By Isaac Gibson
Doing something that you love can bring out the best in people, and for some professors at the University of Oregon, running is what they love.
“I really want to give people the full image of what a professor is, like we aren’t just people who read books all day,” said Leah Middlebrook, associate professor of comparative literature and Spanish. “We are people, and we feel love for Eugene and the University of Oregon – and I love that we get to run because it brings out the best in me, and I want people to get the best of me.”
That’s why University of Oregon faculty have been leading Run with a Researcher, community runs throughout the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. When the runs start up again July 6, anyone can join by meeting at 8 a.m. in front of the Student Recreation Center, 1320 East 15th Avenue.
In addition to getting a workout, participants get to hear about the research faculty members are doing. The researchers leading the runs come from various backgrounds, from hard sciences like genetics and physics to geography and comparative literature.
“When I was approached to do this, I thought it was a great idea,” said William Cresko, associate professor and vice president for research for the UO’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution, who researches genetics and was a former runner at the University of Pennsylvania. “This is a good opportunity to let people know what happens in our laboratories, plus we get to do a lot of running, which is a great thing.”
Along with him is biology professor John Postlethwait, who also studies genetics. Postlethwait is 71 years old and began running when he moved to Eugene in 1972 as an assistant professor. On his 35th birthday, he started running one mile for every year he has lived. When he turned 52, he ran in two marathons. When he turned 70, he ran 70 miles, which took him 15 hours to do.
“I run really slow,” said Postlethwait. “I just hope I have enough breath to tell people what I do.”
Middlebrook will also lead one of the runs on July 7. Her research is on poetry and more specifically how can to make a boring poem into a good one.
There will be three different routes that will suit runners of all skill levels. The easy route will go through the University of Oregon campus and will feature the different libraries and research labs. The intermediate route will take runners through Pre’s Trail in Alton Baker Park. The more difficult route will take runners on an uphill tour to Pre’s Rock.
People who attend the run will receive a free T-shirt and a day pass to the recreation center, where they can shower and change before the meet starts.
