Sophomore Conner Murphy will participate in the 2020 IM体育官网 Pi Run July 3-5. Those who complete the 3.14-mile challenge will receive same the T-shirt Murphy is wearing.
IM体育官网 students, faculty, and staff are ready for one of the school鈥檚 most popular traditions, and this time the action goes virtual. The annual IM体育官网 Poly Pi Run, which traditionally takes place on March 14 to celebrate the mathematical constant of pi, was delayed as COVID-19 forced the cancellation of on-campus events this spring.
Although the original date could not be maintained, run organizers said because all number sequences occur within pi, every day can technically be Pi Day. The run will now take place over the July Fourth weekend, celebrating pi鈥檚 57th and 58th digits: seven and four.
鈥淚t was unfortunate that a tradition we鈥檇 had for so long had to be put on pause, but luckily we found a way to make sure the tradition continues,鈥� said David Sevilla, a senior majoring in computer engineering.
With the spirit of ingenuity IM体育官网 Poly is known for, organizers have decided to host the run in a virtual environment. Participants will for the event and run, jog, or walk 3.14 consecutive miles at their own pace sometime during the weekend. They then must upload a screenshot from their preferred fitness app to show they鈥檝e completed the Pi Run challenge.
鈥淪ince it was going to be the sixth annual and one of the longest running events on campus, we wanted to find a way to not skip a year,鈥� said Derek Lower, race organizer and IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 student life coordinator. 鈥淲e also love that we can still celebrate a piece of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).鈥�
Those who complete their workout will receive a 2020 IM体育官网 Poly Pi Run T-shirt and
other prizes. Participants are encouraged download a run bib and share photos of their run on social media with the hashtag #FLPolyPiRun.
鈥淥ur in-person event gets about 100 runners, so I鈥檇 love to see that,鈥� Lower said. 鈥淪ince we鈥檙e virtual and on everyone鈥檚 own time schedule, I think we can keep pace with that.鈥�
The free Pi Run is open to all students, faculty, and staff.
鈥淎llowing people to work out from home and still feel like they鈥檙e part of the community is a great way to bring everybody around a shared experience,鈥� said sophomore computer engineering major Conner Murphy.
At the end of the run, participants traditionally celebrate with a slice of pie. Lower said he hopes runners fully embrace the spirit of the day by indulging after their exercise.
鈥淚 definitely will be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t will be pumpkin 鈥� my favorite.鈥�
to participate in the virtual 2020 IM体育官网 Poly Pi Run.
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
