Like sunny weather and flowers in bloom, the sight of students running around Grounds seems to be a rite of spring at the University.
During the 1970s, running became the number one amateur sport in the country and its popularity has not faded at the University.
"The fitness boom has really affected this generation of college students," said University assoc. Intramural-Recreational Sports director Mark Leonida said. "They are really the first generation to have parents that were also concerned about fitness, and that is a big influence."
Physical fitness isn't the only reason that people at the University run. Motives range from wanting to have a slim and trim body to simply doing it for the love of running.
A recent survey of 344 first-year through graduate level University students conducted by Nutrition (BIOL 106) teaching assistants quizzed students on a variety of factors, including their level of physical activity and their reasons for working out.
"Overall fitness" was the explanation 76 percent of the students gave, while 25 percent said they did it to lose weight. Only 3 percent said they work out because "everyone else does."
As for the intensity of their physical activity, 30 percent replied that it was either "very light" or "light," while over 56 percent replied that their exercise was "'heavy" or "exceptional".
"I try to get out and run about 5 times a week," second-year College student Eileen Cating-Moran said. "I enjoy running with my friends when I can, but sometimes it's nice to just run solo and just enjoy being outside."
Cating-Moran was one of the many first-time participants in the 25th annual Crestar Charlottesville 10 Miler, a huge race that draws runners from all over the area.
"I grew up in Charlottesville, and I remember wanting to be a part of it growing up," Cating-Moran said. "I was just amazed at how many runners there were. As I was coming over the hill on Alderman, it seemed like an endless sea of people were just flooding the street."
Another place where you're likely to find a flood of people is at any of the four gyms on Grounds. Even during the perfect spring weather, many students still choose to work out indoors on treadmills and elliptical trainers. "Some people are just more comfortable running inside," Leonida said. "They get to control their environment, and don't have to deal with the obstacles and hassles of running outdoors."
However, many traditional runners won't go near a treadmill.
"I can't stand to see people running on a treadmill when there's perfect weather for running right outside," Sociology faculty member Bess Rothenberg said. "Part of the beauty of running is simply getting the chance to be outdoors."
Rothenberg is one of the few members of University faculty who takes running as seriously as her students. She has run the 10 Miler for the past two years, but was sidelined this year with an injury.
With all the time, energy and pain that goes into running, why is it popular? "It seems like each age group has a different reason," Rothenberg said. "A lot of the students do it for the look, most of the runners in their 30s and 40s are doing it for their health and those that are 50 and above do it as their main source of exercise to maintain their bodies."
"I think a lot of people at U.Va. have realized that fitness is a long term investment in your health," Leonida said. "And Charlottesville is such a great place to run because every weekend there's a race for all kinds of people to run in."
While the runners seem to all come outside once the weather gets warm, Leonida says that the peak months for heading to the gym to get in shape are from January to March.
"Those months always bring in the crowds because people have that New Year's Resolution to get in shape, and also a lot of students are concerned about looking fit before they hit Spring Break," Leonida said.
In December of 1999, 17,000 people passed through the doors of the AFC. That number jumped to over 28,000 by February - a rate of nearly 1,000 people a day.
"Right now, counting all four gyms, I'd say we have over 5,000 people coming in each day," Leonida said.
Surprisingly, one of the peak hours for gym use is from 6 a.m. until 8 a.m. Leonida said. This is another example of how University students try to squeeze in their exercise during the busy weekdays. As the weather warms up, even more runners are expected to take their running outdoors.
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