Run@LC, Fordham Lincoln Center’s running club, is hosting a Strides for Strava mileage challenge from Oct. 1 to 31 to foster community, create motivation and encourage healthy competition among peers. The top three students with the highest total mileage will win Fleet Feet gift cards of $75, $50 and $25.

Students compete by logging the miles they run on the Strava app, which tracks runners’ data and distance and allows Run@LC to monitor participant progress. Additionally, each time they participate in a Run@LC group run, students are awarded five bonus miles to incentivize connections with other Fordham students.

According to Run@LC President Averi Schirmers, this month’s Strides for Strava challenge and bonus miles have encouraged greater club turnout. 

“It’s actually been a really good way to get people to come out,” she said. 

“So it’s kind of fun to just do the best you can and try to get as many miles as you can.” Averi Schirmers, Run@LC President

The challenge currently has around 10-15 runners, and E-board members are excluded from participating, Schirmers said. This gives students a good chance to win prizes while reaping the benefits of running. 

“Obviously, only three of them will get a reward in monetary value, but everybody gets a reward in miles over the month. And what’s a better reward than running, right?” Schirmers said. 

Strava is a popular application that allows users to track their running data and engage with the running community. Within the app, Run@LC also has their own Strava club, which allows student-runners to follow each others’ distances and progress, leave encouraging comments, connect through events and participate in virtual challenges like Strides for Strava. This data is only visible to runners who have added each other on the app.

“The nature of the activity, of the challenge, is you don’t know how many miles other people have unless you’re friends with them,” Schirmers said. “And so it’s kind of fun to just do the best you can and try to get as many miles as you can.”

The popularity of Strava challenges like Run@LC’s Strides for Strava reflects the increasing desire for social activities with elements of healthy competition. Strava challenges range from intergroup to nationwide, with some challenges offering notable prizes and high-profile brand sponsorships. 

Run@LC is one of over 200 run clubs in New York City, which have become incredibly popular as the running community continues to see immense growth.

In January 2025, for instance, Chipotle sponsored an international Strava challenge across major cities, including New York City, London, Toronto and Paris. The winner in each city was awarded free Chipotle bowls for the remainder of the year, and the challenge resulted in a total of over 9.25 million miles run and logged. 

According to Schirmers, past Strides for Strava challenges have resulted in close competition among the top three runners. However, she believes that the goal of Strides for Strava goes beyond winning prizes, as the larger aim is to strengthen Fordham’s running community. 

“I know a lot of runners that don’t necessarily want to make it a competition between themselves and other runners, and I don’t think that’s really our point, which is why we provided the incentive to join Run Club,” she said. “That’s really where the community building occurs.” 

Club Treasurer John Assad also expressed how group running serves as an effective stress management tool that provides balance to a busy schedule of academics and work. 

“I think it’s such an effective way to manage stress … so I always manage to make it a priority every day,” he said. “I always try to make time in my schedule, even though my day is very busy, because I also have a job, and then I’m also studying for the MCAT, and I also have to study for my classes,” he said. 

In addition to stress management, Schirmers described how the Strava challenge and group runs act as vehicles of encouragement and sources of individual motivation, especially during the city’s winter months. 

“Sometimes it’s hard to get yourself out for a run, especially if the weather’s bad … we also hold the Strides for Strava in the spring in February, which really helps convince people to get out when the weather is terrible,” Schirmers said.

Run@LC is one of over 200 run clubs in New York City, which have become incredibly popular as the running community continues to see immense growth. In 2025, the city-wide “running economy” generated $934 million through race-related spending — a 58% increase in five years. 

As social outlets become more valuable in an increasingly digital world, run clubs provide a healthy, affordable and positive activity that brings people with shared interests together. This year, New York Road Runners — the official New York City running organization — reported over 668,000 race participants and 81,000 full-time organization members.

“When I learned about the run club at Lincoln Center, I was so excited to be able to run with other college students.” Averi Schirmers, Run@LC President

The appeal of run clubs like Run@LC comes from their ability to meet the needs of athletes at every skill level, allowing anyone, regardless of previous experience, to participate. According to Schirmers, club members are typically casual runners rather than competitive or professional athletes. She explained that runners can tailor each group run based on their goals. 

“Usually I send out a message on the day … I’m planning on running this amount of miles and this amount of this pace group,” Schirmers said. “A lot of times we just do loops, so people can either go for three miles, six miles or nine miles or whatever it is.”

Schirmers expressed that Run@LC provides a way for newly arrived students to find community on campus. 

“When I started running in college, I was a little bit lonely, and running can be a kind of isolating sport, in my opinion,” she explained. “When I learned about the run club at Lincoln Center, I was so excited to be able to run with other college students … I really want to make sure that other students that might be interested in it can experience it, and … to just experience running in a way that’s not intimidating and not lonely.”

Run@LC has an average of four to five members on each run, in addition to a minimum of one E-board member. The club meets each day, with different E-board members hosting runs at varying meeting times to accommodate students’ varying academic schedules. Runs take place at Central Park and Riverside Park to encourage students to explore and enjoy the parks close to campus. 

“I feel like it’s such a way to experience the city,” said Assad. “I found out about so many nice places and hidden gems in Central Park … I just love running through the area and then through the city. It made me get to know New York City a little bit better.” 

Run@LC is planning on hosting another Strava challenge next semester in February. Throughout the rest of the semester, they will continue to host events and outings. Group night runs are held periodically, providing a welcoming atmosphere to socialize and enjoy snacks with other runners after dark. 

Run@LC’s next event is their New York City Marathon Pre-Party on Oct. 29. Runners can share snacks, decorate posters and show support for their peers participating in the marathon the following week. The club also hopes to coordinate a cheering section for club members on race day.