Covered Bridges Half Marathon goes virtual
Runners in the 2014 Covered Bridges Half Marathon make their way along River Road. (Nancy Nutile-McMenemy Photo)
The attraction of running through the Vermont countryside on the first weekend in June has drawn runners from all over the world to the Woodstock, Vermont, area over three decades. The Covered Bridges Half Marathon, one of the most-anticipated races of its kind, is returning for 2021 — virtually.
Registration opens to the general public March 8. Currently, sign-ups for the virtual race are open only to the 2,000 runners who had their registrations deferred from the 2020 Half Marathon which was cancelled due to the pandemic. As of early afternoon Wednesday, 618 of the 2,000 had registered for this year’s virtual race. Those “deferred runners” have incentives to participate, such as getting a special registration period of Nov. 15-Dec. 5 before the public can sign up for the 2022 event.
The nonprofit race is usually held in the scenic Vermont area of Woodstock, Pomfret and Quechee, and includes several historic covered bridges along the way. The 2021 online Half Marathon will give runners a week to complete the 13.1 miles wherever they live, anytime, from June 6 through June 13. A big part of that move was to maintain health and safety amid COVID-19, but also to keep the event going for the long term, according to race co-directors Nancy Nutile-McMenemy and Mike Silverman. It also plays a crucial community role in the Upper Valley region, raising $50,000 to $60,000 for dozens of area school groups and nonprofits like libraries, community clubs and social service agencies.
“We want to make sure that we’re here and that we can support as many organizations as possible,” Silverman said. The race also has a $1.2 million economic impact in the region.
Nutile-McMenemy also noted they doubted the state would loosen gathering restrictions by June, enough to handle the event which draws over 2,000 people to the Woodstock-Quechee area of Vermont. They also weren’t sure everyone would be vaccinated by early June.
“We didn’t want to cancel again … or push it off into the fall,” she said, adding that numerous other postponed events will likely return later this year.
After the 2020 event was cancelled, runners were given the option of a refund or rolling their registrations over to the 2021 race. As of early afternoon Wednesday, 375 people had taken the refund option. The 600+ deferred runners can register a few weeks before the general public on-sale date, which will be Monday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. ET for the June 2022 race.
However, that’s not the only incentive for that group to sign up now for 2021. If they register before March 8, CBHM will mail them their race T-shirt and finisher medal with no shipping charge.
Additionally, there will be incentives for everyone to get more people to take part in the 2021 event, which may inspire some newcomers to the sport.
“We’re also looking at it as an experience to get people interested in running,” Nutile-McMenemy said.
After registration opens to the public March 8, all runners can invite family and friends and earn rewards:
Get 5 friends to sign up using your unique referral link and you will automatically receive a refund of $20.00 and a Custom CBHM Supporter hat.
Get 10 friends and you get the $20, the hat and get on the CBHM Loyalty List for early access to registration for the 2022 race.
Get 20 friends and you get the $20, the hat and complimentary race registration for the 2022 race (not refundable or transferable)
Though it’ll be a very different event this year, organizers are striving to add some unique features to make it as fun as possible. For example, an app called RaceJoy tracks the runner’s phone and allows people to virtually cheer them on from afar. CBHM organizers are connecting with bands, which would usually perform live along the race course, to request MP3s from them to create a special playlist for runners. The virtual race may have a Facebook Live component, but that has yet to be determined.
“We’re going to keep exploring a range of things to keep it fun and carry us over into next year,” Nutile-McMenemy said.
Additionally, the Upper Valley group Be Fit is writing online articles for CBHM about running safety and fitness, as well as offering a “Run Injury-Free” seminar for participants next week. That seminar covers medical training tips and hydration, especially for beginners.
At the 2022 race, CBHM plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary — which is actually this year. Runners and organizers alike are looking forward to a return to the in-person experience CBHM enthusiasts have cherished over three decades.
“All I can say is, I hope that in 2022, we get to see everybody,” Silverman said.
— Gareth Henderson
