Arkansas State University turned into a sprawling obstacle course Saturday as the annual Howler sent hundreds of runners through a 10K route punctuated by more than 16 stations of mud, rowing, rucking and rope work. 

Hosted by student organization Howl’s Heroes, the event rolled out in waves for athletes, CrossFit and military teams at 8 a.m., JROTC and high school teams at 10 a.m., and an open class at 2 p.m.

Veronika Jergenson, a senior business administration major from Malvern, Arkansas, said the Howler, staffed by more than 40 volunteers, has grown from a small campus challenge into a daylong community fixture.

“The mission statement of Howl’s Heroes is ‘future leaders helping current communities,’” Jergenson said. “The purpose behind the Howler is to fund further events and operations for the program.”

Jergenson said two obstacles reliably anchor the course’s identity: the Rough ’n’ Tough Ruck Run and a mud pit. She said that Howl’s Heroes is an independent student group, not affiliated with ROTC, and channels funds to campus and regional causes, including an annual chili cook-off benefiting the Beck Center for Veterans and a standing donation of at least $500 to St. Jude each year.

“Running the Howler doesn’t only help you become a better version of yourself,” Jergenson said. “It helps your community thrive by funding an organization that works toward partnering and donating to other areas of not just Arkansas State University, but all of Jonesboro.”

Thomas McDonough, an accounting with data analytics graduate student from Austin, Arkansas, ran with friends on their team, the Not So Average Joes. He said the race has been part of his A-State experience for years—first as a volunteer with Howl’s Heroes, then as a member of an ROTC team and now alongside non-ROTC classmates.

“This year, after completing ROTC, I finally got to enjoy it the way I’d wanted to for the other four years: running alongside my non-ROTC friends,” McDonough said. “Sharing that tradition with them is what inspired me to compete.”

Evan Stalnaker, an active-duty U.S. Air Force munitions operations technician from Cabot, Arkansas and member of the Not So Average Joes team said running at the Howler was a blast. 

“I had the most fun I’ve ever had running at the Howler,” Stalnaker said. 

McDonough said the Howler is a perfect starting race for newcomers. He said it is long enough to feel like an accomplishment, but broken into manageable segments.

“It is a longer distance, being around 10 kilometers; however, it does not feel that long due to obstacles breaking up the run into smaller pieces,” he said. “I love running Spartan Races, and this is just like a local version of that.”

The day’s hardest station, McDonough said, was the 2,500-meter team row. 

“I chose to go last and burned myself out,” McDonough said. “By the time I finished, I was hurting and winded and then we had to keep running. Once I caught my breath I was fine, but in the moment, it was definitely the hardest event.”

McDonough said his favorite station was the mud pit.

“Being able to push our limits while also laughing and having a good time in the process was a great experience,” McDonough said.

McDonough said he plans to recruit more friends and return to the Howler next year.

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