In the spirit of his broadcasts, I combed the internet for Some Good Running News and I found a lot of running news to make us smile! While most runners are aware of and maybe even participating in some of the many virtual runs with a cause, there is a lot of other good news out there.
Writing this post was a welcome distraction for me. I may have had a little too much fun with some of the graphics. Maybe I should have gone for a nice long run...
Fantasy Running Team. Let'sRun is holding an American Distance Runner GOAT (greatest of all time) bracket tournament. It's week 2 and you can vote weekly! No big surprises so far, but it should get interesting down the road. I wonder if anyone is betting on this?
Run and Live Longer. We all know the health benefits of running and that it can help you live longer but did you know that running a first marathon can also help you live longer? A recent study showed that training for and running a marathon for the first time can help reduce aortic stiffness and lower your blood pressure. This one's for my physician partner who once told how bad marathons are for your health.
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| Sorry, couldn't help myself... |
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| Ok, last one... |
The Good Guys. This week I received a refund from the Bank of America Chicago Shamrock Shuffle. They also refunded my fee for having my packet mailed to me! The March 25 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They are also working on getting everyone's tshirts and buffs out to them. Has anyone else had a race do this? I know there were a lot of virtual options made available for canceled races but this is the first I've heard of a race refunding the entry fee, much less the packet mailing fee!
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| See you next year! |
Bigfoot has raised over $20,000 for US food banks! Earlier this month, I participated in the Bigfoot Social Distancing Challenge, a virtual race that donated all the profits to food banks. The event was such a success that All Community Events, the race promoter, has extended it and now has a trifecta challenge for ambitious runners who want to do 3 distances. They have probably one of the best race shirts I've ever gotten. Since it's a virtual race, you don't have to be local to sign up.
- Nike is donating money to relief efforts in the Portland area and has shifted production to manufacturing full face shields and powered, purifying air respirator lenses.
- New Balance is also donating money to COVID-19 relief efforts and is making masks for healthcare workers.
- Adidas is collaborating with Carbon to print 3D face shields
- for healthcare workers.
- Swiftwick is donating one pair of compression socks to a healthcare worker for every pair purchased by a consumer.
- Clif is donating bars to healthcare workers.
- Kind is also donating bars to healthcare workers.
- Tailwind is donating thousands of packets of its endurance fuels to hospitals.
- The Boston Athletic Association is donating money to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts in Boston and is also donating food and medical items from the cancelled Boston Marathon to local agencies.
- Superfeet is using their 3D printers to make medical equipment.
- Under Armor is donating money to the COVID-19 relief efforts as well as producing face masks, face shields, and special fanny packs for healthcare workers.
- Brooks is donating 10,000 pairs of shoes to healthcare workers.
- KEEN is donating 100,000 pairs of shoes to healthcare workers and their families
- InknBurn is making masks for healthcare workers out of their fun patterns and donating them!
- HOKA One is donating 5,000 pairs of shoes to frontline workers.
There are so many other fitness and outdoor companies pitching in to help out. It's been nice to see some good come out of this tragedy. Stay safe everyone and keep your sense of humor intact!
Have you been looking for good news? What good running news have you heard about? Have you participated in any virtual runs thata have benefitted others?
I've got Some Good Running News! /via @oldrunningmom #running #runchat #covid19 #socialdistancing
I'm linking up with Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.
Running is keeping me sane for sure.
ReplyDeleteMost of my races are postponed or you can run them virtual.
Although a virtual race is not how I prefer to run, it keeps you motivated and helps a charity.
So I am running many of them. 13.1 this weekend.
Nice! For this post, though, I thought I'd find other news besides virtual races!
DeleteI love this! Keep the good news coming. It's really fantastic how many companies have pivoted to help out where it's needed most. I have not gotten any refunds for races but cherry blossom is sending out the shirts and medals to those finished the virtual race.
ReplyDeleteI think that's great. I love that races are trying to at least make things right--even if it means a virtual race.
DeleteGreat post, Wendy. We all need this. Love the BigFoot logo!
ReplyDeleteTough times, for sure!
DeleteWhat an awesome post, Wendy! Thanks for finding & sharing all of this!
