Operation Inspiration

This is next in a series of mini race reports for various virtual runs and races I'm doing while the COVID-19 pandemic has shut everything down.

One of the first of many virtual runs to pop up after the pandemic struck was iRunFar's Operation Inspiration Virtual Race. This was not a competitive race, but rather a global community run with the goal of bringing runners together, albeit virtually, while raising money for charity. Or as Meghan and Bryon state on the event's Web page:

Without these races and the inherent goals they allow us to work toward, our daily running might feel a bit rudderless. Not to mention, we’re missing the time spent with our community at these group events. The Operation Inspiration Virtual Race is, thus, meant to help give us a way to get our competitive juices flowing again and to gather around a communal physical effort.

The idea was to run any route you chose, for a minimum of one hour, on Saturday, April 4. The registration fees were donated to the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund—a global effort that is working to fight the pandemic.

One facet of the event was to dedicate your run to a group or an individual. As I casually traversed part of the Cayuga Trails course at Robert Treman State Park, I thought of my current and former healthcare coworkers and former Rad Tech classmates. In many facilities, diagnostic imagining technologists are right up there on the front line caring for infected or potentially infected patients. While the direct patient interaction is less than that of nurses and physicians, imaging techs are still an integral part of
patient care and are at high risk for contracting COVID-19. As essential workers, the x-ray and CT techs I've worked with continue to to put themselves in harm's way as part of their jobs without receiving hazard pay. 

I'll admit, I've felt guilty for working very few hours during the pandemic thus far. I was scheduled for leave under the NYS Paid Family Leave Act prior to the coronavirus outbreak. Instead of returning to my normal schedule, I've been on call for a few hours a week at my main job, while essentially being furloughed at each of my per diem jobs. I had no say in any of this, but still, I sometimes feel out of place as a healthcare professional not pulling his weight during the pandemic. It's also unnerving to think of putting myself in a situation where I could catch the virus and unknowingly pass it on to my baby boys. The upside is that I get to spend more time with the kids while they're still little.

In short, thank you to my fellow rad techs who continue to report to their jobs under the given situation. You people among the many groups of unsung heroes during these crazy times. Be safe and stay strong!

iRunFar reports that the virtual race raised over $159,000 for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. They also drew dozens of names at random to win various prizes. My name was picked and I won a $100 gift card for inov-8, using it to buy a pair of the Roclite G 275s.