With the cancelation of the New York City Marathon this year, for one group of runners it is less about the milage and more about the money raised for the Bowery Mission.
Twenty five runners ran half marathon Sunday to raise awareness about New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
“It feels great. It feels great when we stick together and want to do something for those who really need it you can just do it. Take your sneakers go out and run,” said Alain Bernard one of the team’s captains
The “Bowery Running Friends” raised more than $100,000, double their initial gaol, for the organization that provides services to people experiencing homelessness.
The Bowery Mission says that money will provide one meal a day for an entire year for 250 New Yorkers.
“The running is just a way to raise awareness about the needs about the Bowery mission and then to raise money and we are so so so excited about the amount,“ said Marie de Foucaud the other team captain.
Before the run, the group helped prepare and hand out to go meals to guests of the Bowery Mission.
The organization says the last several months have been difficult, with cutting back on volunteers and many of their normal fundraising efforts cancelled because of the pandemic.
“We are staring to see the number of people coming for meals rise again and we are planning for Thanksgiving again and these funds are going to help a lot of people,” explained president and CEO of The Bowery Mission, James Winans.
The group mapped out their custom 13.1 mile route throughout the streets of Manhattan.
A few friends and family positioned along the route will substitute for the millions that normally gather to cheer on marathon Sunday.
But their race will end in Central Park at the normal finish line, much more modest this year.
“Our spirit was always to run for a purpose. How do you create opportunities in this new world and that is one example, one very simple modest example,” says Agathe Louvet another team captain.
For “Bowery Running Friends” and other runners who continued to raise money for the organization they planed to run the full race for, say they are glad to still be able to to capture the mission of the New York City marathon, even though it has been cancelled.