While many students find themselves hitting the snooze button most early mornings, one campus group meets to run a three-mile loop at 7 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday as the sun rises. They remain driven by the sponsored treat at the end of most runs and the connections they make along the way.
Founded in 2022, Healthy Celebrations serves as a way for students to maintain an active lifestyle with friends. The club recently began focusing on using its Instagram platform to garner brand sponsorships and as a result, it grew into a larger community of students. The brands serve as a reward to incentivize members to get up for the early runs around Lady Bird Lake and fuel them for the day. Sarah Smith, a German and economics sophomore and club member, helped lead the club’s initiative to increase membership and social media interaction.
Smith said after focusing on sponsorship and reaching out to about 100 brands through email last semester, including Poppi and LesserEvil, the group’s social media following increased by over 50%. At the same time, participation increased by almost 65%.
“I look for brands that are prioritizing clean ingredients or a positive brand representation,” said Smith, a German and economics sophomore. “I want (the brand) to have a focus on something that’s doing good for the world, rather than just selling food or making money.”
After runs, members normally reconvene at the starting point on the lake to try out the brand sponsoring that day. This offers members an opportunity to try healthy brands before spending their money. Advertising sophomore Hannah Harp said she loves having the incentive as a way to try brands she hasn’t heard of, especially when they are pricier.
“Before I commit, especially as a broke college student … there’s a lot about being able to test out the product,” said Harp. “We had these Barebells (protein bar) this morning, and I was like, ‘I could see myself going to the grocery store and buying this.’”
While the brand giveaways draw new members in, Healthy Celebrations co-leader Olivia Chapman said the club’s inclusive workout community is what drives it. Chapman, an international relations and global studies sophomore, has watched the club’s growth as a member and said she hopes to see it continue.
“I want to appeal to a larger demographic,” said Chapman. “I want it to be less sorority based (and) more inclusive, like come however you are, wherever you are.”
Harp said she hopes as the club’s demographic continues growing, real friendships extend for the members beyond their morning runs.
“The mission and the goal of Healthy Celebrations as a whole is to meet new people,” said Harp. “Coming into college is so overwhelming, and everyone’s just trying to be in a position to be open to meeting new people.”