Showing posts with label virtual race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virtual race. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Swagtastic Virtual 10K Recap

I really enjoy virtual races. They're fun for all sorts of reasons as I mentioned when I talked about my first experience in 2009. Since then I have done a few more including the recent Swagtastic Virtual 10K.

This race is organized completely online and race bibs are emailed to registered participants prior to the five-day race window. Participants run the registered distance and self-report their results online.



I normally do long runs on the weekends. Since most of my "long" runs have been under 7 miles recently, it made perfect sense to run 6.2 miles on Saturday. To make it even better, we would be in Newport for the holiday weekend, so the route was going to be gorgeous.


The goal was to get out the door as early as possible: 1) to beat the heat and 2) we had a sailboat to launch at 11AM. So, a little after 7AM we laced up our shoes, grabbed our Simple Hydration water bottles filled with Cytomax and stepped out into the SOUP!

We made our way off the base and along the waterfront into town. Along the way, we passed numerous other runners, walkers, and bikers all out getting their workout done early. The sun was shining, the water was glistening, and the wind was...well, light. With little shade except through a section along America's Cup Ave, we pretty much felt like we were melting.


With each passing mile, the run got harder. At King's Park, our turn around point, we took a little break, used the port-a-potties, and took some pictures. It was difficult to get going again after that. On the way back, we walked and hydrated at each mile.

Mile 4: The Wave

This was a very tough, sweaty run. During the last mile, we saw a dog owner throwing a toy into the water for his dog to retrieve and I was ready to join the dog! I remember saying to mr. C, I just want this run to be over!



So we might not have made the smartest run decision on Saturday: it was warm, it was humid, it was sunny, and we were sunburned. We did it though. Fortunately receiving the swag from this race has nothing to do with how well you do.



What's your favorite virtual race? 



Wednesday, June 5, 2013

National Running Day is Swagtastic!

It's that time of year again. On National Running Day people start talking about all the reasons they run. I wrote about my reasons here and I still feel the same.

It doesn't take much to convince me to run and I'm always on the lookout for a good race. Last week I was asked to help promote a virtual race series put on by Swagtastic Virtual Races to support the organization Medals4Mettle, which collects earned race medals from runners and triathletes and donates them to children and adults facing serious illness or injuries.



The Swagtastic Race Series features a virtual 5K, 10K, and half marathon and 100% of the registration proceeds go to cover the costs of presenting medals to the victims of the Boston bombings through the Medals4Mettle organization.


What makes the race series unique is the swag - the first 300 registrants receive a swag box filled with samples from over 25 companies and all participants that self-report their race finish times are entered into a drawing for over 60 prizes. You can check out what they have lined up by going to the Facebook page or following on Twitter

What better way to celebrate National Running Day than to sign up for a Swagtastic Virtual Race? Registration closes on June 28th and they are hoping to reach 100%. If you are interested in supporting this fundraiser, you can register here.

Do you like virtual races? 
How will you be celebrating National Running Day?



Disclosure: I was comped a race entry for promoting the Swagtastic event.


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