A look back five years later, how Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs found community during and after COVID-19

The search for camaraderie during the often isolating COVID-19 pandemic motivated self-proclaimed non-runner Eliza Whitmore to start Your Run Club in Oviedo. Five years later, it has become a community that has fostered lifelong friendships, introduced now-married couples, and helped dozens of people navigate tough times in life.

“I just have a megaphone and a dream,” Whitmore said. “People are appreciative of the community we bring together. I had no idea I would make this much of an impact on people. For a lot of people, this is a safe space they look forward to every week.”

Whitmore, along with members of the Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs community, found ways to stay active as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lifestyle routines about five years ago.

Worldwide restrictions, including social distancing, quarantining and closures or restricted store hours, led people to adjust to an unfamiliar environment.The COVID-19 pandemic was linked with significant decreases in mobility, walking, physical activity, and an increase in inactivity, according to a rapid review from the National Library of Medicine.

Meanwhile, at the local level, the City of Oviedo Recreation and Parks Center saw a gradual increase from about 25,000 to 46,000 participants in all programs from the 2018-2019 to 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to City of Oviedo public records. 

Passive parks and trails visitors—such as walkers, picnickers and wildlife viewers—jumped in Seminole County from about 408,000 to 965,000 from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021 fiscal years, according to Seminole County public records.

Looking back, Oviedo YMCA Family Center executive director Chrissy Howard said they shifted their focus to the needs of the community and how to create a safe environment by following CDC guidelines when reopening in May 2020.

With an eye toward those would-be exercisers trying to keep their distance, the organization launched the Virtual YMCA Wellness Center.

“Just because we were open, it did not mean that people felt comfortable coming back,” Howard said. “So we launched [the Virtual YMCA Wellness Center] as an option to give them as much of a community feel as we could.”

She said group exercise classes slowly returned with social distancing and reservations to keep track of the number of attendees.

Howard also recognized how senior citizens were one of the vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the goal of creating an inviting nature, Howard formed the “Super Seniors” to make it feel as if the YMCA is a second home. 

“For a lot of them, the Y would be the only time they’d leave their house for the day and see their friends,” Howard said. “The social aspect is just as important as the fitness piece when it comes to a sense of belonging. It was very vital. Post-pandemic, we’ve seen that tick back up again.”

Now, more than five years later, Howard said the global pandemic allowed her team to take a different approach to programming and take a better look at the communities they serve.

“There’s some opportunity for us to relaunch what we call our Adaptive Swim Program. It’s swim lessons for children with special needs,” Howard said. “We’re currently just trying to secure a little bit more funding for that to relaunch it. So, that’s an example of a program that we really want to try and push out.” 

Pandemic-related coping stuck with some personally  

Personal journeys also began, such as Oviedo resident Tom Brino, who took advantage of the largely deserted roads during the pandemic’s grip and took up walking daily for exercise. 

He used his Apple Watch to track the time spent walking in Research Park just south of Oviedo, and measured how quickly he could complete a mile. Brino’s competitive nature gradually turned walking into running, resulting in 50 pounds lost in a little over a year. 

“I walked no matter what day it was. After work, it would be 100 degrees,” Brino said. “It was very neurotic, but when you do something for three weeks, you get into a routine and you can’t break it.” 

Brino later discovered the community run club Facebook group, “Your Run Club,” through his children in April 2023. 

Your Run Club co-founder Shayar Soltani has worked alongside Whitmore since the club began at the former Irish 31 restaurant, with the apt name of Irish 3.1. Soltani expanded on the impact of Your Run Club, calling it an outlet for its members.

“It motivates everybody to keep active, compete with each other to get faster, and do better,” Soltani said. “Overall, it makes it easier for us to maintain an active lifestyle.” 

Within the Oviedo community is 29-time Ironman-distance athlete and 9-time Ironman World Championship finisher Doug Guthrie, who faced his own set of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he was a full-time triathlon coach at the time.

“It was terrible because everything shut down and there were no races, so to be a coach was not ideal,” Guthrie said.  

Guthrie said the global pandemic foreshadowed his current work routine by training half a day and coaching the other, taking phone calls and working with people on their training plans.

He served as a volunteer head coach for the “Beginner Triathlon Training Program” at the City of Oviedo Recreation and Parks Department in June alongside aquatics coordinator Chris Haupt.

“Some of them joined not knowing what they were getting into,” Haupt said. “We had people who are doing a lot of exercising that they never anticipated they’d be able to do and they’re really happy with it.” 

In Guthrie’s experience as a triathlon coach, he spoke about how fulfilling it feels to help a person achieve boundaries they thought they could not cross.

“It’s been tremendously rewarding because a lot of people who get into this sport—especially after doing an Ironman distance race—it truly transforms their lives from that point on,” Guthrie said. “Being able to partner with somebody when they go through that journey is very rewarding.”

Two and a half years later, Brino also feels a sense of fulfillment after finding community during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying Your Run Club puts him in a positive mood.

“I may not be the fastest one out here, but I look back at myself five-six years ago and I couldn’t do this. Now I can have a nice, easy run that will drive me to wake up early,” Brino said. “It’s a big accomplishment for me.”