GARNET VALLEY, Pa. — The act of running is the same, however, the community feel of running has drastically changed. What does this mean to you – a runner? It means that you can still run and it means that the normal expectations included in the life of a runner has really changed. Gone are the road races and competitive nature these provided, gone are the weekend social activities of attending, racing, and catching social time together afterwards. Is this all bad? Well, runners are very creative people, dedicated to their sport, and many race directors have come up with a new life for runners through virtual events. Everything from monthly total mileage challenges, to virtual distance challenges in 5K, 10K, half, and even full marathon distances. Some events revolve around conservation efforts that benefit, for example, sea turtles. Are these challenges fun, are they worth the effort to accomplish on a solo runner basis? Absolutely! They’re all good positive ways to keep you putting one foot in front of the other and challenging your self. These new challenges may include gear AKA swag, such as medals and shirts and they offer the flexibility of scheduling which is very cool for busy people home schooling kids or for working at home folks. The virtual events are helping our race directors make a little money and they help runners keep their focus alive in the sport. What is missed is the large social nature of the races, the charity money they provided, the economic boost to local communities, and the intense feeling of accomplishment through camaraderie. But, running is alive and well and the running community will adjust as the normal changes in the future. Keep running and check out virtual events to inspire your next run!

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