2020 Casey’s Challenge Recap: ADAPT – It’s in Our Name
On the morning of August 8th, Adaptive Sports of Ohio’s Headquarters should have been abuzz with racers gathered together bright and early, getting loose before the air horn was scheduled to sound at 8:00 to begin our 2020 Casey’s Challenge 5K. The reality was that many of us were just rolling out of bed for what was likely another routine Saturday. With the switch to a virtual race, most participants had already run their race on their own time and in their own way. There’s no question that the 2020 version of Casey’s Challenge wasn’t the normal race experience that we’re used to, but what is normal these days? There’s no choice but to adapt, and that’s what we did.
Running a virtual event was new territory for us, and we weren’t sure how our annual runners would react to the news that we would not be holding an in-person race. Would people still participate without the adrenaline and feeling of community that comes with a live race? It turned out that our supporters were willing to stand behind us and adapt with us. We ended up with 139 registered participants and received amazing support from our sponsors:
Platinum:
BellStores
Gold:
Aultman Orrville Hospital
Silver:
Apple Creek Banking Company
Commercial & Savings Bank
AC Split Bolt
Eight athletes trained with us for Casey’s Challenge each Wednesday night throughout the summer, wheeling along Sippo Valley Trail in Dalton. Despite not having an in-person race, we wanted to reward these athletes for their hard work all summer long. We brought them out during race week to time them on our Casey’s Challenge route in a race-like atmosphere. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department generously volunteered their time to help ensure that our athletes were kept safe on the road.
Casey took home the overall best time with a blistering 14:19 and trophies were awarded to the top overall male and female time in each category. See the video below for the full results. Team United Apart took home the Wheel of Excellence with 21 participants! They’ll get to proudly display the Wheel at the location of their choice for a full calendar year.
We can’t thank all of our participants, sponsors, and donors enough for continuing to support us through this pandemic. Even though we had to adapt, Casey’s Challenge didn’t miss a beat. We can’t wait to be back together next year for our 2021 Casey’s Challenge! And don’t worry virtual runners, with a virtual run already under our belt, we plan to continue offering a virtual option for future races!