NORFOLK, Va. - Between marathons and group outings, running is a social sport, but right now it's a sport that must be done solo.
“It's been my whole social life. I have so many friends through it and it’s been a big loss with COVID-19 and social distancing," Run 757 admin, Avi Kelley said. "I wanted to have people stay connected, so I set up these virtual runs.”
The virtual run series is called Runners Giving Back. To join, runners donate five dollars online to Run 757's gift card raffle, which supports local businesses. Half of the proceeds will go toward members of our community who are one the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
The first week of the virtual run series benefited breweries, this week it's restaurants and next week it's running stores.
“If I go to a run group, I would be spending ten dollars at a brewery," Kelley said. "We would be spending that money anyway, so this is just our way to give back.”
It's also a way to stay connected. On the Run 757 Facebook page, runners share photos and results from their run.
“We used to going to runs, hugging each other, communicating to each other, talking to each other," Kelley said. "It’s important we try to make those connections to make up for that.”
At the end of the Runners Giving Back series, people can nominate health care workers, paramedics and first responders who deserve a gift card for their hard work during COVID-19.
