10/20/21
Road Race Update
Dear Members and Friends,
You may have heard the news that our annual Run For The Cows has come to an end.
Because of the enormous amount of detailed planning involved, our Race Director needed to have the Education Center’s decision well in advance of the event. We consulted with local health professionals, and between the more transmissible variant that was coming into our area at the time, hosting people from 28 states without asking for a quarantine, not being able to verify people’s vaccination status, not having onsite testing, and not having adequate room to distance our 1,200+ runners, 100+ volunteers (young and not so young), and spectators, this event presented too many health risks– and in our hearts, we needed to know that we were doing our best to keep all of these very special people safe.
We asked to postpone our Run for the Cows, yet again, until our traditional first weekend in May 2022, but sadly we were told this would not be possible and that we would have to cancel it altogether.
We are very grateful to our amazing staff and board for the weeks of time they devoted to making this event a success each year, to all of the fantastic volunteers that took on a myriad of roles during the Race weekends, and to the incomparable Race Coordinator, John McCleary. For the past eight years, everyone came together to make this a joyful and truly awesome event for the runners and spectators alike. We shall miss seeing the inspirational athletes, in all shapes, sizes, and ages, running up and over Astronomy Hill at the start of the Run and then welcoming them back as they’d burst through our barn doors, arms held high, racing triumphantly to the finish line. It was a sight we shall long remember.
We are grateful for the financial support shared by sponsoring businesses and generous donations made by the runners themselves. Proceeds from The Run For The Cows strengthened the environmental, agricultural, and historical programs that we share with schools throughout the area, and they allowed us to provide scholarship funds for Title One Schools in our nearby cities.
We were surprised to read in Hello, Redding that a new Redding Road Race will now take place on the first weekend in May 2022, which will benefit other fantastic nonprofits in Town. We wish everyone well, and if the runners’ course comes by the farm, we will be out there ringing our cow bells with enthusiastic support!
If you have any questions, please send an email to runforthecows@newpondfarm.org.
