Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus (YOGC) is hosting a Virtual 5k race March 4-7, 2021, with one important question in mind: Can you beat Beethoven?

The premise is that Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, with its unmistakable opening, takes approximately 33 minutes and 32 seconds to play and provides runners a finish-time goal to train for and race against. This new fundraiser for YOGC is a virtual race to be completed by participants on their own between March 4th and March 7th. Because of its virtual nature, runners can compete from anywhere in the world while connecting with other participants via our Strava run club group.  

For runners local to the Chattahoochee Valley, YOGC musicians will be playing the morning of Saturday, March 6th, 9:30am to 11:00am at a safe, social distance from 5k participants and other users of the Dragonfly Trail Network in the amphitheatre along a suggested RiverWalk race route.

Registration for the race is $35 and is open through March 7th, 5:00pm at https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Columbus/YOGC2021Beethoven5K. All participants will receive a digital swag bag and t-shirt, to be sent after the race concludes. Participants who post a photo or screenshot with a time of less than 33:32 within the race period (March 4-7) to the Strava run club group will also receive an "I Beat Beethoven" button to commemorate their achievement after the conclusion of the race. 

“YOGC’s board and staff are excited to start training and connecting with other community members to kick off the new year! With a friendly, slightly competitive spirit, we can help each other beat Beethoven, learn a little bit about music, and support the amazing young musicians in YOGC.” - Stephanie Payne, YOGC Executive Director.