Rapid Rabbit still running, just virtually

The annual Rapid Rabbit Run that benefits the East Valley High School Senior All-Knighter is all set for Sunday and will continue, just not quite as originally planned.

The fundraising run has been converted to a virtual event, with participants running on their own and then entering their time into a website at nsplit.com to see how they did in comparison to other runners.

“We can’t have everyone out there running together,” said run organizer Rhonda Allen.

The Rapid Rabbit Run has been a tradition for many people over the past several decades.

“It’s been going for quite a while,” Allen said. “They did it when I was a kid there.”

Allen said she’s continuing with the fundraiser with the hopes the All-Knighter will still happen as planned.

“Hopefully we’ll be back to normal,” she said.

Allen knew there would be a problem with the run on March 20 when she received an email from the East Valley School District saying the district would no longer allow groups to use their facilities. The race usually begins and ends in the East Valley High School parking lot, and the group is usually allowed to use the foyer and the bathrooms inside the building.

Allen started looking for ideas even before the order came Friday to close all the schools. The St. Paddy’s Day Five Miler held Sunday switched to a virtual race, and Allen called the race organizers and asked them how it worked. Once the decision was made to go virtual, Allen had only days to pull it together.

“It’s been quite crazy figuring it out,” she said.

The switch to a virtual race meant Allen had to close online registration early. It was originally scheduled to go through Saturday, and in years past people have had the option to sign up in person on the morning of the race. Many people usually sign up at the last minute, Allen said. “Usually we get 30 or 40 the day of the race,” she said.

Before the registration closed on Tuesday, 133 people had signed up, which was more than had signed up at this time last year. Allen said she was expecting one of the largest turnouts of the race’s history this year.

The run is the largest fundraiser for the All-Knighter and usually brings in between $4,000 and $8,000, Allen said. She expects this year to be around $3,400 because of the reduced participation.

People participating in the Rapid Rabbit can choose to run either 3 miles or 5 miles. The 5-mile run is usually a qualifying race for the Bloomsday second seed, but Allen said she doesn’t know if that will still be the case since the run is virtual.

People who have registered for the run will receive an email telling them how to enter their time.

“They run it on their own, time themselves and enter it online,” she said. “It’s kind of the honor system.”

Allen said she’s not worried about people fudging their time.

“Most people that run run,” she said. “You don’t win money or anything if you win this. It’s bragging rights.”

People who paid an extra $5 with their registration so they could get a T-shirt will still get the souvenir, Allen said. She’ll be sending out an email letting people know where to pick up their shirts.

Overall, Allen said, she hopes people will still participate in the Rapid Rabbit and carry on the tradition.

“Hopefully, they’ll be understanding,” she said. “We just hope people, if they can, go out and run.”