*FINAL UPDATE: Read the final wrapup from the weeklong event by CLICKING HERE
*EDITED: 4/2/2020 (9PM) The run for COVID-19 relief has been extended to a full week thanks to the incredible support and momentum built during the opening day. It was initially planned for 48 hours, but the decision was made on Thursday to extend the run for seven complete days. CLICK TO LEARN MORE
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's soccer team is planning a run to fight COVID-19. A very long run.
The Lancers are organizing a 48-hour run this week in an effort to raise funds for pandemic relief.
The event, which starts on Wednesday at noon, will consist of the Lancers running in shifts around the clock until Friday at noon. Since Grace's campus has been closed (due to COVID-19), each athlete will run alone in his hometown. The Lancers have players around the globe currently, including New Zealand, Portugal, Germany and Brazil among other countries. The run will begin and end with a shift at Grace's soccer field, 1st Source Bank Field. But each leg of the race will take place in different areas of the world, depending on the runner's hometown.
As a result, the team is hoping people will give to the program's GoFundMe page. All money raised during the event will go directly to various relief funds for the COVID-19 pandemic, including both domestic and international relief funds. The initial goal is to raise $10,000, but any funds beyond the stated goal will also go to the relief effort.
GIVE NOW AT THE GOFUNDME PAGE
SEE THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE RUN
FOLLOW THE RUN LIVE ON INSTAGRAM (Wednesday - Friday)
Local organizations that Grace has chosen to support include Warsaw's Salvation Army and Elkhart's COVID-19 Community Response Fund. Elkhart County already has 23 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday (4/1/2020). The fund will immediately serve area residents in need of short-term and long-term relief. Grace is also partnering with IMA World Health, an international, nonprofit healthcare service organization.
"As a team, we wanted to do our part in the fight against COVID-19," said Grace head coach Arron Patrick. "The team decided to use our abilities to move and run to make an impact, and we hope that we can inspire others to give back to their communities as well."
The men's soccer team has players from around the globe, including Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, England and New Zealand among others. This will allow the Lancers to have someone running for 48 straight hours around the world.
The men's soccer players will also be joined in the race by student-athletes from other sports as well as coaches from across Grace's athletic department.
"With all of the hardships and problems right now in the world, I saw this as a good way to come together and provide assistance where it is needed," said sophomore Tyler Brueckman, who helped spearhead the idea. "We are always running for our training, so we want to use our running to positively influence our communities. It's our way of doing what we can to help others in our given situation."
You can follow along live with the 48-hour run on Grace Soccer's Instagram page (www.instagram.com/grace__soccer).
