SELAH, WA - Now well past the one-year marker since the COVID-19 pandemic began, folks are ready to get back out into the world and enjoy the activities they love most—as safely as possible, of course. With most local races being canceled due to restrictions on large gatherings, a group of aspiring athletes took it upon themselves to organize the first-ever Rainier Half Marathon to celebrate the company’s Wholesome to the Core values.

“I wasn’t going to let the pandemic cancel an opportunity for us to group-suffer together!” laughed Soo Choi, the organizer of the event and a Sales team member at Rainier. “But in reality, the pride, encouragement, and respect we felt for one another not only along the journey but as each one of us pushed to cross that finish line can’t be overstated.”

The Rainier office was buzzing with everyone’s weekly progress leading up to the race, generating enough excitement and camaraderie to inspire even the most dubious runners to hit the pavement. Participants from across the company kept each other motivated in the winter weather training leading up to race day and collectively logged almost 2,000 miles between the first of the year and the race, which took place on April 24, 2021.

Soo kicked off the idea back in mid-February to motivate Rainier team members to keep up with their health goals for the year. Between Rainier and Zirkle employees (including a few family members), there were a total of 13 runners. In true team-building spirit, other Rainier employees volunteered to set up aid/refreshment stations along the course as support for those running.

As Soo divulged, next year’s event is destined to be even bigger.

Congratulations to all of the determined athletes who participated!

Rainier Fruit Company