Digital Race for Physical Cardboard - a Contest

With the state of the world being what it is, much of our lives have had to go on pause.  COVID-19 has cancelled vacations, graduations, birthday parties, sporting events.  Of course, it's impossible for society to completely halt.  When possible, in order to prevent transmission, we've had to work from home, order groceries and supplies, and socialize through the internet.  Zoom has facilitated conference calls and workplace collaboration, retailers have pivoted to online ordering and curbside pickup, and graduation commencements have been simulated through YouTube broadcasts.  To the latter point, I've personally created two of them thanks to the Adobe Creative Suite.  Hell, even most of the pro sports leagues have taken to the web to fill the vacuum.  iRacing and an MLB The Show tournament were actively being discussed on ESPN and even broadcast on live television, though auto racing has since come back (with empty bleachers, of course).

In short, during the age of Corona, a lot of our everyday lives has gone digital since our reality is not an XBox game with a pause button.  In this scenario, does that make the Corona virus the mom beckoning us to the dinner table?  Anyway, I digress...

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Like all sports, running has had to pivot, as well.  Of course, the Olympics have been put on hold and all of the major track meets and road races across the world have been postponed.  In fact, the Boston Athletic Association has truly embraced the upset apple cart by uploading the 124th annual Boston Marathon to the internet.  Registered runners will complete their 26.2 miles on their own time (with GPS tracking) and submit their times to officials, which will later be compiled to generate the official race results.  Will participants get the same thrill as they would staggering up Heartbreak Hill on a hazy, fall morning?  No, but it's something - something to distract from the troubles of the world and create a semblance of normalcy.

With that in mind, the charity for which my wife works, St. Coletta's of Illinois, has had to make a similar adjustment.  All of their in-person fundraisers have had to be cancelled since the outbreak hit pandemic status.  As a non-profit, you can imagine what this has done to their funding and their work with adults who have developmental disabilities.  One of the events that had to be struck from the calendar was a charity 1K walk, which was expected to be one of the pillars of their summer fundraising schedule.

However, not all hope was lost.  Instead of outright cancelling the event, my wife had the ingenious idea of following the Boston Marathon's example and using the internet to our advantage.  Now, St. Coletta's is hosting the Digital Dash 5K Run and 1K Walk, an entirely virtual road race.

Now, why am I telling you all about this?  Like I said, this event is being hosted by St. Coletta's of Illinois and - more specifically - my wife.  Of course, I want to see her succeed and I will do anything I can to lift her up as high as humanly possible.  Furthermore, seeing as she married a crazy runner dude, she brought me onto the project as the official Race Director, so I have an even more vested interest in this event's success.  The Digital Dash will be the first time I get to don the Race Director hat and, again, I'm going to promote this race as loudly as I can using every avenue available to me.

I know that I am not the only card collector who also dabbles in running and/or fitness.  With that, if you are like me and have been looking for ways to replace the races you had planned this spring and summer, I humbly ask that you consider the Digital Dash.  Race information and registration can be found right here.  For your troubles, you can have a soft, cotton t-shirt (that I designed, btw) mailed your way to commemorate your participation. There's also a bib available for download to truly complete the simulation.  Furthermore, there are medals up for grabs for the top finishing men and women, as well as participatory awards for all who submit a time.  All in all, we've tried to make this as much like the real deal as possible.

The biggest difference here between the Digital Dash your more traditional charity 5k is that, instead of the race taking place at one place, date and time, participants can complete their chosen distance whenever and however they'd like.  Do it on a treadmill, jog it on a trail, push a stroller or walk your dog - however you'd like to exercise.  Just make sure that the result has been submitted by next Sunday evening, so that we can compile the official results in a timely manner.

Most importantly, I'm not just taking to the blogosphere for selfish reason.  The money raised from this event will go completely towards St. Coletta's of Illinois and their work with adults with disabilities.  If you are not familiar, you can read all about the nonprofit's goals and what they do for the community right here.  I've seen first hand what great work they do and they need all the help they can thanks to the Corona Virus crisis.

If you do decide to jump on-board, please let me know in the comment section down below.  Everyone that does so and who's registration I can confirm will be entered into a drawing for a special prize package, headlined by a super-vintage, Type I 1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premium, featuring Ethan Allen.  Plus, many other goodies will be tossed in with it, in order to sweeten the pot.  I will randomize and draw once the event concludes, a week from tomorrow.

If you've read this far, thank you for tolerating this non-card content. I hope you decide to take the plunge and join me for the Digital Dash!  Run or walk a virtual race for charity and maybe get some physical, vintage baseball cards to go along with your t-shirt, souvenir bib, and award!

If you have any further questions about the event, please feel free to ask here and I will do my best to answer them.

And don't worry, you don't have to suffer through another Zoom call.  Even though this is a virtual event, we know you've surely had enough of those, at this point.