Sunshine peeked through green turned yellow turned red leaves that held onto the canopy of branches over Swift Hall’s courtyard. Eager feet crunched the fallen colors, and excited voices of students and staff, faculty and families, floated in the fall air. Everyone gathered in anticipation. And while the familiar chill of a Chicago October had finally settled itself in to Hyde Park, the cherished surprise final day of warmth made its appearance for the Divinity School’s inaugural Run Swiftly 5K.  

The Run Swiftly 5K is the Divinity School’s first ever run/walk event. Held on Sunday, October 23, 2022, the time of year promised cold temperatures and over-booked community members. However, seventy-five degrees and a sun-warmed breeze drew participants out of their offices, homes, and study nooks to share in exercise and endorphins. 

Pranati Parikh and Emma Sternberg, second-year MA students, and Joe Lemna, a second-year MDiv student, organized Run Swiftly. With good-fun and a participant t-shirt as bait, Pranati, Emma, and Joe hoped for fifteen or so participants. 

“We wanted to hold a 5K for the Divinity School community because we knew how many avid runners we have, and we thought sharing in exercise could be a great opportunity to bring folks together,” said Pranati. “Also, an event like the 5K puts everyone on the same playing field. There is a kind of intimacy and transparency which creates a horizontal community that is so necessary in the Divinity School.” 

Over fifty runners, walkers, and supporters showed up that Sunday afternoon. Everyone from first-year master’s students and seventh-year PhD candidates to Dean Robinson and countless kids and pets of faculty, staff, and students joined together to kick off the race. 

“After departing from the start line just outside the courtyard of Swift Hall, we ran out and down the midway, around Washington Park, and back through campus to end at the Divinity School,” explains Joe. “Upon crossing the finish line, we were greeted with music, snacks, and congratulations. Everyone was smiling.” 

“The school year moves faster and faster as the quarter progresses, which breeds an intensity, and, of course, stress,” said Emma. “So having a space for the Divinity School community to slow down, enjoy the ever-fleeting sensations of fall, and to be together, felt like an essential thing to do.” 

As the sidewalks of Hyde Park shift from leaf- to snow-covered, outdoor communal gatherings slow, but Pranati, Emma, and Joe promise that although this was the first Run Swiftly, it is certainly not the last. 

“We never could have imagined such a wonderful turn out,” said Joe, “and the energy everyone brought to the event really made the moment absolutely special.”