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Metro Atlanta 5K became 'virtual run' due to coronavirus

An annual fund-raising run came up with a creative way to continue social distancing, but allow runners to still participate in a 5K.

BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — Over the weekend, a local 5K shifted from its usual Brookhaven route to streets across the nation.

Anne Park Hopkins is the director of the Peter Hopkins Foundation, which created the Pound the Pavement for Peter Run 11 years ago.

This year, because of COVID-19 concerns, the run was turned into a "virtual run," with runners submitting their times online and posting pictures of their families running on social media.

"We changed the name to Pound YOUR Pavement for Peter, so we gave them a certain amount of time -- all day Saturday, to Sunday at 3", said Hopkins.

By turning the event virtual, Hopkins said the run grew from 500 runners to more than 750, with some participating from as far away as California.

The virtual aspect worked so well, Hopkins said they will include a virtual option for next year, even after the pandemic.

Since 2009, the run has raised more than $1 million for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Medically Complex Care Program, The Adaptive Learning Center and the Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders.

Pound the Pavement for Peter is named for Anne Park Hopkins' son, Peter, who died in 2010, just shy of his 4th birthday from a Peroxisomal disorder.

Since the run raises money for medically fragile children, Hopkins said proper social distancing was especially important.

"We want everyone to stay safe and stay healthy", she said.

The virtual run was a way to run apart while working together for a common cause.

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