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Way to go Jody! Even though this is a virtual race, the miles are real! Here is Jody's story in her own words.
It was started by Lazarous Lake – aka Gary Cantrell, because other races had been cancelled due to covid19. I saw it posted/mentioned in the Barkley Fall Classic face group and signed up on a whim – not knowing if I’d be able to complete it in 4 months, much to my surprise I completed it in 78 days. I have now signed up for the BAT – although I don’t think I’ll make it all the way back across TN – I am going for the 1,000 mile pin. As of yesterdays miles I’m at 814.9 miles completed.
I got 3 friends from high school in Michigan to sign up and a friend/co-worker who lives in Cumberland county. Laz is talking about doing a virtual walk across America that would start Jan 1, 2021 and go until Dec 31, 2021 – I’ve got about 10 people interested in signing up for that. Once completing the original race you get a medal, a sticker and a finish certificate.
The race started May 1st & goes until Aug 31. Over 22,000 people from around the world have signed up. It started as a virtual race across TN, then so many were completing it so quickly (1000 KM, 635 miles) that they added BAT – back across Tennessee. Then he added buzzards to keep ahead of. It’s been a lot of fun and the Facebook group has been inspiring. It’s been amazing to see the journey/stories/photos of the participants from around the globe. So many people were signing up their dogs for the race – that Laz created a dog category – with money being raised for animal shelters in TN. True to his giving spirit – money from the race is raising money for Feeding America /food pantries in TN and the “store” where we can buy race gear (shirts, mugs, etc) is helping raise money for child development center of Coffee, Franklin & Moore counties.
Laz is also currently signing up for his next great virtual adventure – a team event – a virtual race circumventing the globe! It’s ambitious! It starts Sept 1 & goes through 12/31/2021.
For more info:
Map of the course: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1KXrOhN-MoqO0hTF8ILuGyrEUQAV5H620&ll=35.843318585831305%2C-85.98698099999999&z=6
Here is an article that was in the Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2020/05/16/great-virtual-race-across-tennessee/3078087001/
Here is info from the race website: https://runsignup.com/Race/Info/TN/Memphis/TheGreatVirtualRaceAcrossTennessee1000K
The facebook group: Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee: https://www.facebook.com/groups/234553700994287/
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