ReplyDeleteI've got time on my hands... :p
DeleteBest Blog Post Title Ever. I was shocked that Shamrock refunded my packet shipping fee, I mean, they spent $ money sending it to me. I wore the shirt for my virtual 5&10ks and I am more determined than ever to run that race one day (I don't live in Chi but my SIL does and we usually visit her on race weekend, I have severe FOMO for that race). It's not science but anecdotally I can tell you that since I boosted my running from 10 miles a week to 20+ I've had fewer colds so I absolutely believe that the best thing we can all do right now once we've washed our hands and socially distanced is to get our run on;-) TGIF Wendy!
ReplyDeleteI also was surprised to receive my packet shipping fee refunded--I have the swag! They are a first class organization and I hope you'll get to come and run it next year!
DeleteI loved this week's SGN when John showed how hospital staff celebrate patients who have recovered and are going home! The announcement that AT&T was paying the phone bills of all doctors and nurses for 3 months was just amazing. We need all the good news we can get.
ReplyDeleteI'm running the Hot Chocolate 15k virtual race - "race weekend" is the first weekend of May, so I plan to do it then.
Good luck on that virtual race! HC does have good swag.
DeleteI love the SGN show! Such a relief to see good news.
ReplyDeleteThat is so nice that you got such a generous refund. I didn't get any so far... for 2 races, the organisers are still thinking about it.
Love your graphics, haha! Well done.
LOL; the things we do when we have downtime, right?
DeleteNice to hear those companies are donating during this time. I got a refund for 2 races I was going to run. But one wouldn't refund( which I was disappointed to hear) so I had to get a giftcard to a local running store.
ReplyDeleteThis was the only refund I got from all my canceled races. And don't even get me started on what the Everglades trail race offered me..
DeleteI enjoyed this post Wendy :) I'm not smiling a lot these days (which I don't like) but this really made me smile !! thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad! I tried not to be too silly. It was a lot of fun searching for some good news, that is for sure!
DeleteThe pictures are epic!! :) Don't apologize, we all need a laugh! My good running news is simply that I appreciate and treasure each run even more, since now it's essentially the only time I ever leave the house. That time is precious and is keeping me connected to nature.
ReplyDeleteRunning is everything right now and nothing else makes me feel so happy! Although the yoga I did this morning helped me. Nothing like breathing to set things right...
DeleteI am loving Jon Krasinski's SGN too. We need it right now and we need some good running news too. Thanks for bringing it to us! Loved the Mo graphics! :)
ReplyDeleteI got a little carried away, didn't I? :p
DeleteThat is really cool to see all of the running based companies contributing so much to the cause.
ReplyDeleteWe were signed up for one race that was canceled and they refunded our registration fee, which was unexpected. Nice thing to do, and if they schedule that race again, I'd be happy to sign up again.
The people who run the Shamrock Shuffle also do the marathon, so I'm not one bit surprised. They are a first class organization.
DeleteI didn’t know that about running boosting your immunity, that’s definitely good news!
ReplyDeleteFor sure!!
DeleteSo glad Trip Around the Sun made their playlist. One of my favorite songs.
ReplyDeleteCherry Blossom 10M has offered a full refund less the processing fee. If you want the shirt/medal, you can pay to have it sent. I didn't buy the medal this year and don't like the shirt, so going to let a local runner have mine if they want it. Other than the big ones, NYRR hasn't announced their plans to handle refunds/credits/what not. As they're a non profit and I lost only maybe $100 in fees, I'll let them keep it especially if they extend memberships. I didn't lose as many races as some, so I'm not too worried.
Most of my races were free, because I'm an ambassador, so there's that! But I was sure surprised at getting a refund.
DeleteMy husband and I are both doing the Bigfoot trifecta. He, of course, has fI isles all of them AND placed 1st in his age group for all of them. Sheesh! (He was also suppose to run Boston on Monday) I will do the 10 k tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteOur local marathon association is doing a virtual event for only $20 and ALL the proceeds go to the hospital for PPE for workers! You get to choose a "vintage" shirt and medal from one of their past events! I think it's a great way to reduce stored inventory and support your community!
How cool that the Shamrock Shuffle refunded your fee for mailing your packet as well as your registration fee. That's a class act!
ReplyDeleteThanks for filling me in on what SGN stands for! I've seen the pic of the guy from the office with SGN on the pic and had no idea what it meant. BTW, this is where you can say, "Okay, boomer." HaHaHaHaHaHa!!! ;-)