Volunteer for Ragnar Trail Richmond, Be A Kids Run RVA Hero!
By: Meghan Gaffney
This April, over 260 teams of 8 runners each will gather at Pocahontas State Park for the inaugural Ragnar Trail Richmond, an overnight trail relay race run on some of Virginia’s finest single track on April 29th and 30th. The event is a partnership between Ragnar and Sports Backers, and will feature scenic terrain, three challenging loops for runners to conquer, and a fully loaded camp site at the “Ragnar Village” on the banks of Swift Creek Reservoir. While the event is sold out, you can still get in on the action by signing up as a volunteer, and in the process help raise funds for the event’s official charity partner, Sports Backers’ Kids Run RVA.
Sports Backers is currently seeking individuals to fill volunteer positions both leading up to and during the event. Volunteers will be tasked with jobs including helping direct parking, campsite marking, and checking in teams. In exchange for contributing your time, Ragnar will make a donation to Kids Run RVA, providing much needed funding for the youth outreach program.
What is Kids Run RVA? It is Sports Backers’ youth–focused initiative dedicated to helping motivate thousands of young people across the Richmond region to run, jog, and walk on a regular basis. Want to see Kids Run RVA in ac
tion? Check out this video. While the program has over 50 clubs (and growing!) in the Richmond region spanning from Hanover to Hopewell and points in between, it places particular emphasis on young runners in underserved communities, where opportunities for physical activity are often limited.
Kids Run RVA provides this support in a variety of ways, including helping schools establish running clubs, providing proper running shoes to kids in need (last fall we donated 85 pairs of shoes), and covering expenses for Sports Backers’ youth races like our springtime Virginia 529 Kids Run and our fall event, Call Federal Marathon Jr.
Every year, Kids Run RVA helps thousands of kids get moving, whether it’s in their schools or in their communities. With programs in the city of Richmond and surrounding counties, as well as low income and Title 1 schools, Kids Run RVA is working tirelessly to offset the epidemic of childhood obesity and help cultivate a long-standing love of running and physical activity that will translate into adulthood. And, with the gift of your time and with the help of Ragnar’s donations to the program, Kids Run RVA will have the resources to help even more kids in the area get out and get active.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up today to volunteer at Ragnar Trail Richmond! Better yet, find a couple of your buddies that can volunteer too. If you all sign up for the same shift you can get the job done as a team and raise more dollars for Kids Run RVA in the process! Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.