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Adaptability. This is a key quality of event organizers and I sure made use of this trait in 2020! With my event being one of the first cycling events of the season and happening to fall on a date that was very close to the beginning of a pandemic, there were not a lot of resources or guidance out there.

My team and I quickly created a virtual event, less than a month out from what was supposed to be the in-person event. With everyone living their own lives and dealing with the pandemic personally in some way or another, it wasn’t easy to recruit participants. The key was, and still is, to tell people about the work we do at the American Lung Association that directly impacts the pandemic in a positive way. This, along with the added benefit of physical escape from the quarantine lifestyle, helped our virtual event succeed in 2020.

Lead by example. I signed up for Cycle the Seacoast and started riding with a goal of 100 miles before June 30^th (the adjusted virtual deadline for miles and fundraising). I posted selfies in the Facebook group, linked my Garmin to our Strava club and started pedaling/fundraising. Suddenly I was inspiring and challenging others to get out (or inside on a trainer) and ride. The “virtual event” quickly caught on and we were off and running, or should I say, cycling.

We were blown away with the support we received for our virtual event in 2020! We had 140 participants covering 8 states, with an average fundraising of $548 per person! Over 750 donors helped us reach our $80,000 goal! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our amazing participants, sponsors and donors who are all so passionate about the American Lung Association’s work to end COVID-19, fund research and defend against future respiratory virus pandemics.

Cycle the Seacoast is a one-day, multi-route fundraising event for the American Lung Association that takes place the first Sunday in May every year at Cisco Brewers Portsmouth. To learn more about the event, visit CycletheSeacoast.org. To learn more about the American Lung Association’s COVID-19 resources, visit Lung.org/COVID19.