Lockdown restrictions are doing little to quell the enthusiasm of a group of runners who have organised a virtual 5k charity fun run to raise money for families suffering food insecurity in Albania.
Due to social distancing measures and lockdown limits, the organisers of the “Together, Apart Virtual 5k Fun Run” have decided to take the activity online, utilising online video streaming platform Zoom and virtual fundraiser GiveButter to stream the event across the world.
Organised by American citizen Sarah Keese who lives in Albania with help from Exit journalist Alice Taylor, the event takes place on Saturday 18 April between 11 am and 5:00 pm.
Participants are invited to sign up, pay a $5 sign up fee, and walk/step/jog/run/cycle/row or whatever activity they choose that gets them to the 5k mark. Treadmills, rowing machines, doing laps of the sitting room or garden, or even just walking around the house are all ways of hitting the 5 kilometres required distance.
Upon signing up, a Zoom link is made available to each user and on race day, they can choose to stream their 5k adventure, or just watch other participants from all over the world. There is also a section on the GiveButter page where runners can post their times, race routes, or snazzy workout gear!
The event will take place over the course of 6.5 hours meaning those in different time zones can still participate. Runners can join the race whenever they want and even do it in sections with breaks in between if they wish. Fast, slow, or somewhere in between, it doesn’t matter as the purpose of the event is to bring people together, get those endorphins pumping, and raise money for a very important cause.
The entry fees will all be donated to Food Bank Albania and other carefully vetted NGOs that are involved in distributing food to those impacted by Coronavirus in Albania.
Since the pandemic was declared and lockdown restrictions were put in place, many Albanians have lost their jobs or been put on unpaid leave. This has put a huge section of the population at risk of food insecurity and poverty. With no income and no idea when they will be able to return to work, many are left wondering how they will continue to feed their families.
Those who were below the poverty line before the pandemic, the elderly, casual or daily workers, and members of the Roma and Egyptian community are particularly at risk.
Keese was inspired to organise the event to mark the anniversary of her mothers’ death. She told Exit that her mother was a runner and was also heavily involved in charity work.
“It makes me happy to organise something on that day, that I know she would love,” she said.
To find out more or to sign up, visit the fundraising page here!
