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College of Medicine student Rodrigo Meade won the Little Rock Half Marathon.

UAMS Running Club Sees One of Their Own Win the Little Rock Half Marathon

March 31, 2026 | A group formed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for runners at all fitness levels has a champion.

UAMS College of Medicine student Rodrigo Meade, a member of the UAMS Running Club, won the Little Rock Half Marathon on March 1 with a time of 1:11:21.

“I played soccer and ran cross country and track at Oglethorpe University, so distance running has always been part of my life,” said Meade, who is in his second year of medical school. “The race was a great experience.”

UAMS Running Club president Cole Bolen explains the group’s origins.

“A group of us founded the club while we were transitioning from medical school to graduate school as part of the M.D./Ph.D. program,” he said. “We currently have more than 250 members, and it’s open to all faculty and students.”

“A few friends and I had signed up for a race in the fall of 2023,” Bolen continued. “After the race, we recognized a few of our professors and asked to get a group picture. Instead of saying cheese I joked that this was our ‘first unofficial meeting of the UAMS Running Club.’”

Murat Gokden, M.D., a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pathology, serves as the club’s advisor.

Bolen said between 15 to 20 members competed in the various races over the weekend of Feb. 28 to March 1, with several others serving as volunteers or cheering for the participants.

For Hannah Cutshall, completing the marathon fulfilled a personal goal.

“A couple of years ago I had finished my 23rd marathon, and a friend mentioned that it might be cool if I could complete 30 marathons before my 30th birthday,” said Cutshall, a chief resident in the College of Medicine Department of Pathology. “So many friends in the running community had made signs and were out cheering — it was truly amazing.”

The marathon was the first for club treasurer and fourth-year medical student Sandra Krug.

“I hadn’t run since I was in the Army, and I felt a little bit lost,” Krug said. “The running club has literally changed who I am as a person.”

Meade praised his fellow members.

“I couldn’t have done it without the classmates I train with at UAMS,” he said. “Having a group to run with makes the training more fun and makes race day even more rewarding.”