If you are an avid reader of my page, you would know that several months ago when I participated in the runDisney Star Wars half marathon weekend. I saw some people walking around with race awards (medals) before the first race started. I was curious how these individuals were able to get an award so soon. I wanted to know, so I stalked one of the people wear their prize until I could get close enough to read the information on the ribbon … Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon.
Virtual?
Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon, what is this? I quickly sat down and started searching the internet trying to find as much information as possible. I was genuinely intrigued… what is a Virtual Half Marathon and how is it different than the event I was about to participate the next day?
After some searching, I found that a virtual event is a race that you participate in where ever you are and at your own pace. Flexibility. No need to go to an event venue, I could do the event around my neighborhood, or at my local gym, pretty much anywhere I want, and unlike the Star Wars Half Marathon event at Disney World, the virtual event did not have a timing requirement. When I participated in the Star Wars Half Marathon event, they expected that I would be able to keep a 16 minutes/mile pace to complete the event within a specific timeframe. If I couldn’t, they would pick me up off the course and drive me to the finish line. I certainly didn’t like that. With the virtual event, I could go as slow as I wanted. No one to pick me up off the course and take me to the finish line. I could go at my pace.
Summer Shorts
Once I found the virtual format to be much more conducive to my liking, I had to know more. I searched again and found multiple companies offering virtual race events, including the runDisney Summer Shorts series for the Incredibles 2 movie launch. I immediately signed up for the entire set of runDisney Summer Shorts, but they didn’t start until June, and I wanted to get started now.
So, I searched a little more and purchased virtual events from four different vendors to see which was the best. I like something about each of the vendors, but I thought something was missing. Virtual functions are all about the flexibility to do the event at your pace wherever it was good for you, but they didn’t give you a lot of choices for getting recognized for the speed (run, walk, bike, swim, etc.) nor the distance (3.1, 6.2, 13.1, 26.2) you selected.
The Birth of my virtual Marathon
Thus I was presented with a challenge and just like my diabetes, it needed to be conquered and myVirtual Marathon was born. There are a lot of ways to share the many options (flexibility) and benefits, so please go and check out the site and let me know what you think.
If you have ever participated in a virtual event, what did you think? What do you think of the myVirtual Marathon?
