Just show up and run.

When the sun is out, the track at Cox Stadium is bright reddish-orange, and the grass smoldering green– but most nights, the fog creeps through the trees
and cools things off.

On a Thursday night, about seven students are running, panting, and sweating around the spongy track while an encouraging voice cheers them on. This is Club Run.

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Running is good for you (in case you haven’t heard). It is true that knee injuries can occur in runners, but the lungs, the muscles, and the mind benefit from the rigors of a running workout.

Club run is an informal gathering of students on Tuesdays, running around Lake Merced, and Thursdays, racing laps at Cox Stadium. There are no units, no dues, and no tryouts. Just show up and run.

Anne Thilges, an anatomy and physiology teacher, is the captain of the club. Thilges sports a jersey with obscure logos from an Austrian company that sponsored her last triathlon team – it was Thilges tenth Iron-Man.

“We do a lot of chatting and so forth,” said Thilges of Club Run. “It’s just more enjoyable as a group. We don’t have any dues, because we’d rather have everyone running.”

Thilges said she started Club Run in 2006 as a response to the budget cuts in the sports teams. Thilges constantly emphasizes the inclusive attitude of Club Run, and says that all levels of runners are welcome, from the first time jogger, to the competitive athlete.

By comparison, intramural sports involves organized leagues, where club sports does not specifically emphasize competition. “Even though most of the Club Run members do compete,” Thilges said.

Kerri Labero, a 23-year-old L.A. native, leans on her knees and pants, trying to catch her breath. Labero is a kinesiology major, and is training for a triathlon.

Judah Margoles is a 21-year-old psychology major from San Francisco, and ran his first marathon over the summer.

“This first marathon I finished in four hours and twenty-three minutes,” said Margoles who explained that his quick start compromised his ability to maintain a steady pace for the full 26 miles. “And . . .for the next one, I hope to get around four hours.”

Thursdays often consist of pacing exercises, where everyone runs a lap, pauses, and runs again. Coach Anne, with the constant beeping of her high-tech GPS watch, announces everyone “time”.

The evenings end with a “core” workout (which is like lifting weights after you’ve just climbed a mountain). Thilges is like a polite drill instructor, and is compassionately tough as she pushes each athlete to their maximum capabilities. The track is much more sterile and focused, more of a strategic work out than a casual one around the lake.

There are plenty of fitness junkies at any given time trotting around the Lake, some with their dogs and some who prefer to walk.

Lake Merced is roughly five miles around – sufficient for some runners, but a little short for the likes of Thilges. She runs tempo, or simply, faster for a mile, then walks or jogs slowly back to the pace-setters.

As nightfall, shortened breath and sweat drenched shirts cue an end to another session, each runner leaves the track with a painted on smile of satisfaction.