{"id":5026,"date":"2017-04-11T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-04-11T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elbowglitter.com\/blog\/?p=5026"},"modified":"2017-04-10T12:24:20","modified_gmt":"2017-04-10T16:24:20","slug":"virtual-races-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elbowglitter.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/11\/virtual-races-worth\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Races – Worth It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtual races seem to be all the rage lately. \u00a0What is a virtual race? \u00a0Simply put, it is an event where you can participate from wherever you are. \u00a0On the day of the race (or weekend, or week, or however long the organizers give you), you go out, run the distance, and (usually) report back on your results.<\/p>\n

Well, that sounds like the training I do all the time. \u00a0The difference with a virtual race is that there is often swag involved. \u00a0Medals are the most popular swag, but some races have t-shirts, race bibs, and other items for those who sign up.<\/p>\n

So obviously, a virtual race with swag isn’t free. \u00a0Frequently, there is a charitable aspect to the races as well. \u00a0Sign up and a portion of your entry fee will go to charity. \u00a0I’m all about fun fundraising ideas, so this is a great one.<\/p>\n

But virtual races get a lot of negative comments in the running community. \u00a0Some people claim it’s not a real race. \u00a0And it’s not a traditional road race, that’s true, but that doesn’t make it any less of a race. \u00a0Can people cheat? \u00a0Sure. \u00a0Can they sign up and get the medal and never run? \u00a0They can do that too. \u00a0But that’s not the point.<\/p>\n

Virtual races are a great way for many people to motivate themselves to run. \u00a0Not everyone enjoys the traditional road race. \u00a0I know plenty of slower runners who find races intimidating, and prefer to participate in virtual races only. \u00a0(I wish they weren’t so intimidated, but I’m glad they have an outlet for their running.) \u00a0Some people like the flexibility of virtual races. \u00a0If you work weekends, you might not be able to run the local 5K, but you can do a virtual 5K on your Tuesday off.<\/p>\n

One virtual race series with some pretty sweet medals is the Hogwarts Running Club<\/a>. \u00a0Seriously, check out that bling! \u00a0I already spend enough money on races, so I’ve not done one of their virtual races, but if you’re a medal person, this looks like a great group to be in. \u00a0(I hear their community support is also pretty sweet.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
A screenshot from the Zombies Run race. Yes, I was listening to a cast recording while running.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the weekend, I did the Zombies Run Spring 2017 Virtual Race. \u00a0For me, the pull wasn’t the bling, but rather the story that comes with the race. \u00a0I really like the app, and having gotten to try out the previous virtual races for free as part of their 5 year anniversary celebration, I wanted to give this one a try. \u00a0I also have been using and enjoying the Zombies Run app since it was first released, and by paying for a race, I could make a small financial contribution as a thanks. \u00a0I really loved all the hype that comes with the race. \u00a0There are two training missions that are released prior to the race, so you get some lead-up to the story. \u00a0It definitely builds the excitement and the race made my weekend training run a lot more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to be doing a ton of virtual races. \u00a0I’m already spending enough money on racing as it is! \u00a0But if you’re looking for some added motivation, check out some virtual races and get running.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virtual races seem to be all the rage lately. \u00a0What is a virtual race? \u00a0Simply put, it is an event where you can participate from wherever you are. \u00a0On the day of the race (or weekend, or week, or however long the organizers give you), you go out, run the distance, and (usually) report back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nVirtual Races - Worth It? 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