The Janes hosted our first ever virtual race relay, “Together We Distance” on May 17th, 2020. A total of 50 teams competed, comprised of 6 female runners each racing different distances (1 mile, 2 mile, 3 mile, 4 mile, 5 mile, 6.2 mile and 7 mile) for a total of 26.2 miles. We competed from across the globe and with a range of ages and running abilities. That’s a total of 300 athletes ranging in age from 14 to 57!
We had 10 Russian teams, 1 team from Germany, 1 from the UK, in addition to athletes from all over the United States. 5 High School teams competed as did teams made up of running clubs in CA and elsewhere, groups of teachers, coaches and community runners.
The Janes “A” team came in first place followed by a team comprised of Stanford track and cross country program alumni, with Janes teams taking 3rd and 4th place overall as well. See all results here.
Top marks of the day:
- 1 Mile: 5:03
- 3 Miles: 17:46
- 4 Miles: 25:27
- 4 Miles: 25:27
- 5 Miles: 31:25
- 6.2 Miles/10K: 36:37
- 7 Miles: 38:27
After bringing teams across the world together and raising $2,000 for charity, the proceeds were donated to the winning team’s choice of charity—The Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) has been a part of the LA community for over 40 years, working to end homelessness for women on the streets. In addition to providing housing, they also support women by providing meals, healthcare and employment services. In light of the pandemic, the DWC is actively housing women in hotel rooms to prevent spreading the virus to those most vulnerable. They have also recently expanded their meal service to providing 800 meals a day.
For those that are interested in supporting the Downtown Women’s Center, there are few ways to help. They have a donation page that lists how each dollar amount will benefit a woman. They accept donations, specifically cleaning supplies or gift cards, and also accept tax deductible car donations. They also have volunteer opportunities to help with their ongoing efforts to provide meals and end homelessness. Lastly, they have an Instagram and Facebook page which highlights their efforts and provides information to the public about homelessness. They can be found @dwcweb on Instagram and have a page, Downtown Women’s Center on Facebook.
The Janes would like to thank all of those that participated in the virtual relay and donated to the Downtown Women’s Center. Each team made it possible to achieve the goal of bringing the community together and raising money for those especially effected during this unprecedented time. We hope that our community continues to run when safe and that we can continue to lift each other up.
