Text of press release from the Town of Great Barrington, July 28, 2020.

In light of recent national and international events, the Town of Great Barrington’s research and marketing arm @GBLabs is pleased to announce the launch of “Run 91.01” to raise money for VIM Berkshires and the Berkshire County Chapter of the NAACP. This initiative, envisioned by @GBLabs Director Joe Grochmal and @GBLabs Fellow Georges Pichard, will see Grochmal run every mile of road in Great Barrington within ten days. This initiative will kick off on Monday, August 10th.

“As a community, we must all come together, dream together, and even run together to pursue a more equitable future for us all,” said Grochmal. “VIM and the NAACP’s commitment to the physical, social, and moral health of our community is worth celebrating and supporting, especially during this time of uncertainty.”

“Joe will without a doubt be running over 91.01 miles,” says Fellow Georges Pichard. We are actually estimating that the total distance will be in the mid-100s range, but if anyone can do it, he can.” Georges, an avid “non-runner,” will be cheering from the sidelines while tracking Joe’s location to make sure he covers every non-private road. Grochmal’s run and location will be broadcast in real-time through a link that will be shared on @GBLabs’ social media channels. Interested parties are also encouraged to come out and join Joe (practicing social distancing) at any point in his run, and he will adjust his speed to accommodate. For now, though, he is simply resting and getting ready.

“Other than finishing, the best part of running is preparing for it,” said Grochmal. “Carb loading gives me an excuse to eat a lot of pasta and pretty much anything I want. I could definitely get used to this!”

The @GBLab’s fundraiser on GoFundMe can be accessed using this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/7mjne-run-9101. Ilana Steinhauer, VIM’s Executive Director, will join Joe for one leg of his run.