Sarah Lightley/ The Broadside
The 6th Annual Beat Beethoven race this year is going remote due to COVID-19. Potential participants shouldn’t worry though, as signing up to send in race times is still available. Run/walk the 5K or 1 mile and send in your times anytime between Oct. 11-18. The goal is to finish the race before Beethoven’s famous 5th Symphony finishes playing in approximately 33 minutes. Any route can be taken. Have fun and support the Central Oregon Symphony (COS). For students and faculty of Central Oregon Community College, the price of registration is reduced. The code to enter on the website is COCC2020.
Virtual runners/walkers will receive a printable bib with sponsor logos after registering, along with color copies of 3 ribbons on Oct. 9. The three colors of bibs signify different milestones. Blue (I Beat Beethoven) requires the participant to run the 5K in 33 minutes or less. Red (Beethoven Beat me) requires a participant to run the 5K in 33 minutes or more. Finally, Green is equivalent to running one mile.
The Beat Beethoven race started back in 2015 when a board member, Wendy Bloom, mentioned a race in Colorado by the same name. The object was to run a 5K (3.1 miles) in less time than it takes Beethoven’s 5th Symphony to end, 33 minutes.
Helen Jones, a member of Central Oregon Symphony Assoc board said, “We thought it would be a great idea for this community to have music & running/walking together since this is such a “sporty” community.”
Michael Gesme, a COCC music professor, talked about the race stating, “It is one of the ways that we are able to promote what we do, classical symphonic music, by engaging with the community in a way that is not directly musical. In other words, we are not putting on a concert or doing music-related outreach evens in the schools or public libraries. The ability to reach out to an entirely different demographic of individuals and businesses who may not know much about the Central Oregon Symphony, but who do enjoy or support the sport of running.”
Gesme also mentioned, “With the race going virtual this year, things will definitely be different, and the camaraderie of race day will be sorely missed. However, we have been encouraged by the numbers of individuals who have signed up thus far, who not only want to run the race but who want to exercise their support of the Central Oregon Symphony.”
Registration ends Oct 6th
Here is the sign-up link for those who want to be apart of the race: https://runsignup.com/Race/OR/Bend/BeatBeethoven5KFunRunWalk
Here the link to a recording of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNpyRBVTavQ
All COS musicians share a common and passionate belief – a full-season residential orchestra is essential to our region’s quality of life. Therefore, COS musicians devote countless volunteer hours to the task of creating a magical, full season of classical concerts for all members of our community to enjoy.
