Virtual racing is the hot new thing in running, and the Greater Somerset County YMCA is embracing the trend with a weeklong event starting Saturday.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down organized sports, the YMCA had been planning to hold its 20th annual Hillsborough Hop, a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) race, on May 30.
Organizers have found a way to capture the spirit of a race that last year had 758 finishers, albeit in a safe, socially-distanced fashion.
The “Greater Somerset County Virtual Walk/Run” invites participants to complete a 5K on a route of their choosing, anytime between May 30 and June 6. They are asked to use a running app to calculate distance and time, and post the results and any photos to social media using the hashtag #GSCYMCA5K.
It is among several YMCA initiatives, including virtual classes via Zoom for yoga, spin, strength and other displaced programming, aimed at offsetting the strain of stay-at-home orders.
“What we have seen is that people are struggling with everybody being in isolation,” David Carcieri, the Greater Somerset County YMCA’s chief executive officer, told NJ Advance Media.
“They’re not able to be as active. It’s putting a physical and mental toll on everyone,” Carcieri said.
The virtual run/walk, he added, is “just a great way for people to get out.”
With all races since mid-March either postponed or cancelled, virtual running events are an increasingly popular alternative in New Jersey. If the 44th annual Belmar 5 Mile Run doesn’t happen on Aug. 22 — it was originally scheduled for July 11 — the race director announced Friday that a virtual run/walk event will occur, with runners given until Aug. 30 to run five miles on their own.
The New Jersey Virtual Challenge consists of options ranging from 28 to 579 miles, starting June 1 and concluding Aug. 1. Registration fees range from $40 to $80, with participants getting one shirt and at least one medal (the longest and costliest option offers four medals).
The Somerset YMCA event is more low-key. There is no registration fee, and no race swag. Just the enticement of fitness, and having fun.
Chris Kelly on the run with his puppy, Frankie.Submitted
Chris Kelly, a Y member and former Franklin Township mayor, is signed up for the virtual run and knows a thing or two about overcoming challenges.
In June 2015, Kelly was training for his sixth Ironman Triathlon — a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run — when he was diagnosed with stage 4, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Five months later, following chemotherapy, Kelly drew notice upon completing the Atlantic City Marathon. In 2017, he did his sixth Ironman, in Lake Placid, N.Y., and has since run another five marathons.
“Running and exercise, and all that, has been my mental therapy. It’s been keeping my mind clear,” said Kelly, whose cancer is in remission.
Kelly had been planning to run the Hillsborough Hop.
“It’s fun. It’s a lot of local people, and a handful of very, very fast people, and a lot of social runners — a lot of families with children, which makes it all the more community-centric,” Kelly said.
Carcieri is a five-time marathon finisher and also plans to participate. He acknowledged that the pandemic is having an impact on the YMCA, a non-profit organization serving 30,000 members at five branches in Basking Ridge, Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Plainfield and Somerville.
“We’re feeling the financial crunch, just like every other business and organization out there,” he said.
The upcoming virtual run/walk is aimed at generating goodwill and hopefully smiles. It serves the same purpose as the Zoom classes, he explained, in reaching out to those displaced from social gatherings and other activities.
“They can now be part of a community,” he said.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.