Running News Daily

46th annual Bellin Run brings back in-person event after 2 years of virtual races

After two years of being held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 46th annual Bellin Run will return as an in-person event on Saturday while still offering a virtual option.

The 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) race, one of the largest in the nation, has been held on Green Bay's east side since 1977, attracting thousands of runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes each year.

“The whole mission of this event is in alignment with Bellin Health’s mission of getting people healthy," said assistant race director Linda Maxwell. "We know that being active is very important in being healthy, and that people need goals. So that’s why we do this event.”

With this mission in mind and knowing the excitement and motivation that an in-person race day brings, the Bellin Run organizers found it important to get people back out and together.

They still wanted to keep a virtual option, however, for people who may be out of town, busy during the race time, or not comfortable being in crowds yet.

In April 2020, the Bellin Run was converted to a virtual-only event amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed the race anytime and anywhere, submitting their results electronically. Despite hopes of returning to an in-person event in 2021, organizers determined that a virtual event was again the only safe option.

When the time came to decide the approach for this year's event, organizers were confident they could hold it safely in-person, especially because everything, including race packet pickup, takes place outside.

“Outdoor transmission continues to be extremely rare, and I feel great about where we are at as a community," said Dr. Bradley Burmeister, an emergency physician at Bellin Hospital. "I look forward to the return of the in-person Bellin Run and getting feet on the street in honor of heart health.” 

As of Friday, the Brown County COVID-19 community level was low.

Around 6,000 participants have registered for this year's Bellin Run so far, 1,000 of whom are for the virtual option. Maxwell said they are expecting a couple thousand more registrations in the week leading up to the event.

These registration numbers are down from 2019, the last in-person race, which had more than 11,000 participants. According to Maxwell, this was expected, as people are out of their pre-pandemic habits and just starting to make their way back to the things they used to do.

This slow return to pre-pandemic habits is also reflected in volunteer registrations. More volunteers are still needed, especially on course corners to keep participants safe during the race.