On March 30, love was in bloom for Villanova students, and they were willing to run for it. On Sunday, March 30, Villanova was well-represented at the annual Philly Love Run, where many students ran 13.1 miles through the streets of Philadelphia. The Love Run featured a half marathon, as well as a 7K run, and the majority of Villanova runners were found on the half-marathon course. Though about 11,000 participants ran the race, the faces of Villanovans were abundant.
“What I really enjoyed [about running the race] was seeing everyone from ‘Nova supporting,” sophomore John Tropeano said. “I felt like every half mile I saw someone I knew.”
Villanovans truly supported one another, creating an atmosphere of community that encouraged runners to keep pushing through the half marathon.
“I felt like at every turn, there was another Villanova runner or supporter there to pull me along and carry me one step closer to the finish,” sophomore Sarah Butler said. “Each familiar face I saw gave me another boost of energy.”
Junior Jenna Bellet echoed this, and described the inspiring environment with so many community members coming together.
“The Love Run was an unforgettable experience and a beautiful celebration of both the Philadelphia and Villanova communities,” Bellet said. “Throughout the race, I had the chance to connect with so many of my friends and peers, whether they were running or volunteering.”
Many students ran, and many also came to the race to cheer on their friends, making the Villanova presence in Philly even more prominent and motivating for runners.
“Being able to run and recognize so many Villanovans encouraged me to keep on going,” junior Megan Le said. “Not only that, strangers cheered for me just because I was wearing Villanova merch.”
For many, including Le, it was their first time running the Love Run. For freshman Abby Wyckoff, the Villanova and club running communities made her first Love Run experience a special one.
“You just felt like everyone was cheering for you the whole time because Villanova had such a strong showing both in the race and watching,” Wyckoff said. “It was awesome getting to finish surrounded by all my running friends, people from class and other nova students.”
The Love Run is always a popular race for students, but even more so this time around than in years past. The run also happened to fall on the day after the 12-hour NOVAdance dance marathon, making the sense of community at the race feel even stronger for some runners.
“Running a half marathon was a huge testament to how amazing our human bodies are, especially with the NOVAdance community running the Love Run, after the 12-hour dance marathon,” Le said. “It was so motivating to see the amount of people who chose to run, challenge themselves, and accomplish something huge.”
Tropeano agreed, saying the weekend felt like a big community-builder for the student body, the Love Run being an important component.
“With it being the day after NOVAdance I felt like the energy was just so high for the Villanova family this weekend,” Tropeano said.
The energy was so high that a Villanova student even won the half marathon; Junior Ryan Allen took home first place overall. Many other Villanovans also performed impressively with such an enthusiastic support system surrounding them.
“We loved hearing random strangers yell, ‘Go ‘Cats,’ and seeing signs with Villanova puns and jokes made the miles fly by,” sophomore Dorothy McCarthy said. “It didn’t matter if they knew us, but anyone who saw Villanova merch would cheer extra loud and we did the same for anyone we saw.”
Though the Love Run is past, one thing is for sure: the Villanova community will always cheer one another on. And, man, those Wildcats can run.
