They are a lively group--smiles and chatter abound as the running club begins its warm-up.

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, club members gather at J.F.K. Park on Memorial Drive before pounding the pavement.

The group started last fall so avid runners would have company during their thrice-weekly treks.

"You wouldn't go running if you didn't have company," Annie C. Dunston '01 said. Running with friends motivates them, other group members add.

"When you're running with people and talking the miles go by faster," said Catherine I. Malmberg '00, who co-chairs the group with F. Isabel Smith '99.

The club makes sure runners of different ability can find each other.

Each afternoon, they split into two packs: one that runs three to four miles and another six to seven miles.

"In the beginning everyone runs together, then people separate out," Smith said.

On Wednesday, one group took a jog along the river to Mass. Ave. The others set off toward the Fresh Pond Reservoir. The route was brand new to Robert K. Silverman '02.

"I'd just been running by the River," he said, adding that club members have taught him several routes and are helping to increase his mileage.

Silverman ran throughout high school and tried to run with the cross-country team at Harvard, which he soon decided was a little above his level. Then he saw a poster for the running club in the MAC, and decided to give it a try.

"I'm not going to use it as the core of my training, but it's nice to have people to run with once a week," Silverman said, adding that he appreciates the opportunity to run in local road races.

Smith founded the club last fall, and said that until this year "it was just getting off the ground."

Recently, the group has been running on new ground, travelling to the Tufts women's 10K and this weekend to the Cape Cod Marathon.

While it is impressive to stand among eight marathon runners, the runners themselves were quick to note members of marathon teams run five mile stints--then pass a baton off to a waiting team member for the next lap.

To get the club on their way, the group got a small grant from the Club Sports Department this year, which helps subsidize race fees.

Many more people are still only on the club's e-mail list, but Malmberg said she thinks regular e-mail featuring race info will help draw in new runners.

"We're trying to form a running community," she said. "There are lots of these clubs out in the real world. It's a mirror of those clubs that will be out there when we graduate."