The last time I ran more than four miles was for a fantasy football punishment all the way back in 2024. But 11 miles through the Vermont countryside? No problem.
I’ve played baseball my whole life, and until a few years ago would flatly refuse to do any sort of non-obligatory conditioning. Ever heard the epithet “your sport is my sport’s punishment?” That’s what I felt about cross country and running in general. So, it seemed obvious that Middlebury Run Club ought to be the next edition of Amateur vs Athlete.
At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, I scarfed down some dining hall crispy cubes, took a few ibuprofen and headed out to the Adirondack House (ADK) for the run.
Expecting a three to four mile “chill” run, and hopefully a smaller crowd (so fewer people would witness my lack of running ability), I was surprised to see a crew of 14 runners across all class years, and less heartened to hear we’d be going on a six to eight mile run.
Long story short — six to eight miles can easily turn into 10-11 for runners.
Saturdays are the club’s long run days, according to co-president Max Tankersley ’28. The group meets up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for short runs, and stretches their legs on Saturday mornings.
And what a beautiful Saturday it was — a crisp 55 degrees with the sun shining and burnt orange leaves covering the trail. We started at ADK and made our way along the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM), passing by the Knoll, Pulp Mill Covered Bridge, up wooded hills and down through grassy valleys.
There was a buzz of excitement in the air. Run club members debriefed their Friday nights, chatted about afternoon plans, and marveled at Addison County’s beauty. With my adrenaline still pumping, I was able to keep up with the group and learn a bit more about MiddRuns.
“Last year, us four were basically the run club,” Tankersley said, referring to himself, co-president Alex Hajduk ’29, as well as run leaders Springer Moore ’29 and Liam Murphy ’29. He was excited to see the uptick in run club interest this fall: “We’ve gotten a lot of first year interest this year — 14 is a great turnout for a Saturday morning run.”
After a few miles, I felt a little stitch and decided to move to the back of the group. There, I met three first years, all positively thrilled to be out and about with MiddRuns. “It’s a great community,” Adam Livingston ’30 said. “I feel like I can take it at whatever pace I want.”
“Running is always where I’ve made my friends and met new people,” Jackson Deveney ’30 added.
We reached the turn around point after five miles — the bridge over Otter Creek at Belden Falls. Legs get tired, stitches turn into permanent aches and walking for a few minutes sounded like a great idea.
But this is Amateur vs. Athlete — it’s no laughing matter. I kept on running.
It was at roughly this point that everyone else passed me (except for Tankersley, who kindly hung back with me) to find their second wind. They jogged ahead with confidence and steady pace, taking advantage of superior aerobic endurance and the past couple weeks of run club training.
A few minutes behind, I huffed and puffed my way up hills that suddenly seemed a lot steeper, muddy sections that were certainly way slipperier and what definitely felt like fewer downhill sections.
Whoosh! A gust of wind hit me as I realized we had escaped the dew-soaked forest and entered a new grassy meadow. Back in the full sun, my aching legs seemed a little less tired and my breath felt a little easier. Was this a second wind?
I guess the answer is yes, because the last few miles breezed by. I couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that I enjoyed the run — and the people. Tankersley agreed, “the amount of faces this year, it’s shifted us from being a club to a team.”
“Team” is the perfect word. Even on a busy Saturday, the MiddRuns crew showed up with spirit. Afterwards, I tagged along to cool off in Proctor with a croissant and many cups of Gatorade, and heard about some of the squad’s plans for the rest of the semester.
The Middlebury Run Club doesn’t just do fun runs — they have cross country competitions coming up throughout the fall, an exciting Halloween costume run on October 30 and a big presence at the local Middlebury Maple Run on October 18.
On Saturday, I got a fresh appreciation for the hard work these runners put into their craft. I also understood the payoff: the feeling of having seen incredible surroundings, and of having accomplished something difficult.
It also helps that you get to brag to your friends that you ran 11 miles.
Love running or hate it, now is the time to get out on the trails with Run Club, before winter forces treadmill time. “Tread dread” can be scary, but with a welcoming group like MiddRuns, even a complete amateur like myself can have a phenomenal time.
Kanan Clifford '28.5 (he/him) is a Senior Sports Editor.
Kanan is a Biology major with minors in Political Science and Arabic. He previously served as a Sports Editor. He is from Oakland, California - is an avid California Golden Bears & San Francisco Giants fan, and will never get over the 49ers' Super Bowl choke(s). On campus, he plays on the baseball team, cooks for Dolci, and loves to hike and play golf.
