As the months of pandemic have dragged on and shutdown orders in some form have remained in place in Tucson and Pima County, the social aspect of recreational running has been stifled for nearly a year now.
Through it all, local running guru Randy Accetta and his wife Tia have done their best to maintain the Run Tucson network of training groups and events, but given social distancing guidelines, the cost of insurance, the inability to get permits and, of course, an unexpected fiscal crunch, that has been difficult at best.
“It costs a boatload of money to put on one of these events,” Accetta said. “It’s not feasible at this time [due to COVID], so we’re doing our events virtually.”