Camp War Eagle Parent Run

Doug Hankes, director of Student Counseling & Psychological Services, had no idea that his joke 20 years ago about a running tour of Auburn University would become a reality.

Hankes and his wife moved back to Auburn in 1998 when they both were hired by the university. The two met as undergraduates at Auburn University, and after being away for about 10 years, decided it was time to come back.

“When we got back on campus the counseling center was working with Camp War Eagle, and that’s when I talked to Mark Armstrong, the director of First Year Experience,” said Hankes. “At the time I think they had bus tours and walking tours, and I half-jokingly said to him, ‘What if we do a running tour.’ He said, ‘You can do it if you want but nobody’s ever going to show up.'”

So Hankes decided he would try it out, beginning what is now known as the Camp War Eagle Parent Run.

You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll experience the full range of human emotion as you join psychologist, Dr. Doug Hankes (Director, Student Counseling & Psychological Services), and other Auburn University faculty and staff members for an early morning run (3-3.5 miles) around Auburn’s beautiful, yet deceptively hilly campus. The pace varies according to the group (minimum 12 minutes per mile) but count on a sweaty, solid effort. The 2017 CWE sessions will mark the 20th anniversary for the run.