GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Every year, the elite women and men line up for the Fifth Third River Bank Run to claim the prize of first finisher.
This year, Storm Team 8's Ellen Bacca is going to be starting with them.
Ellen is not a professional runner. She considers herself "average," taking on the 25K with a goal pace of about 9:30 to 9:45 minutes per mile. The elite runners she will be starting with will be going almost twice as fast as her on race day.
Ellen volunteered to be the "average runner" next to the racers so the general public can appreciate the speed of the elites. While running, she will wear a GPS tracker so announcers and broadcasters can pull up her progress throughout the race to show how she compares to the professionals.
FULL STORY: WOOD TV