Copperas Cove's Gallop or Trot goes virtual for 2020
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau is holding the annual Gallop or Trot 5K virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chip-timed 5K will begin on September 12 and run through September 20. Participants will be able to walk, run or jog the event at their convenience.
The course will take participants through City Park and nearby residential areas, with racers starting at the Copperas Cove Civic Center in City Park before turning left on West Avenue B. The course then takes the runners left onto Courtney Lane, right onto Dekort Circle, left on North 23rd Street, left on Fairbanks Street, then right onto Courtney Lane, turning around at the marked spot, right onto West Avenue B, right into City Park and winding around back to the finish line at the Civic Center.
Awards will be given to the overall male and female winners for runners and to the top three finishers in each age group for runners.
As of press time, there are 60 registered participants, according to Chamber of Commerce President Alicia Menard.
She added that she expects between 110 and 125 total runners, which is about 100 fewer participants than in previous years.
“Obviously, the contributing factor to that is COVID-19, people not wanting to travel necessarily to these races like they normally have done in the past,” Menard said. “We’re definitely seeing a decrease in the participant numbers but we felt it important to continue hosting the event and giving at least an option to do it virtually, so that way those that are part of the Cen-Tex Race Series can still get their points and be able to redeem those points through the Cen-Tex racing group.”
The Chamber’s most recent race, the H-E-B Plus! Summer Run to Fun was also virtual.
“We’re definitely very happy that there is an alternative and through the timing company and being a partner with the Cen-Tex Racing Series and the timing company and all working together so decently to make the virtual option a possibility,” Menard said. “We definitely want to find ways to continue to do events and of course there’s a new normal to everything we do, and we’re just definitely excited to continue exploring those new options and other ways of doing things.”
Registration is $15. Registration for the race is open now at https://copperascove.com/gallop-or-trot/. Participants can sign up until the morning of September 20. As long as a participant is registered and their time is submitted by 5 p.m. on the 20th, they are counted.
“That’s the one neat thing about the virtual race is they can register anytime,” Menard said.