planted the seed for their later running journey. In conclusion, they all said running has been a part of their upbringing, and they have learned many personal development skills from it, which tell them how to confront and overcome both personal and academic obstacles.

AI Disclaimer

Our group used ChatGPT to check the grammar after our original writing. We used it as an AI guiding tool, but the final narrative and reflections are our own. 

Reference

1. Good, H. (2022, February 15). the benefits of running | why you should run. YouTube.
2. Image of Sport. (2019, Aug 30). NCAA Cross Country: Washington-Seattle University Open. https://www.imageofsport.com/image/I00004e3sd7HscZc
3. University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, [UWC5937]
4. University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, [UWC4520]
5. University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, [UWC0691]
6. University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, [UW6757]
7. University of Washington Athletics. (2016, October 1). Prouse leads Dawgs to win at Washington Invite. https://gohuskies.com/news/2016/10/1/cross-country-prouse-leads-dawgs-to-win-at-washington-invite.aspx