Just a week before the Asheville Marathon and Half at Biltmore Estate was scheduled to take place, more than 2,500 runners received the news that the event was canceled due to COVID-19. “To say we were disappointed we had to cancel is an understatement,” race representatives said in a press release. “With runners coming from nearly all 50 states, we knew our participants had made many personal sacrifices and trained on average 4-6 months for these endurance events.” 

Determined to make the most of it anyway, the marathon decided to go virtual.

Four hundred and fifteen runners joined the online event, running their full or half marathons on their own at home. “We received photos from an almost empty New York City, snowy trails from Arkansas, and chalk-covered sidewalks from children who cheered on their mom’s and dad’s,” race representatives said. 

“The trails at Biltmore may have been more