A Virtual Run Honoring Ahmaud Arbery Will Take Place Today

The running world will come together for a virtual run on Friday, May 8, to celebrate and honor the life of Ahmaud Arbery, who was reportedly shot and killed while out on a run on February 23.

According to a Glynn County Police report, the 25-year-old black man was running near Brunswick, Georgia, when a father and son—both armed—chased him down, thinking he looked like a suspect in a string of break-ins. On May 6, video of the shooting was released, which brought the story squarely into the public eye, and the district attorney announced plans to convene a grand jury. A day later, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested the two men, who were both charged with murder and aggravated assault, and were taken into custody.

Rogelio Quintanar, a local runner, reached out to the organizers of a GoFundMe page for Arbery’s family with the idea of doing a virtual run in Arbery’s honor. The run, which has now garnered global attention, is taking place on what would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday.

“[Arbery] loved to run,” Jason Vaugn, Arbery’s high school football coach and one of the organizers of the run, tells Runner’s World. “He loved to do it. It cleared his mind and it helped him make sense of the world. Unless it was pouring rain, he was running.”

For the run, organizers are asking runners around the world to dedicate 2.23 miles—the numbers represent the date that Arbery was killed—of their run to Arbery and his family. Once runners complete their run, they are asked to share photos and messages on social media using the hashtag #IRUNWITHMAUD.

“We are calling runners across the nation and the world to find your favorite route, your favorite neighborhood, favorite park, the treadmill, wherever you do your routine, and come together and dedicate 2.23 miles of your workout to Ahmaud and post a video, photo, or message with the hashtag,” Vaugn says. “When we get them all, we plan to show his mother and his family that there’s positive support from all over the world.”

From: Runner’s World US

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