A new initiative launched this week will bring a virtual running and walking challenge to New England to promote local running during the COVID-19 pandemic, when road races across the region have been canceled.
Participants will maintain a distance diary by inputting their runs and walks into the online portal. They can enter either as an individual or as part of a team, and choose a distance they wish to cover over a three-month period, ranging from 50 kilometers to 1,500 kilometers. Organizers will maintain a leaderboard.
Registration for the OneNE Challenge costs $60 and comes with a branded hoodie and a custom patch. A portion of each registration will go to local running stores and running clubs, and donations will go to food banks in New England.
The challenge begins June 20 and ends on Sept. 22.
“New England’s running community is like a fraternity, and normally there would be hundreds of organized runs and walks throughout the summer to support local charities,” said Jenna Ginsberg, co-founder of the initiative and CEO of All Sports Events, a Maine-based sports event service company.
“Our OneNE Summer Running Challenge seeks to unite runners and walkers, inspire them to train and stay fit, and encourage the sense of competition and companionship that the running and walking community is well known for.”
For more information, go to ne.oneus.run.
GOLF
PGA: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine approved a plan for Muirfield Village Golf Club to have at least some fans for the Memorial in July, which would make it the first PGA Tour event with a crowd since the tour was shut down March 13 by the coronavirus.
DeWine announced the decision Friday. He said on Twitter that casinos, racinos, amusement parks and water parks will be able to open on June 19.
The PGA Tour resumes its schedule next week at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. That is to be followed by the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, the Travelers Championship in Connecticut and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. The tour said the opening four events would not have spectators.
FOOTBALL
COLLEGES: Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross had surgery Friday for a congenital fusion in his spine that will keep him off the field this upcoming season.
Ross, Clemson’s leading receiver last season as a sophomore, was hurt in March during spring workouts with what looked like a shoulder injury. But X-rays revealed that two vertebrae in his spine were fused and he had a bulging disc, according to Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney.
NFL: Houston Texans special teams coordinator Brad Seely is retiring after 41 seasons coaching in the NFL.
TRACK AND FIELD
SUSPENSION: The winner of one of the most shocking races in memory has been provisionally suspended for failing to make herself available for doping tests.
Salwa Eid Naser, who routed the defending Olympic gold medalist while running the best time in the women’s 400 since 1985 at last year’s world championships, was charged with whereabouts violations by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Last October in Qatar, Naser won in 48.14 seconds, snapping Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo’s 25-month winning streak. Naser, who was born in Nigeria and now runs for Bahrain, beat Miller-Uibo by .23 seconds on an evening in which Miller-Uibo shattered her own personal best by more than a half-second.
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