Fitness and exercise are crucial components of health, but for people who crave companionship, it can be hard to maintain an exercise regimen when social distancing or sheltering at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We miss the encouragement of others in a workout, and the feeling of being part of something bigger, a community.
Building a sense of community has been a primary mission of Sports Backers, a nonprofit that promotes fitness and wellness in Richmond. It's known for initiatives including Kids Run RVA youth activities and Fitness Warriors, a program that trains local residents to be fitness instructors, and for signature events including the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K and (in partnership with Venture Richmond) Dominion Energy Riverrock.
The 10K and Riverrock entice thousands to venture outdoors and celebrate the active side of Richmond, but with the implementation in March of restrictions on gatherings and shelter-at-home orders to slow the pandemic, communal fitness and recreation activities were put on hold. That put an end to regular programs and activities such as Fitness Warriors. Riverrock was canceled outright, and the 10K was postponed to Sept. 26. The 2020 Anthem Corporate Run was also moved, from a June date to Oct. 15.
Sports Backers Executive Director Jon Lugbill
As has been the case for businesses and other nonprofits, the pandemic has proven costly to Sports Backers. Jon Lugbill, executive director for the organization, says it has come with a price tag of about $1 million in initial losses, which came out of the nonprofit’s reserves.
They could have suspended operations for the duration of the restrictions, but instead of shutting down, the staff brainstormed and transformed operations to align with the reality of the pandemic. “We keep trying to be relevant, we keep trying to create a sense of community,” says Lugbill.
Sports Backers had to reinvent its offerings to adapt to the pandemic. As with many fitness businesses, that entailed getting creative and expanding efforts in the virtual world.
They created videos with fitness activities for adults and kids, but people wanted more, says Lugbill. People still missed their friends, the relationships built with peers and the instructors in the classes pre-pandemic. So, Sports Backers has moved to Zoom sessions for Fitness Warriors, which have proved popular and are well attended, he says.
What has struck a chord, though, are Sports Backers' online forums. At first they seemed impersonal and were poorly attended, but now they draw more of a crowd as people seek to enhance that sense of community. Its online fitness community, RVA Fit Crew, is open to all and now has 720 members, according to Lugbill. It began online in March as a free, all-ages Spring Challenge group and allows participants to share exercise tips and activities and to encourage each other to keep moving and active.
Sports Backers also has turned to a series of virtual events.
A Taco Trot 5K held in May and tied in with Cinco de Mayo encouraged participants to walk or run 3.1 miles on their own around their neighborhood, then share their "race selfie." The fee was $17 and participants received a "Will Run for Tacos" T-shirt.
The Taco Trot was the first virtual activity planned by Sports Backers during the pandemic and had more than 1,700 participants.
“It was very successful, very quick, very low budget, says Lugbill. “That went really well.”
The nonprofit is also staging a Great American 5000 virtual race, which is set to begin on June 14, Flag Day. It’s for teams of runners, and the objective is to run 5,000 kilometers, or about 3,107 miles, the distance from San Francisco to New York City. More than 100 teams of up to a dozen or up to 24 people each have signed up so far, about a third of them from outside Virginia, says Lugbill. “It’s really going gangbusters,” he says. Progress will be tracked online for each team, and the race ends Sept. 14.
There’s also a virtual, 4-mile event for the Fourth of July that has already drawn several hundred registrants.
And though Riverrock was canceled, there is an online component to sustain fans until next year.
While the virtual world can tide people over during the pandemic, it’s no substitute for reality. “It’s not the same. It’s not nearly as good, but it’s better than nothing,” says Lugbill. He compares it to having takeout meals from your favorite restaurant instead of dining in at your leisure as in pre-pandemic days. It beats cooking at home, and you get great food, but the overall experience is just not the same. Sports Backers is all about actively doing things, and building a fitness community, he says.
“When we talk about doing things virtually, it goes against what we do,” he says. “We’re going to do the best we can, and hopefully people will respond.”
As restrictions ease, Sports Backers has to find ways to safely resume in-person activities and events. For races, that could mean steps such as staggered starts over an extended period of time. “At this point, there are a lot of options,” says Lugbill. “All that has to be thought through.”
The first in-person event will be the Run Bike Relay on July 10. It will be limited to no more than two-person teams, and the staff is working through the logistics of safe distancing and how to keep participants and volunteers safe.
Lugbill says Sports Backers will pull through financially, but that there’s much work to do. Paycheck Protection Plan loans helped alleviate some of the financial distress, and some belt-tightening moves will be necessary, but he notes that there’s a need for what they do. “We believe we are really valuable to the community, and we need to make sure we are here, that we financially survive this.”
