Smashing $20,000: virtual run bodes well

Covering the distance in Castlemaine. Runners take part in the weekend's virtual running of Run The Maine that enabled people to take part anywhere and upload their times to the leaderboard. Results were uploaded from as far afield as Texas. Photo: Max Lesser

Eve Lamb

COVID may have forced last weekend’s Run The Maine to pivot to virtual format, but it’s done nothing to prevent the popular distance event from raising an impressive $20,000 for Castlemaine Health.
“We’re donating $20,000 to the hospital which is more than double the donation from last year,” RTM director Gavin Krasner told the Mail this weekfollowingthe weekend-long event.
For months, the RTM committee had been keenly anticipating a return to in-person format this year but, just six weeks out, the state’s lockdown uncertainty forced the reversion to virtual format as used for the first time last year.
Despite that, last weekend’s participation rate points to a bright future for the event.
“$20,000 is the second largest donation we’ve ever made so we are really thrilled,” Krasner told the Mail.
“Our ticket sale were up 15 percent on last year. Read more in today’s Mail…

Eve Lamb
Journalist and photographer Eve Lamb has a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) degree from Deakin University and a Master of Arts (Professional Writing) from Deakin University. She has worked for many regional newspapers including the Hamilton Spectator and the Warrnambool Standard, and has also worked for metro daily, The Hobart Mercury, and The Sunday Tasmanian. Eve has also contributed to various magazines including Australian Cyclist.