Fundraisers are urged to carry out a solo run and use running apps to track progress and claim a medal.
The charity Tommy’s is using digital to help stage its postponed half marathon fundraising event as a “solo, virtual running challenge”.
The Local Landmarks Half Marathon, which is run by the charity Tommy’s, was planned for 29 March but is being postponed to a later date due to the coronavirus outbreak.
As an alternative the charity is urging those due to take part as well as others to carry out their own solo run for the charity, adhering to social distancing guidelines around their own local landmarks.
Those who complete the challenge, that can involve shorter distances than a half marathon, can register for the event via the marathon’s website.
They are then urged to record their run using tracking apps, for example RunKeeper, Strava or Garmin.
Participants can then submit a picture of their solo run from their tracking app to a dedicated webpage to claim a medal. Images can uploaded in a variety of formats including jpeg and have a 100MB limit.
“We’ll then be in touch within five days to confirm you have achieved your Local Landmarks Challenge and earnt your exclusive medal,” states the event’s webpage.
Youtube promotion
To promote the Local Landmarks Challenge a video explaining more details has been released on Youtube.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response of our runners, our loyal Yellow Army, to the event not going ahead as planned on the 29th March,” said Lia Fyles, Race Director.
“They have all trained and fundraised so hard in preparation and many are continuing to do so. We may not all be able to run together on the 29th March, but what their response has shown is that the running community has the power to make a huge difference for many charities, as we individually take to our local streets and run our personal Local Landmarks Challenge.”
“Current public health advice is that people are able to run solo outside, and people are encouraged to keep exercising regularly. We hope the Local Landmarks Challenge will help provide both physical and mental wellbeing benefits. In a time of great uncertainty and increased isolation, we hope this will be a great way for people to support each other and feel connected virtually.
“If current Public Health guidelines change, the challenge will naturally be paused and only re-opened once it’s safe to do so.”
Tommy’s funds research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.