Contrary to their names, HOTM and HCMC recruit all members of the community to join their ranks, regardless of experience or skill.

“Despite the word ‘marathon’ in its title, HCMC is primarily not for marathoners,” Rodgers, who works as a psychologist for the Bureau of Study Counsel, said. “Rather, most people on the HCMC list typically run much shorter distances.”

HOTM participants have a wide range of physical abilities, from members who are just beginning to exercise consistently to more seasoned runners. Every year since 2006, a group HCMC participants have been selected to run the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon to benefit charity.

“It is a pretty wide spectrum. You have a bunch of marathoners who run really fast, and then you have people who are just running their first 5K,” said Peng, who is now a run leader for HOTM. “The benefit with that is wherever you are on that spectrum, you have someone who is running your pace, running your distance.”

HOTM run leaders inform students about upcoming runs through the groups and encourage students to attend. Through the program, participants earn points for the House Intramural program and can support the Houses in the Straus Cup standings.

RUN TOGETHER, STAY TOGETHER

Those interviewed said that the most appealing aspect of HOTM and HCMC is that they create communities to inspire healthy habits. Leaders from both HOTM and HCMC stressed the importance of community when discussing the success of their respective programs.

“I think [community] is important because most of the people who come on HOTM run recreationally,” said Jennifer Tu ‘16, who is a run leader for HOTM. “A lot of them didn’t do track and field during high school, and this is their way to connect with people in the community as well as have fun and keep fit.”