Monday night, hundreds of students flocked to the Belltower for the annual Moonlight Howl and Run event put on by University Recreation each year. Students gathered from all departments to don their neon bracelets, dance with Mr. and Mrs. Wuf and sprint through the 2-mile course. Don’t just take our word for it, read below what some students had to say after completing the course.
Nadeem Abid Sheikh, first-year, studying engineering
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
It was awesome. People were excited about it and yelling “Wolfpack” and all that stuff. Everyone’s fighting to get to the end and it was cool.
Q: Why did you run?
My RA told me I should do it and that it was a great way to meet people. I met a lot of people, talking to them while I was running and it was worth it. I’ll definitely do it next year.
Steven Crouse, first-year, studying engineering
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
It was good … crowded … hot and humid. Mostly humid. That was the main thing.
Q: Why did you run?
I just like to run. I’m a big runner and I run a lot. My friend Nadeem was also running. I plan on doing it next year.
Eisley Parks, first-year, studying business
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
I liked it a lot, but it was tiring and the very end was really hectic. I can’t find any of my friends right now.
Q: Did you start as a group?
[We] started as a group, but didn’t end as a group. We all split up. We were a group of seven. Three ran real hard and four walked and then I started going by myself. It was crazy. After going downhill and then uphill, that’s when I had to slow down.
Kelly McGregor, first-year, studying agricultural science
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
I thought the race was really fun. I was within the first four rows of people when everyone took off sprinting. It was definitely heart-pounding, but it was awesome.
Q: Any fun stories from the race?
I got to meet somebody. Her name was Kaya and she was a swimmer. She pulled up next to me and said ‘Do you want to keep pace?’ I was like ‘Sure’ and we did. We supported each other the whole way and were encouraging when one of us started to slow down.
Jenna Reed, first-year, studying business administration
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
I had a great time. It was way more fun than I expected.
Q: Why did you think it wouldn’t be fun?
Running by myself is alright, but when you meet people … I met this girl Anna and at the end we and everybody kept cheering each other on. Like, even if you were walking, there were people saying ‘Come on, you’ve got it, keep going.’
Mackenzie Smyber, first-year, studying animal science
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
It was a lot better than I expected because I am not athletic and I expected to hate it, but it was actually very fun seeing everybody come out and run. I would definitely do it again.
Q: Is this your first event on campus as a freshman?
No. I’ve done RecFest and Convocation.
Would you do it again next year? If yes, why?
Oh, yeah. It’s really fun to come out with everyone. While I’m here I want to have a healthy lifestyle and it’s a good way to start of the year.
Noelle Castillo, first-year, studying business administration
Q: Why did you decide to come tonight?
I need to exercise. After all of the Fountain Dining Hall stuff, I’ve got to get in shape again. I’d definitely do it again. Trying to avoid the freshman 15 and get more of it off.
Q: Is this your first event here as a freshman?
Not really, but it is the first running event definitely.
Cameron Finley, second-year, studying computer science
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
It was a cool experience. It was a lot more people showing up than I thought. I had a good time.
Q: Why did you run?
I heard about it through a couple of friends and we just decided to get together.
Q: Was your group able to hold together throughout the whole run?
Oh, yeah. We were right near the front, man. I was definitely in the top 25.
Conor Murphy, second-year, studying civil engineering
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
It was a lot of people. Very sweaty. I’m very out of shape, but it was a good time getting to see everybody on campus.
Q: Did you run it your freshman year?
I did.
Q: Why did you decide to run a second time?
A free T-shirt, mainly.
Carly Graves, first-year, studying biological engineering
Q: What did you think about the Moonlight Howl and Run?
I definitely enjoyed it. I’d recommend it to people next year, to do it again. It was definitely longer than I thought it would be. It’s definitely a big campus.
Steven Crouse, first-year, studying chemical engineering
