PETERSBURG – Due to the pandemic, the Petersburg Half Marathon & 5K did not take place last Saturday. With great caution, the current city tour through the most historic areas of Petersburg had to be postponed.
The scenic course offers views of Old Petersburg, the rural areas of Petersburg, Blandford Cemetery, Subway Houses, Trapezium Home, and Pocahontas Island.
Participants looking forward to witnessing a battle re-enactment as they run, walk, or jog through the Petersburg National Battlefield will need to be patient. All Petersburg Half Marathon and 5K entries will automatically be carried over to the new race date on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
“Get Fit Petersburg Market”
“Our annual Get Fit Petersburg Market was created to complement the Petersburg Half Marathon & 5K,” said Cheryl Bursch, Market Manager for River Street. “Although the marathon was canceled, our partners offered some wonderful demonstrations, donations and resources.”
In addition to the usual selection of farmers, food manufacturers, artisans and artisans in the market, the event also included activities related to fitness.
The Petersburg Family YMCA offered exercise demos of their popular classes such as Zumba, HIIT [High Intensity Interval Training] Stretching and tai chi.
Greater Richmond Fit4Kids, a nonprofit, dedicated to improving child health and reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity in the Richmond Area, was on hand to register for “Pick Your Play in May”. Subscribers had the option to sign up to win an Ultimate Play package. Visit grfit4kids.org for more information.
The Petersburg Cavaliers had a special appearance and told the market visitors how to support and follow their team.
Eventually, Self Dreams LLC and Little Creek Kung Fu exchanged information about their programs and gave away free fitness equipment and clothing purchased through collective rides.
The competition attracts all age groups
“The biggest surprise for us was that every last item was taken,” said the owner of Little Creek Kung Fu, who was ordained a Daoist priest Alex Bechtold. “Because the event was so unique, we had no personal experience with something like this.”
Bechtold and those involved in the outreach program did not know anyone who had ever held such an event. Hence, there was no way for them to predict the reaction they would get from the Get Fit Petersburg Market.
“When we started advertising that we were asking for donations, we thought we would probably get a message from people interested in having some of what we had collected,” said Bechtold. “That never happened; people kept contacting us to offer something, but no one asked when or where the stuff would be given away.
“Because of this, we got very nervous that anything we were collecting would be completely undesirable,” added Bechtold. “We made our situation worse and didn’t trust that we had enough material to give away. That’s why we didn’t run any major advertising campaigns.”
According to Bechtold, they had hoped to find the right people through little word of mouth.
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“These type of marketing strategies don’t provide a lot of feedback, so we got very nervous as the date of the event approached,” said Bechtold.
After Bechtold and his humanitarian team had lined up, they found that they had actually collected enough to make the tables look full and inviting. Her stress quickly turned to relief.
“When the market opened, we saw an early rush of people who were specifically drawn to our event,” said Bechtold. “That was when we saw some of the bigger, bulkier items go away … two bikes and a bench press. Those were the things that worried us most, but we learned it was true. .. people want access to fitness and recreational exercise equipment. ”
The giveaway was a win for kids looking for bikes and hula hoops, young enthusiastic men interested in heavy dumbbells, seniors looking to add ankle or wrist weights to their running routine, and more.
“I think this is a great thing,” said St. Petersburg’s Lucinda Patterson as she held her new Bosu Ball. “We need such things to keep our community healthy.”
People share stories
“Almost everyone told us a little story, something about not having the money, wishing he could offer something to his child, or being completely inexperienced with exercise,” Bechtold shared. “They were concerned about what they might use. We were able to explain how the equipment worked, or what kind of things would make it easier for someone with knee or wrist pain to use the various things available.”
Bechtold commented that the event opened the door to people who would otherwise sit at home with no access to devices or no knowledge of how to use them. He also pointed out that physical fitness and outdoor recreation are not restricted to one age group, nor are they limited to any particular population group.
“The most interesting psychological study of the event was that of the eight available basketballs. The brand new one in the box was the last,” said Bechtold. “It’s always very moving when you see someone who is already in need and who thinks of others first. It’s really nice to see.”
Equipment finds a new home
In the last half hour of the giveaway, there were only a handful of hula hoops and resistance bands left. And by the end of the market, everything was geared towards a new home.
“This wasn’t an easy task, we probably had 40 hula hoops to start, plus the basketballs, 555 pound weights, the bench press, two bikes, sports bottles, yoga mats, bags, lacrosse gear, baseball gloves, a bosu ball, pickle ball -Equipment, bundles of different plates and bars, countless items of clothing and other small items, “said Bechtold. “It was a lot of different devices, and every single item found someone enthusiastic about using them.
“This event was a good reminder for us – who live in the world of materialism – that not only is it the stuff people lack, but access to training on how to use it. And some may experience it a low point because of the pandemic, “said Bechtold. “A lot of people went to the YMCA, another local gym, with a friend, or practiced kung fu with us at Little Creek just because they didn’t know what to do at home.”
Many people who donated fitness equipment to the event admitted to Bechtold that they bought the items but didn’t know how to use them. Another memorable moment during the giveaway for Bechtold was meeting a 17-year-old boy who decided to build a home gym to give himself a head start.
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“Having the time and money to exercise is a real luxury. I hope we can continue to provide some relief for the health and well-being of our city and its people,” said Bechtold. “Healthy people form strong, resilient, and uplifting communities, but our society has very little interest, knowledge, and no access to tracking a person’s health. That is exactly what we want to change.”
For more information on Little Creek Kung Fu’s community outreach programs, please email lckfva@gmail.com.
The River Street Market takes place on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 30 River Street in Old Petersburg, across from the legendary Farmers Market. Sign up for riverstreetmarket.com for weekly reminders and emails and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
For additional questions or concerns regarding the Petersburg Half Marathon & 5K, contact Race Director Jason Miller at (305) 582-9680 or email jason@toprunrace.com.
Read this story online at progress-index.com to view footage from the Get Fit Petersburg Market.
Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly is the trending topic and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Do you have a news tip about local trends or companies? Contact Kristi (she, she) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.
