Feature

Finishing the For the Love of It 10K was special for Reston’s Kate Hutton.  After having her first child eight months ago, she has taken her return to running slowly and cautiously, essentially re-starting her running career from scratch. She was finally capable of running more than six miles.

For her, pregnancy threw her fine-tuned body out of whack, far from the easy pregnancies she had heard about, and her initial goal of running as long as she could. And she’s not alone.

Saturday mornings aren’t the same for Teens Run D.C., a mentoring and distance running program for underserved youth.  Zoom hangouts have replaced the group’s Saturday runs, the Mentoring Matters 5k, scheduled for May 16, has been canceled and several events with local running groups didn’t happen as planned in April, all consequences of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the physical distancing guidelines necessary to limiting transmission. 

For now, the organization is continuing to reach members and volunteers virtually until life returns to a new normal, said Lizzie Majewski, the group’s director of operations and finance. Majewski said the AmeriCorps coaches who typically work with middle school students are sharing videos on Facebook and Instagram, plus checking in with students by phone and Microsoft Teams.