South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Cross country team honors heroes with virtual run
The Spanish River High School cross country team in Boca Raton wanted to find a unique way to honor local heroes on the front lines battling the coronavirus pandemic.
From coaches to alumni, the team of 67 collectively ran 509.6 miles — the length of Florida — on April 18 to complete its virtual run challenge.
“A little less than two weeks ago I got a text message from one of the moms who saw a team in Delaware do something similar,” said Doug Horn, Spanish River cross country and track and field coach. “She said, ‘I think this would be great’ because our kids have been training.
“Obviously, the [Florida High School Athletic Association] didn’t cancel track season until [April 20], and we had some very high expectations for the season,” Horn said. “Our kids have been training and she goes, ‘You know I think this would be kind of fun for them to motivate them.’”
The FHSAA canceled all affiliated events for spring sports because of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s mandate for schools to continue distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
After looking up the length of Florida from Key West to the Florida-Georgia borderline, Horn knew he would need more than just the current members on the team to accomplish the task.
“I knew that Saturday we were going to do a long run and that’s what was subscribed for their training,” he said. “I knew we were going to need a lot more than just the current kids; we were going to need to reach out to alumni and get the coaches involved. They were great; they all chipped in.”
In just under 24 hours, the Spanish River team fulfilled its objective, cementing its accomplishment by sending over photos or videos of them doing the run along with their finishing time. Runners involved in the virtual event also included people from Gainesville and North Carolina.
“It was great. I think everyone was really proud of what we were able to accomplish,” Horn said. “It kind of drove the kids a little bit. Part of our team culture is we have fun and we run personal bests. Training on your own isn’t necessarily fun, but this was a way we were able to connect for a short period of time without actually physically connecting.”