Women Run Arkansas is hosting its 14th annual running and walking clinic beginning Monday, March 3.
WRA is a statewide non-profit running and walking club designed to promote health and fitness to the women of Arkansas through exercise.
The clinic is free and will take place at the Harding track on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. The clinic will last 10 weeks and will conclude with a walk/run 5K on Saturday, May 10 in Conway.
“The purpose of this clinic is to get women from all around the state of Arkansas (to be) more active,” WRA trainer Jennifer Pannell said. “It provides every woman with a support group.”
The WRA club has over 40 clinics statewide, and over 4,000 women have participated. The club encourages women of all running levels to get involved.
According to Pannell, it is a great clinic for anyone, whether they are slow walkers or advanced runners.
“When I did the clinic, I had not run consistently in a long time,” Harding graduate Shannon Craddock said. “So, I was a casual runner looking to become more committed.”
Craddock said she loved the clinic because running with others is much more enjoyable than running alone. She said the clinic is a great idea.
“I would suggest the clinic to Harding women who are new to running,” Craddock said. “It was a fun way to practice running that (gives) you support and self-confidence. If that is what someone is looking for, they would find it.”
The WRA clinic helped Craddock work toward her first 5K, and she is currently training for her first half-marathon in April.
“I would recommend this clinic to any women who want to get motivated,” Pannell said. “It is a great way to help people train for their first 5K.”
Pannell said she likes working with the clinic because it helps people do something for themselves.
According to Pannell, about 180 women participated in the clinic last year, and she is expecting about the same number to participate this year.
She said she got involved working for the clinic after being a participant a few years ago.
She said she was offered the job a couple years later when the WRA no longer had a leader for the group in Searcy.
All WRA groups statewide will meet Saturday, May 10 at 8 a.m. at Conway High School West for the final 5K.
For more information visit their website at www.womenrunarkansas.net.
