The evening before a meeting of the Idaho Run Club, Brayden Durfee (’22) and his friend Nick Wong scout their location at a Boise-area park, running a variety of routes before settling on one that’s accessible to newcomers but offers some challenge for more experienced runners. Durfee acknowledges that running can be difficult. The appeal is that it can also be very fun.
“How do we push something people are going to enjoy?” he asked. “Sometimes the concept of running isn’t fun. But we use language that brings energy. Everyone’s welcome. Everyone’s beautiful in their own way. People love that. It’s how I open up every run club now: I see a lot of beautiful faces and personalities out here.”
The Idaho Run Club meets every Saturday to run two miles at a Boise-area park. On average, about 15 people attend, but sometimes the ranks can swell to 30 runners of all ages. Nearly half of them are Boise State students or alumni.
Fitness is an important part of Durfee’s life. Originally from Bend, Oregon, he ran track for Boise State, where he majored in Psychology and minored in Philosophy, but also fell in with the milieu in the Sociology department. Now a Bronco of the Last Decade, he pursued his master’s of Education at Northwest Nazarene University. Now, he runs a sports training company, 1ONE Athletics, which he started in May of 2024.
Brayden Durfee (centered in tank top) leading a recent run.
Photo credit: JJ (@joshuav.20 on Instagram).
At NNU, Durfee connected with Wong, and the two held each other accountable for their exercise and fitness goals. After graduation, they sought to extend the camaraderie to others—and thus the Idaho Run Club was born. It held its first meeting in August.
Since then, the group has grown, and Durfee has sought out relationships with other local running and athletics organizations to participate how they can. Sure, the Idaho Run Club is about running; but Durfee and Wong also developed it around a desire to create community.
“It’s a great way to start your weekend,” Durfee said. “You can find a new connection, and you don’t know where it will go. It could lead you to a new job opportunity or have a great conversation that sparks a new idea. You might make a new best friend.”