Lee alumna organizes fundraising race
On Saturday, April 10, Johnston Woods will hold its first Backyard Ultra race to help raise funds for their annual summer camps. Johnston Woods is a retreat and event center located in McDonald, Tennessee.
The idea for the race came from Assistant Director and Lee University alumna Sarah Hayes Guthrie, who wanted to find a way to interact with the local running community and raise money for the annual summer camps.
“It was kind of my brainchild,” Guthrie explained. “I was like, ‘We could do this race, I think it would be super fun, I think people would be really interested.’”
The race will be a last-man-standing style race, according to Guthrie. At the start of the race, each runner will have exactly one hour to run a total loop of 4.2 miles. If the participant completes the loop before the end of the hour, they can use that time to rest before the next lap starts, as every participant starts each loop at the same time.
If the participant does not complete the loop in time, they will be eliminated from the race. Participants will begin running at 7 a.m., and the race will continue until the last person remains.
Guthrie believes this style of race makes it easy to maintain a good pace and have breaks in between laps.
“In this race, because it’s so slow, people really surprise themselves,” Guthrie said. “I’ve seen people who have run only a half marathon do 60 miles. It’s crazy.”
The race is open to anyone who wants to participate, regardless of age. Registration will be open until the morning of, and every dollar from the $70 registration fees will go to sponsoring children to attend camp in the summer.
Johnston Woods offers multiple faith-based day and summer camps. During their day camp, which includes rising kindergartners to 5th grade, campers will participate in Bible lessons, worship, math and science lessons, as well as various outdoor activities.
Overnight camps include Wonder in the Woods, which has options for rising 3rd-5th graders and rising 6th-8th graders, and Summit Camp, which is for rising 9th-12th graders.
Overnight camps also feature various outdoor activities, such as fishing, swimming, paddle boarding, mountain biking and more. Those participating in Summit Camp will also participate in local mission work.
The camp partners with City Fields, a local community development corporation that wants to “be a catalyst for change in Cleveland’s most overlooked neighborhoods,” according to their website.
Guthrie says the camps combine outdoor activities and relational discipleship with the kids.
“We’re just trying to build relationships and plant seeds in them,” Guthrie said.
Adam Reuss, the director of Johnston Woods, says the camps plan on taking COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing masks while inside, having hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations readily available, being outside for the majority of activities to have good air circulation, temperature checks, practicing social distancing and making sure cabins will stay together for activities, meals and worship.
“We’ve come up with new protocols and things for this year, especially to try to make camp safe during this time,” said Reuss.
Currently, Johnston Woods is hiring college-age summer camp counselors, and anyone interested in working for Johnston Woods can find more information on their website.
