Backyard Runs, Masked Ultras, and More: These Runners Are Fundraising for COVID-19 Relief – runnersworld.com
Within the past month, both businesses and individuals in the running community have stepped up tremendously to support coronavirus (COVID-19) relief efforts.
Some companies, such as Under Armour and Nike, began producing face masks and face shields to help protect healthcare workers on the frontlines of fighting the virus. Meanwhile, individuals have done their part by practicing safe social distancing, supporting local running stores and gyms virtually, and even raising funds—and lifting spirits—through creative running stunts.
One man in California ran 48 hours on a treadmill while wearing a mask to help raise awareness and funds for personal protective equipment for everyone in his community. Another runner ran 50 miles around his neighborhood to raise money for those who couldn’t afford rent. In North Carolina, a seven-year-old spent his at-home recess period by running a marathon in his backyard, raising money for local charities in the process.
Across the country, many others are similarly using their running talents—and extra time at home—to log miles for others in need. Here, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite stories of runners making the best of these trying times. If you know of any runners running to make a difference, please let us know.
Man Runs 48 Hours On a Treadmill Wearing a Mask
If running on a treadmill for 48 hours isn’t impossible on its own, try doing it with a face mask. That’s what , a 60-year-old ultrarunner from Placerville, California, did on April 11 to encourage others in his community to wear masks and donate personal protective equipment or funds to those in need during the COVID-19 outbreak. On a treadmill propped up in the storefront of a wine shop, Laconte ran a total of 150 miles in the 48-hour span while wearing an American flag bandana.
College Soccer Team Runs to Help Community Members Hit By COVID-19
One silver lining of the coronavirus pandemic is that many athletes who don’t normally run are introducing running into their daily routines, as our sport requires zero facilities and can be practiced safely while remaining socially distant from another. In Indiana, the Grace College men’s soccer team decided to host a fundraiser for those affected by COVID-19 in their community by running for 48 hours straight, with each player taking consecutive turns running (the shifts lasted from 20 minutes to an hour).
The idea to help out was sparked after one of the player’s grandparents tragically died within days of each other from COVID-19 in Italy, according to the Chicago Tribune. The team’s fundraiser kicked off on Wednesday, April 1, and finished Friday, April 3. So far, the team has raised $12,315 of their $15,000 goal, all of which will go toward the Salvation Army in Warsaw, Indiana; the Elkhart County COVID-19 Community Response Fund; as well as IMA World Health. If you’d like to donate, visit here.
Minnesota High School Runner Plans Virtual 5K
While student-athletes across the country are missing out on the spring track season, one high school student from Minnetonka, Minnesota, thought up a creative way to race and support COVID-19 relief at the same time. Maya Mor, a ninth-grader from Minnetonka High School, is hosting a virtual 5K race on Saturday, April 18, to raise money for the Twin Cities United Way, a local charity that is collecting a COVID-19 response and recovery fund.
To participate, runners pay $10 (all race proceeds go to the charity), then run a 5K on their own and submit their times online through the race website. After all of the times are submitted, the results will be posted online. To enter, click here.
Nearly £3 Million Raised Via ‘Run 5 Donate 5 Nominate 5’ Challenge
Started by 27-year-old Olivia Strong, this challenge—run or walk a 5K, donate £5 to the National Health Service (NHS), and tag five friends to do likewise—has garnered participation from more than 100,000 people worldwide, including the likes of singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding and three-time Olympian M0 Farah. After smashing its initial goal of £5,000 and seeing incredible success the last two weeks, the campaign recently upped its fundraising goal to £3.5 million.
Seth Demoor Runs 48 Miles to Raise Funds for Rent
Earlier this month, Seth Demoor—a 2:23 marathoner from Englewood, Colorado, and the personality behind a popular running YouTube channel—began brainstorming creative ways to help the people in his community who couldn’t afford to pay rent because of layoffs and business closures due to the coronavirus. He decided to run 50 miles around his neighborhood and asked people to pledge money for every quarter-mile lap he ran, for a total of 200 laps. , some people pledged to pay Demoor $1 per lap, while others pledged $10. In total, Demoor raised an estimated $20,000, which he will donate to Colorado families this month.
Washington, D.C., Resident Runs for 24 Hours
Dan Frank
In Washington, D.C., ultrarunner Dan Frank ran for 24 hours to raise money for the Community Action Council (CAC) of Howard County to help ease financial suffering caused by the coronavirus. The 36-year-old began his run on Friday evening, April 3, and ended it the following Saturday, April 4, logging 102 miles total during the run, according to . For each mile Frank ran, people pledged various sums of money. He was originally hoping to raise $500, but ended up pulling in more than $11,000.
7-Year-Old North Carolina Boy Runs Backyard Marathon for Local Organizations
Anyone can do amazing things from their home, no matter their age. Take . All he wanted to do initially was run in his backyard for 6 hours to get outside. Then his mom, Eliza, asked him if he wanted to see if they could raise money for local charities , , or . Roughly 37,000 steps later, Burgess completed his backyard marathon, raising $1,500 in the process.
Anyone wishing to donate to Steven’s run can do so by emailing his mother, Eliza. Direct donations can also be made directly to , , or .
Ultrarunner Runs Every Street of His Town to Raise Money for Local Businesses
The North Face athlete doesn’t have the set up in Ottawa, Illinois, that you’d expect an ultrarunner to have, but his town certainly has enough miles to keep him going. With everything going on, —an idea popularized by Rickey Gates—to raise money to purchase gift cards to support local businesses with the plan to give 60 percent of those gift cards to local healthcare workers. The rest will be given to other local businesses affected by the pandemic. His effort took 12 days and covered 204.5 miles. In that time, he raised nearly $11,000. Anyone wishing to donate can do so .
Former Olympic Triathlon Champion Completes Backyard Ironman
We’ve seen many household running efforts, but German triathlete and 2008 Olympic champion Jan Frodeno took it one step further with a homemade triathlon, according to . To be fair, most people don’t have a counter-current swimming pool, but mixing 3,800 meters in that, cycling 180K on his trainer, and completing a marathon on his treadmill, he was able to finish in eight hours, 33 minutes, and 39 seconds. The at-home event was publicized on Twitter and raised over €200,000 (more than $217,000) for , and for the , which creates sports-related projects for children and adolescents with disabilities. You can donate for either .
Frenchman Running 100-Mile Distance PB in Hong Kong
Frenchman Alexandre Clovirola is based in Hong Kong, and he’s never run farther than 60K (roughly 37 miles) in his life, according to the . On April 15, he set out to run 150K with the possibility of adding an additional 78K if people donated 3,000 euros to his fundraiser for Paris Hospital’s coronavirus efforts by the time he finished the first 150K on two trails. In total, Clovirola could run 141 miles for his fellow Frenchman. Anyone interested in donating can do so .