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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, April 18, 1968
Jogging is good way to get in shape
Photo by Mike Walker MANY DIFF
MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE AROUND THE KU CAMPUS HAVE TAKEN UP JOGGING TO STAY OR GET IN SHAPE
Photo by Moe Behravesh Photo by Mike Walker
Three KU trackmen jog around the Memorial Stadium track for less personal reasons. John Jackson, Memphis junior (far left), Stan Whitley, Washington junior, and Jim Hatcher, Lawrence junior, jog as a rest between sprints and to allow tired muscles to cool down gradually to avoid pulled muscles. These men and the rest of the KU track team run to stay in shape to represent Kansas at track meets throughout the country.
Mrs. George Knight's doctor told her to take up jogging to get some physical exercise after 29 years of sitting for eight hours a day in an office.
Bob Gaskill, Topeka senior, joins along a Lawrence street braving an early morning rain to keep himself physically fit.
By Pat Crawford Kansan Staff Reporter
After 29 years of working for the telephone company — work that consisted of sitting for eight hours a day -Mrs. George Knight, 320 Maine St., needed some physical exercise.
At her doctor's recommendation, the 67-year-old woman started an exercise routine of daily walking and running.
Mrs. Knight is not alone in this type of exercise—jogging is fast becoming one of the most popular and most talked about exercise plans in the country.
Jogging caught on at KU in the spring of 1965 when former track coach Bill Easton formed a jogging club of KU faculty members and Lawrence businessmen. The club, called the "Jayhawk Joggers," met about three times a week by Allen Field House for an hour of jogging and calisthenics.
When Easton left for Mexico, the club disbanded. Benjamin Chu, KU chemistry professor, belonged to the club the whole time it was active, but stopped after Easton left.
"Jogging is one of the best ways to keep in shape," Chu said, "but I think the group needed someone motivating us to keep us at it. For me, it was a question of finding the time to do it."
Another member of the club kept up the exercise routine after the club disbanded. Wes Santee, a former KU track star and now Lawrence businessman, helped Easton recruit local businessmen for the "Javahawk Joggers."
"I still go out almost every evening," Santee said. "Right now, I weigh only about 10 pounds more than when I was running for KU."
Santee described jogging as a kind of run-walk—running on your toes but not as fast as a regular run. It definitely helps keep a person trim and in good condition if done on a regular basis, he said.
Santee said it wouldn't hurt the "female segment" of our population to try this sport. Too many women, he said, don't think it is ladylike to get out and exercise like this.
"I think they're afraid of developing too muscular calves."
Santee said, "but muscular calves look better than flabby ones. There's certainly nothing wrong with girls jogging."
Four KU coeds agree with his opinion. They jog once or twice a day for 1- $1\frac{1}{2}$ hours. Three of the women-Judy Clary, Kansas City senior, Janice Miller, Hutchinson junior, and Jan Pappas, Prairie Village sophomore—belong to the Cosmos, a Topeka girls track club. The fourth girl, Peggy Grinvalsky, Jamaica, N.Y., junior, belongs to a New York track club.
The coeds, who run on the cross-country course west of Iowa Street, wore sweatshirts this winter during their regular runs. Now that the weather is warmer, their outfits consist of white shorts and blouses. For distance jogging they run eight miles, and do stretching exercises before and after the run.
"I think my physical condition has really improved," Miss Clary said. "We can do things longer now without getting tired, and if we do get tired we can push ourselves."
Miss Clary used the track at
Memorial Stadium this summer for jogging. One day she met Santee on the track and started jogging with him. He took an interest in her jogging and started training her for track meets.
Later in the summer she participated in a track meet in Wichita and took second place in the 880-yard run.
When Mrs. Knight started her exercise routine, she did it because her doctor told her to. Now she does it because it's "such fun."
"I was embarrassed at first," she said, "but now the people are used to seeing me day in and day out and they just wave."
Mrs. Knight leaves her home
week days at 7 a.m. and walks from Fourth and Michigan Street to the end of Michigan, which is in the country. She walks west to the Riverside school and then back home. The whole trip, which is over two miles, takes her about one hour.
See Jogging. page 10