Running Community Adapts to COVID-19 Reality
The commonwealth’s premier road race may be shut down, but that will not keep down Berkshire County’s running enthusiasts.
Monday should be marathon day in Massachusetts, but the 124th running of the Boston Marathon has been postponed until at least September by the Boston Athletic Association in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Saturday, Gov. Charlie Baker recognized the loss of the event.
“This year, while the race will not be taking place on Monday, the sentiment, I think we all feel here in Massachusetts on marathon Monday remains true: Massachusetts is strong, we are resilient, and we can run any marathon anybody wants us to run,” Baker said. “We’ll get through this crisis, and we’ll get through it together.”
Baker reminded running enthusiasts not to use Monday as a day to recreate the marathon experience on the traditional route.
“Refrain from visiting the start of the race in Hopkinton, the end of the race on Boylston Street or attempting to run the course,” he said. “The many men and women who support the Boston Marathon include thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers and the National Guard and thousands of medical personnel.
“Those folks are exactly the folks who are currently helping us battle COVID-19, and they need to be able to focus on the work and the task at hand. Do not divert these incredibly critical resources away from the cities and towns that are along the course.”
Berkshire County residents, including the nearly two dozen who qualified for Monday’s race, don’t need to cross the state to keep the spirit of the marathon alive.
Almost from the start of the outbreak and the dawn of social distancing, the county’s running community has been finding creative ways to pursue their sport and maintain connection to one another.
That has meant virtual races, where runners on their own complete courses -- either predetermined or individualized -- and submit their times for comparison.
Both the Berkshire Running Center and the newly formed COVID-19 Berkshire Virtual Race Challenge are organizing runs.
The latter picked up a sponsorship from the Pittsfield-based Mill Town Capital investment group that allows the BVRC to offer a free six-week race series with courses in Pittsfield, Dalton and Lenox.
In lieu of race registration fees, the BVRC is asking participants to donate $20 to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund created by the Berkshire United Way and the Berkshire-Taconic Community Foundation.
Mill Town has donated $100,000 to the fund and hopes to raise $10,000 from the Berkshire Virtual Race Challenge.
“Just like so many other communities, the Berkshires have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, and it’s been inspiring to see so many people and businesses step up to help our neighbors in need,” Mill Town Managing Director Caroline Holland said in a news release. “Creating connections through sport and nature is one more way we can give back and keep community ties strong. We also have runners participating from across the country which has been a great reminder that we as a nation really are in this together.”
The Berkshire Running Center, likewise, is supporting the Berkshire United Way through the hashtag ExerciseForGood. The Pittsfield running specialty store moved one of its signature events, the Steel Rail Half Marathon, from May to October, but it is offering a virtual Steel Rail Half Marathon/8K.
“We encourage you to run the course planned for the SRHM 2020 anytime between now and May 17, 2020,” Berkshire Running Center’s website reads. “PLEASE DO NOT RUN IN GROUPS AS THAT IS AGAINST THE SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES.”
A portion of proceeds from the Virtual Steel Rail and all events in the BRC’s Virtual 5K Series will benefit the Berkshire United Way.
Another event, the 43rd annual Women’s Running Race, is open for runners to complete the original course or any 5-kilometer route of their choosing by May 10 with 100 percent of the proceeds from the race’s “Women Run the World” T-shirts going to the Elizabeth Freeman Center.
