By Calina He
The third annual Indy Runners Charity XC Challenge 5K will return at 9 a.m. Sept. 7 at Northview Church.
“This year, we will try to expand our donations a bit more. There’s a $30 entry fee. Half of that goes toward whichever charity you choose to represent, and the other half goes into a (pot for the winning team),” said Brian Schuetter, medical liaison for Indy Runners. “We will have a few designated anchor charities that we will be promoting that were more impacted by COVID-19, (such as the) Indiana Center for Nursing, Back On My Feet, Washington Township Advance Center and Second Helpings.”
The event will use an age-graded percent to generate a score for each participant. The age-graded percent is the ratio of the race time and the world record for the same age and gender. The formula is designed to ensure participants do not have an advantage or disadvantage because of their age or gender.
Precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be in place, such as staggering start times and removing gathering areas.
“We’ll do all the masking and precautions when picking up bibs and jerseys,” Schuetter said. “We will do staggered starts if not timed trials start with individual people one at a time to keep the spacing in between people. We would usually have refreshments and snacks and a hangout place before and after, but we will not be doing that this year, unfortunately.”
To register, visit indyrunners.org. Those interested in raising money for the charities but hesitant about participating in the run can donate to the cause by emailing Schuetter at [email protected].
