With summertime budding and COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, it’s to be expected that individuals everywhere reflect on the previous months of quarantine. For most communities, quarantine introduced new hardships and difficulties in adjusting to daily life during a global pandemic. On the other hand, it also resulted in uniquely positive changes in the lives of a few proactive individuals.
This just so happens to be the case for Paducah fitness enthusiasts Bradley Shoulta, Chris Henderson, and Eric Romanak. While a lot of people faced much difficulty in having to socially distance from others and adjust to working from home, these three men have found quarantine to be a plus in the world of health and fitness. With all the extra free time from being at home, they’ve been able to spend even more time outside running everyday.
“We reap the rewards from quarantine on the training side of things since we are completely flexible every day for being able to do what we want in our workouts, go where we want, and even make some trips to the surrounding counties to run,” said Chris. “The fitness community has blown up in my eyes as far as the outdoors when it comes to biking and running.”
Most importantly, the ability to have more free time has enabled Bradley, Chris, and Eric to evolve the recently created Seva Distance Project. This program is a collective runner’s team in which passionate individuals dedicated to health and bettering their lives are able to run with a group of like-minded people. The program is sponsored by Seva Fitness Academy in downtown Paducah, owned and operated by Eric himself, and subsequently sponsors athlete ambassadors who run for the program.
“The overarching philosophy of the Seva Distance Project is that we want to run the ultimate distance, which is life. If we are really trying to be healthy for the rest of our lives, then we must realize that the ultimate finish line is death,” said Eric. “So we have to pace ourselves just like runners do and keep going for the long distance while employing practices and methods that don’t hurt us but build us up so we can get stronger as our bodies mature.”
However, the establishment of the Seva Distance Project didn’t come without difficulty. Even though the program was able to evolve over the course of the COVID-19 shutdown, it was born right before everything shifted to months of quarantine. So, right as the Seva Distance Project wanted to gain momentum, the possibility of upcoming races happening was slim. But just as athletes naturally are, the program was resilient and came up with the brilliant idea to host a virtual Poker Run.
This digital, poker-themed run was an event in which participants could run a listed route downtown at any time over the weekend before Mother’s Day. Boxes were placed at checkpoints along each route with decks of cards in them, so the runners were able to stop at each box during the run and pull cards to build a poker hand. Each participant was required to submit a photo of their poker hand at the end of the race, as well as a photo of their run route so that the facilitators could ensure everyone was completing the full course. And whoever had the best poker hand at the end of the weekend won prizes.
Besides just offering a fitness event in which participants were able to socially distance during COVID-19, the Seva Distance Project Poker Run was an innovative way to raise money for local businesses that opened up right before the news of the global pandemic. The prizes given to runners with the best poker hand were gift cards to these businesses in an effort to provide relief for them at a time when profit was low. With over 60 participants, the Poker Run raised over $1,000 for them.
Throughout the formation of the Seva Distance Project over quarantine and the Poker Run, the program has been immensely rewarding and beneficial for all individuals involved. It has given many runners an opportunity to connect with other people interested in bettering their lives through fitness and dedication.
“It’s really rewarding having a group of guys that hold each other accountable. Sometimes when it’s raining or really early in the morning, I might not push myself to go out for a run if I am by myself,” said Chris. “But when I’m running with these other guys, I don’t want to fall through on plans with them and they don’t want to fall through on plans with me. We have each other’s backs.”
As the rest of the summer lies ahead, Bradley, Chris, and Eric have a plethora of new ideas and plans in the works for the future of the Seva Distance Project. In addition to the possibility of hosting more virtual runs, the program is contemplating doing camps for runners who are training for future races, as well as developing a seasonal running club. No matter what these runners decide to do, the Seva Distance Project will stand as a symbol of dedication and health in the community for years to come.
