About a dozen Gainesville residents are participating in an international virtual race to help to benefit the Green Beret Foundation, a non-profit for wounded, ill or injured Green Berets.
The GORUCK $1 Million Challenge is a team event. The team’s goal is to raise $1 million for the foundation.
Each registered participant commits to run a specific distance. They receive a printable bib number to wear while they log miles for the competition.
Throughout the experience, participants are encouraged to post pictures on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #runfor1m.
Participants track their distances and times using stopwatches or a GPS-synched running app on a smartphone, said Kim Huebner, a volunteer with the project.
For each mile participants log, money is donated to the Green Beret Foundation.
Every participant also has the option to “ruck”, or carry a weighted backpack, while running.
“I think both the Run for a Million race and the GORUCK $1 Million Challenge are an amazing example of the good that can be done when people set aside their differences and come together for a common purpose,” Huebner said.
Emily O’Hearn, a UF multimedia producer and an avid runner, said the activity can bring people together.
“It’s cool that people can connect and learn more about others who we wouldn’t have before, but we all have that common thread tying us together,” she said. “It’s fitness.”
