Virtual Races.
Yes… sounds weird… and I’ve been avoiding them for a while, but recently moving 1200 miles away from what was my home and basically having to start from scratch, I feel like now is a great time to start a blog try virtual races.
I picked the Virtual Races Series “National Park Service Birthday” run as my first go. August 25th I’ll hit the road for a 10k to celebrate the National Park Service turning 99 years old. Even though you can complete your VR anywhere, I have decided to support NPS and will be running in Maryland’s own Catocin Mountain Park.
But before that, I want your take on virtual races (VR)…
What is a VR?
It is race you register for, train for and run… then report your results virtually. Most involve social media, hashtags, and virtual community involvement. There is a window of time in which you have to report your results; this particular race is a 24-hour window, others may be up to 7-days.
Swag?
Each race is different, but the NPS Birthday Run will mail me a tshirt and a medal after I report my race time on the 25th. There are also awards…again, every VR is different. This one has awards for social media involvement including best/prettiest picture (assuming you go to a National Park to participate, not required but encouraged). They also have random prizes, and others will award fastest times, age awards, etc.
Verdict?
I don’t know, I’m still conflicted but I am leaning toward awesome! The social media involvement is fun, but I doubt it will rival a “real” race… But you’re really only racing yourself. I’ll follow up with a race recap after my run and report on my overall experience at the end of the month…
I want to hear from you! Have you tried a VR? If so, what were your thoughts? If not, are you willing to? Give me your input and opinions!
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