Liam Stern, a junior business major, and Louis Pascal, a senior mechanical engineering major, both began their journey with Peak Pulse at FSU with different introductions to the run club. They each utilized Peak Pulse as an outlet to be with others who had similar interests in fitness.
Originally, what started as a small run club has now quickly morphed into a growing business that provides value to hundreds of students who want to practice wellness. In the present, both Stern and Pascal have assumed leadership roles, stepping in as needed since Peak Pulse has continued to spread its influence into other areas across the nation.
Peak Pulse provides a social opportunity for people to connect in a healthy way that cultivates a culture of fitness and wellness around FSU. With FSU being named the No. 2 party school in America, it can be difficult to find a community that isn’t centered around nightlife. Pascal describes Peak Pulse as a way to “be social without a drink in your hand.”
“I found that people who ran were quite like-minded in terms of wellness and wanting to look after their health, and I meshed well with that mindset,” said Pascal.
Peak Pulse was founded by Adyan Child in Gainesville (land of the Gators…), FL. He created a space where anyone could feel welcomed, whether you “Run, Walk, or Crawl,” anyone can join. They experienced great success within the community, inspiring Tallahassee founder Stryder Graft to bring Peak Pulse to FSU students.
Once Graft graduated from FSU this past summer, the organization experienced a hole in leadership. Stern, who’s now a Tallahassee director, describes how he stepped up in the summer of 2025. He leads the community runs, works with brand outreach, and leads the team’s runs twice a week. Stern got into running and started his time in Peak Pulse through a Sunday run with only eight people in attendance.
“I knew right away these were the type of people I wanted to be around, and I became closer to them right away,” Stern said. “I got to meet Stryder and Louis, and I saw that they were passionate about what they were doing, so I came out more consistently, and I was able to step into a leadership position.”
Peak Pulse hosts runs every Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Cascades Park and every Sunday at 9 a.m. at Catalina Cafe. Pascal, also a Tallahassee director, emphasizes how cross-partnerships with Gainesville and attending a multitude of events are essential in building these relationships with brands and other communities.
“We’ve seen it come from something that not many people know about to what it is now, having 300 people come out to our Lululemon event,” Pascal said.
These brand partnerships have been a major factor in the club’s growth, with paid events becoming more frequent in the Peak Pulse Instagram feed. The organization has partnered with Red Bull, Lululemon, On Cloud, and more, to name a few. These partnerships have given the club an engaging way to promote itself with giveaways that draw more individuals to try the club and stay for the experience.
“We expanded the run club from meeting up once a week and throwing a football around and running, to be a functioning business that provides value to the community,” Stern said.
The growth of Peak Pulse represents the strength of the community in the fitness space and following what feels aligned to oneself. The team behind the run club showcases what a group of like-minded individuals can accomplish and how scaling these local organizations provides so much value to not just you, but to the community around you.
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