Lauren Smith has been a runner since high school, when she joined the track and cross-country teams. However, her decision was more for social reasons than for exercise. 

“I was the slowest runner on the team, and I was not good at it,” Smith laughed. “I just wanted to hang out with my friends, who were all runners.”

Coincidentally, Smith is still using running as a social activity today. Now the director of nutrition and wellness for NC State Dining, Smith is one of the organizers for the Wolves on the Run club. The group welcomes all faculty, staff, students and community members for a weekly run or walk together on Walnut Creek Trail. Participants of all paces meet by the Lake Raleigh dock every Thursday at 5:15 p.m., rain or shine — or in other conditions.

“We’ve run in the rain several times, and we even ran when there was ice on the greenway earlier this year,” Smith said. “It’s amazing how dedicated everyone is, and it’s such a fun group.”

While movement is the primary motivator, it’s only half the fun. Before every event, runners and walkers form a circle and introduce themselves. Then, runners typically go for about 4 miles, and walkers go for about 2. At the conclusion of each dash down the greenway, members stick around to enjoy a popsicle by the dock while catching up with friends or meeting new people from different parts of campus. Some weeks, people also attend NC State LIVE@Lake Raleigh concerts together or participate in various Centennial Campus social hour events. 

“It’s been really beneficial for people to come and meet one another, but also to see different parts of campus and be part of programs they might not otherwise have known about,” Smith said. 

Empowered by Community

When Smith moved to Raleigh five years ago, running went from a casual hobby to a way of life. Because she started her job at NC State just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith had extra difficulty making friends in a new city. That’s why she decided to join the Triangle Turtles and Hares, an off-campus organization that is inclusive of people of all paces.

“They were so welcoming that it actually made me want to run each week,” Smith said. “I went from running with them every Saturday to then joining more running clubs and doing it a couple times a week. Being able to have that community where you could have conversations and check in with each other regularly was especially helpful during the pandemic.”

Keith Smith, director of board operations and sustainability for NC State Dining and co-organizer for the group, was influenced by his brother to start running regularly over two decades ago. Like Lauren, however, the quarantine times of the pandemic took a toll on his wellness routines. 

“Work was really hard and stressful, and my diet choices weren’t always the best,” he said. “I wasn’t running as much, and when Lauren started working for us, she challenged me to get out there and encouraged me to run more. One day, she invited me to Turtles and Hares. I had never run with a group before, and the first time I went, the guy who organizes it handed me a T-shirt. The way that group made me feel so welcome was incredible.”

Lauren and Keith were inspired to bring a similar model to NC State’s campus. The idea for Wolves on the Run came to fruition when the duo ran in a City of Oaks Marathon in fall 2023 and saw several familiar faces from the faculty and staff at NC State. “Seeing all those people made us realize there was a good number of folks on campus who wanted to run together,” Lauren Smith said.

To organize the first Wolves on the Run meeting, Smith emailed everyone she recognized at the event as well as other colleagues who had indicated their interest. There were a handful of participants at the first run last year. Now, Smith’s calendar invite list is well over 100 contacts, and dozens of people from across campus and the neighboring Centennial Campus companies come out each week to exercise and socialize.

Cris Crissman, who provides instructional support for the Poole College of Management, has never missed a meeting. She also credits her clubmates for inspiring her to participate in the City of Oaks 5K herself last fall, where she came in second place in the women’s senior category.

“I can’t express what a joy it’s been to put on my running shoes, defy gravity, and feel younger and fitter with every run,” Crissman said. “I also treasure all the friendships I’ve made in my run club — including fascinating faculty and staff and students from around the globe. When we go around the circle each week and introduce ourselves, I am amazed by the departments, fields of study and foreign countries represented by our members.”

James Hudgens, visual arts specialist for Campus Enterprises, used to hate running. Now, he is one of the most enthusiastic members of Wolves on the Run. He even created a promotional video for the group as well as magnets that were distributed to members last month. 

“I originally joined just to get to know my co-workers better, since two of the people I work with frequently formed the club,” Hudgens said. “But I stayed for the people. And each week, I find myself running a little stronger, proving to my body that I can, despite medical challenges. I show up in neon, pose on the dock for pictures, and make a spectacle of myself so that new runners know the club isn’t too serious and the attention isn’t on them to be ‘the best.’ I want everyone to feel as welcome as I did when I first joined.”

If you are interested in joining Wolves on the Run, complete the interest form or come to the Lake Raleigh dock on any Thursday at 5:15 p.m.