Seeing more runners than usual in your neighborhood this weekend? It’s likely they’re participating in Clark Public Utilities’ eighth annual Race for Warmth.
Since its inception in 2015, the Race for Warmth has donated entry fees to Operation Warm Heart, a nonprofit that helps Clark County families in need pay their heating bills throughout the winter.
This weekend marks the second year that the race has been held virtually due to COVID-19. Runners and walkers choose their own routes to complete this weekend. Event organizers noted that while the race lacks its usual pomp and circumstance, the virtual format lets anyone anywhere in the country participate.
“We’ve mailed packets as far as Virginia, New Jersey, New York, even Hawaii,” said Maxie Meyer, Clark Public Utilities’ marketing and events specialist. “We’ve really expanded the word of the mission. It’s amazing.”
Meyer estimates that the Race for Warmth has raised about $350,000 over the past seven years. Even last year’s virtual event managed to raise $60,000, she said.
“Donations really have stayed the same. We’ve got amazing partners helping to cover costs and donate to the event,” Meyer said. “And since we’re not doing it in person, it costs less to organize.”
By the start of the event, about 800 people had registered, comparable to the nearly 900 runners and walkers in 2021. Meyer said 1,600 participated in 2020, the last time the event was held in person.
Among those joining the event this weekend was Carole Mackey, the membership chair of the Rotary Club of Three Creeks north of Vancouver.
Mackey doesn’t consider herself a racer or even a runner. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic, in fact, that she developed a passion for walking.
“In COVID, you find yourself looking for things to do. There was a lot of nothing going on,” Mackey said. “I don’t do well with nothing. So we started walking every day, and I realized I’ve been missing something.”
This year is Mackey’s second time participating. She and a group of friends and Rotary members met up early Saturday morning by Klineline Pond to start their 5K route. Mackey hopes the event will not only support a worthy cause, but also boost interest in walking and running.
“My husband and I are Rotarians, so we’re always looking for things in community service,” Mackey said.
Mackey and Meyer both said they look forward to a time when the Race for Warmth can once again convene a big gathering, but they are grateful for the continued turnout and donations in the virtual format.
“I get blown away every year about the feedback on how many people sign up because they themselves have gotten assistance from Operation Warm Heart in the past,” Meyer said. “It warms my heart that this is a way for our community to come together.”
