Courtesy of Antonio Dinkens
Moonlight Howl and Run
Late Monday night, students flocked to the Memorial Belltower dressed in everything from distressed jeans and fashionable tops to track shorts and even taco costumes in anticipation for the Moonlight Howl and Run. Runners began checking in at 11 p.m. for the run to begin one hour later.
Ben Strunk, assistant director of sports programs, spoke about what the Moonlight Howl and Run is and what it entails.
“The Moonlight Howl & Run is a 1.6 mile fun run that takes place at 11:59 p.m.,” Strunk said. “It starts at the Belltower and it ends at Stafford Commons, and it goes all throughout campus. We’ll have about 2,000-2,500 runners. It’s put on by Wellness and Recreation and Dining. It’s an event for Wolfpack Welcome Week to get students to be excited about being back on campus, get them excited about wellness, get them excited about being active.”
The number of registrants for the event passed Strunk’s anticipated numbers. He later said the number of registrants was closer to 3,000 people instead of his estimated 2,500.
Strunk said this was the sixth year the Moonlight Howl and Run has been a Wolfpack Welcome Week event and that it was a push by Wellness and Recreation.
“I know back then we tried to put on signature events for Wolfpack Welcome Week, and this has turned into one of those,” Strunk said. “I think the push to try to make students aware of health and wellness on campus is big for us, and this is a way that they can connect with Wellness and Recreation and with Dining their first days here on campus.”
The Moonlight Howl and Run has been such a fun event in the past that previous participants have returned to work for the event. Keilyn Luers, a staff worker who is also a third-year studying parks, recreation and tourism and business administration talked about how she came to work for the Moonlight Howl and Run.
“[Wellness and Recreation] reached out to us via email and asked if we wanted to volunteer, and we get paid, so that’s kind of nice,” Luers said. “I just wanted to still be involved with it because it is so fun, afterwards too. It’s a nice way to make a little bit of money but also be able to have fun and get out here and be involved.”
Many freshmen, like Carson Camacho, a first-year studying human biology, came for the after party and the swag as much as for the run itself.
“I enjoy running, just casually, and I thought it would be really cool to go around campus with a bunch of people and maybe get a free t-shirt,” Camacho said.
The run was led by the NCSU Cycling Club and a police escort. The event ended in Stafford Commons, where the runners were greeted by a DJ, free snacks and more to continue the festivities of Wolfpack Welcome Week.