Staying active and getting outside - at a safe distance - is so important these days for both mental and physical health. And the Hartford Marathon Foundation has created a virtual challenge to make getting your miles in fun and charitable!
The Hartford Marathon Foundation's April Virtual Challenge is encouraging people to run or walk a combined 5,018 miles – the total square mileage of the state of CT! And part of the proceeds goes to help create PPE for first responders!
“I’ve got my friends who aren’t runners that are participating in this because it’s really about miles and getting outside,” says Stacy Brusa, of Glastonbury.
Brusa is a self-proclaimed casual runner participating in the April Virtual Challenge.
“Running is kind of therapy for me,” Brusa said. “It’s an opportunity for me to get outside for one thing ,have some time in nature, have some time to myself, but especially now with the whole work at home and the stress around the virus.”
Something we all could use.
The challenge officially started on Wednesday and goes through May 3 -- 27 days. Which means if you get outside and walk or run just 1 mile every day, when it’s finished, you will have completed the distance of a marathon.
Local
“My mother’s doing it, my 73-year-old mother and getting outside and walking every day so she can log her miles and she can participate, which is pretty cool,” Brusa said.
And the goal of 5,018 miles isn’t just a significant number for this challenge.
It has a significant meaning for Maker Space CT -- a local non-profit doing their part amid the COVID19 pandemic and making face shields for our local healthcare heroes.
“For the 5,018 miles we’re going to run,” explains CEO of the Hartford Marathon Foundation, Beth Shluger, “we’re going to also raise $5,018 so that we can support the effort.”
“There was no discussion 'should we?' .The only discussion was 'how quickly can we do this? How efficiently can we do this and what is the best use of our resources?" said Devra Sisitsky, the executive director of Maker Space CT.
Producing thousands of face shields weekly, Maker Space CT relies on donations from the entire community, making it possible for staff and volunteers to produce personal protective equipment for those who need it most.
“We decided initially that we wanted to take care of the people that were taking care of us, you know first responders, so that’s where we put our energy and it’s great to see all of the community swarming together to support that.”
If you would like to donate to Maker Space CT, you can visit www.makerspacect.com/ppe.
