Around the campus in nine minutes: Run club kicks it up

On Saturday mornings, Ryan Schwarz, a San Diego State basketball player, gets up and throws on a pair of black running shoes. He and his roommate Grant Haferkamp go into their backyard of their campus-adjacent house around 9 a.m., music pumping into the backyard from speakers inside Schwarz’s Soundboks backpack. 

Dozens of fellow SDSU students, also donning running shoes and gear, join the party. Schwarz and Haferkamp give away apparel from the brand that Haferkamp created as well as other sponsors.

Then, at 9:30 a.m., Schwarz — with music blaring from his backpack — and Haferkamp lead the group on a two-mile run around the SDSU campus. 

This is the Strictly Run Club, which Schwarz, a fourth-year business management major with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and walk-on player on the Aztecs men’s basketball team, co-founded in fall 2024 along with Haferkamp and their five roommates — Luke Rishwain, TJ Meagher, Caspar Carus, Diego Valverde and Budd Bernie.

It has become hugely popular, drawing as many as 100 students for the social runs, which are run at a 9-minute pace along varying routes to attract a wide array of runners, from the casual to the hardcore. 

“We know a lot of students like to go out on Friday nights, so we kind of wanted to find a group of people that are willing to get up on Saturday mornings, regardless of their situations, and be active and run a little bit,” Schwarz said. “It’s a really fun time, and you get to meet new people and start a new community with running as the connection.”

Running Towards His Hoop Dreams 

For Schwarz, who hails from the East San Francisco Bay city of Orinda, running is a relatively newfound passion born during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Schwarz was laser-focused on earning a Division I basketball scholarship when the pandemic and subsequent lockdown sidelined his passion to be on the court.

“I was trying to find things to do, because I wasn’t allowed to go out and hang out with friends once (the pandemic) was really serious, especially in Northern California, where people took it very seriously,” Schwarz said. “I had to find something to do, and I wanted it to be a healthy outlet and help my basketball career stay on the same trajectory, so I figured why not get in shape and stay ahead of the competition by running, so that’s exactly what I did.”

First, he’d run two miles. Then, he’d run three. As time progressed, he was running as much as seven miles at a time, including runs between his high school, Miramonte High, and its rival, Campolindo High in nearby Moraga. 

“I kept progressing, and I just really started to fall in love with it; and it helped keep me sane during that time,” Schwarz said. “It was a cool way to get outside and enjoy some sunlight and fresh air.”

Meanwhile, Schwarz said when restrictions loosened, he resumed his pursuit to play collegiate basketball and played on a couple of travel teams. He eventually earned scholarship offers and interest from Division II and III programs. 

But Schwarz wanted to experience Division I basketball, so he reached out to schools where he had been accepted academically to pursue the possibility of being a walk-on player — with his sights set on SDSU. 

He came to campus, met with the basketball staff, and they offered him a position as manager, which he accepted. 

Schwarz served as team manager and a practice player for two years, but he wasn’t officially added to the roster until the 2023-24 season. 

He plays sparingly, only getting into games when the Aztecs are well ahead of their opponents, but Schwarz said he has loved his experience with the program and doesn’t regret the decision to attend SDSU. 

After all, it was here where he met Haferkamp and the friends that inspired the idea for the club, which is named after Haferkamp’s “Strictly” apparel brand. 

“I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything,” Schwarz said. 

Coaches said they’ve been thrilled to have Schwarz as part of the program. 

“Ryan is an extremely hard worker, on and off the court. He started with our program as a student manager and worked his way on the roster,” associate head coach Dave Velasquez said. “His on-court leadership and drive is essential to the success of our program. 

“It's with similar work ethic and discipline that has allowed him to start and grow the running club,” he said. 

A Run Club Closer to Home

Before the Strictly Run Club, Schwarz and Haferkamp were driving to Pacific Beach to participate in a popular running club there on Wednesdays and Saturdays. While they enjoyed it, Schwarz said the drive, which could take a half hour in traffic, and the age demographic (most of the runners were in their late 20s) made them seek an alternative. 

That’s when they got the idea: Why not create one on campus?

“We were thinking about it and said ‘Why not?’” Schwarz said. “We have a good house with a big backyard that could be a great starting spot, and we could get students to come out, so we did it.”

Their first run was in early September 2024 shortly after the start of the fall semester. They had about 15 people show up. The next weekend, about 30 runners came. By October, they were having upward of 100 people show up for the runs, and companies and brands started to reach out to sponsor the events. 

“One of our biggest regrets is that we wish we had started this earlier,” Schwarz said. “The reception has been incredible, and we really enjoy it. We’d love to see it grow to other schools.”

The only impediment to those plans are the impending graduations of the group of friends. 

Schwarz, who is in his final semester of his undergraduate career, has the option of returning to SDSU to play basketball for a final year while also pursuing a master’s degree, or he could opt to transfer to play his final year elsewhere. 

“We wish we had more time to plan the future for what this could be, but obviously it’s going to be difficult,” Schwarz said. “Some of the guys have opportunities in different fields of work. 

“But as long as we’re still together for this next semester, we’re going to try to continue to grow it as much as we can,” he said. “I know we've definitely talked about once we all graduate, potentially taking it to more universities and expanding and seeing if we could really globalize it. It's going to be difficult. But if we're able to find a little chunk of time and maybe take a risk, it’s definitely something we want to explore.”

Interested in stopping by for a run? Visit Strictly Run Club on Instagram or GroupMe  to learn more!