All we athletes know is that we don't have gyms to go to and all of our races are being cancelled.
... or are they?
Enterprising companies started hosting virtual races. Some were just the natural alternative for a race day that could no longer be held. Some just seem ridiculously on brand (see: IRONMAN, Rock 'n' Roll and their swag which includes masks ...). Others are just to give us racing and competitive types (or medal hounds) something to chase after. And some, well, it's just for the community aspect as that's a big reason a lot of us do sport - for the community aspect, and that's been taken away from us.
We can't see our friends at a race, so why don't we do the same race virtually?
... sure, let's go with it.
In any case, I've done three recently. I haven't put them in the race log (... because they're not actually races imho), but I figured I could at least make them into some blog content.
Race #1: Mother's Day Smashfest Virtual 10K
Smashfest Queen put on a Mother's Day virtual race for either the 5K, 10K, or half-marathon distance. I decided on the 10K because why not. I actually attempted to race the thing, too.
Race cost some money, for a swag race shirt. That I'll get some time in June. Because SMASH. Part of the fee also went to charity - No Kid Hungry.
With my bib. Yes, I printed all my bibs out. No, I didn't actually wear them running. #selfconscious
Husband got me as our run paths crossed.
I haven't actually raced a 10K in quite some time, so this kinda hurt. And also reminded me why I don't particularly like the distance.
Result: 6.26 mi in 1:05:05
Race #2: Skirt Strong Frickin' Women Virtual 5K
A couple of the current ambassador captains came up with the idea of this virtual race and, as an ambassador myself, of COURSE I was going to do this.
Race was free. It was for everyone. You could walk it or run it or whatever.
Note the new race hat - it's a T. rex! Thanks to a random friend for introducing me to Bandanna Running in Boise and then Bandanna themselves for shipping to Colorado.
Didn't race this one nearly as hard. Also ran it with B, so that was partly why. Also it's really hard (at least for me) to click into race mode without the whole atmosphere and stuff.
Result: 3.12 mi in 33:03
Race #3: Conquer COVID-19 Virtual 10K
What, another 10K? Yes, I know. B and I both signed up for this one. Since running the Dino Half a few years back, we still get emails from Runtastic Events. With the whole shift to virtual ... they got creative. And really, we just ran this one for the medal.
So yes, we paid for this one. Did not pay extra for the t-shirt. Mostly just paid for the medal. Also had to actually upload results. They also donated $5 from every entry fee to a local running store. I chose Cadence Running Company in Arizona, since apparently that's how I'm getting shoes now.
The ever elusive both feet in the air running shot.
B coming into the "finish."
Done! The medals look like rolls of toilet paper. There's a spinner in the middle that looks like the coronavirus. The stuff on the back is along the lines of that Stay Home logo thing you see on Instagram.
My medal Monday shot. You get a sense of the ridiculousness here.
I will say we signed up for this basically solely for the medal. I'm hoping that, sometime in the future, we can look back on this medal as a humorous reminder of a pretty tough time.
Also B remembered with me why 10Ks suck. We didn't run this one nearly as hard as I did the Smash one the week prior.
Result: 6.21 mi in 1:11:25
*****
I think the virtual races do have a place, but they definitely don't replace actual racing (for me, at least).
The other thing that's emerging, however, is virtual challenges. One I know a lot of people doing is GVRAT - the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee - run however many miles it is for the length of Tennessee (... somewhere around 1000, I think?) over the course of the summer. I'm not interested in that, but local company 3W Races is doing something on a smaller level - hike, walk, run, and/or bike the length of the Colorado Trail (486 mi) over 90 days (essentially June, July, and August). You can do it with a team or solo - Brandon and I think that we can hit that mileage across all those disciplines easily.
Check back for the May recap next week to see if we actually pull the trigger on it ...
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