Volunteers Needed for 2019 Summer Outdoor Events   Covington, VA (March 7, 2019) - The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is excited to announce its outdoor event series for the upcoming summer! Kicking off the events will be the Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon on Saturday, June 22nd from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Intervale Trailhead in Covington. The marathon continues to serve as a Boston Marathon qualifier course! This event also includes a half marathon, 10k and 5k, appealing to runners of all skill levels! Following the marathon, The Gran Fondo: Agony in the Alleghanies, will be on July 20th from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. beginning in Covington and finishing in Clifton Forge. This cycling event touches almost every piece of pavement within the Alleghany Highlands and spans just over 100 miles! If that’s too long, the event also offers shorter races within the event to appeal to most skill levels. Lastly, on August 3rd will be the Lake Moomaw One Mile Swim from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Lake Moomaw. The one-mile swim will start at Cole’s Point then proceed toward Gathright Dam and back. “89% of the participants in these events come from outside of the Alleghany Highlands and we are excited to continue to grow tourism in our area and help our area businesses reach new customers.” “Last year we saw significant growth across each event and are on pace to increase participation even more in 2019, so volunteers are important to make this event a success,” states Josh Taylor Special Projects & Marketing Coordinator for the Chamber. Volunteers are needed to staff a number of positions for all events, especially the Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon & Gran Fondo Alleghany. Volunteers are needed in various shifts from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the Marathon and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the Gran Fondo. The chamber is able to split these shifts so that the time needed per volunteer isn’t as time-consuming. Area organizations and individuals are encouraged to participate as a volunteer or to come cheer on the participants during the events. If you would like to find out more about volunteering, please call Josh Taylor at the chamber at 540-962-2178.

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