WINONA LAKE — The Grace College men's soccer team is about to go for a very long run for a good cause.
Beginning at noon Wednesday, members of the team will run in shifts around the clock for 48 hours to raise funds for coronavirus pandemic relief.
Grace players and coaches set up a GoFundMe page and set a goal to raise at least $10,000. All money donated for the event will go directly to domestic and international COVID-19 relief efforts.
Sophomore Tyler Brueckman imagined the idea and said he saw the race as a good way for the team to come together and provide assistance where it is needed.
“We are always running for our training, so we want to use our running to positively influence our communities," Brueckman said in a news release. "It’s our way of doing what we can to help others in our given situation.”
Warsaw's Salvation Army and Elkhart's COVID-19 Community Response Fund are two local organizations Grace players chose to support. According to the Indiana State Health Department, one person has died from the coronavirus in Elkhart County and there have been 20 confirmed cases.
Student-athletes and coaches from other sports will join the men's soccer players in the race.
“As a team, we wanted to do our part in the fight against COVID-19,” Grace head coach Arron Patrick said. “The team decided to use our abilities to move and run to make an impact, and we hope that we can inspire others to give back to their communities as well.”
Video of the 48-hour run will be available on Grace soccer's Instagram page.
