It may sound silly, but sometimes when I'm training and I run a long run I finish and say to myself "damn I did all that, and I didn't even get a medal". I know just finishing a long run, or any run for that matter, should be an accomplishment - and therefore should be good enough for me. But why would it hurt to add a little bit of motivation to get me out and running? And why wouldn't it hurt to help out a charity while providing myself with a little bit of motivation in the form of race bling?
Jost Running would provide me a way to do just that. Jost Running is a virtual racing company that is run by a mother/daughter team trying to get people out there and moving - whether is be running, walking, swimming, or even hopping around. Providing virtual racing helps to motivate people to get out of the house and be more active. The awesome medals Jost Running provides is an incentive for people to set a goal and reach it.
Courtney, the president of Jost Running wants virtual racing to help push you a little harder than yesterday. She wants you to see these medals and be reminded that you don't need the energy of a race crowd to get you out and running.
Her mother has an intense passion that gets people from walking to running. And she loves bling.
So how does it work?
You set up an account on
JostRunning.com and log in. You register for your selected race. There are 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, and Full Marathon distances available. Once registered a personalized bib will be generated for you that you can print from the website. During your "race week"you complete your distance, submit your time, and receive a medal in the mail.
Simple as that.
I decided to do the Brave New Route 5k for May as a way to start building up my base milage for marathon training that will start the first week of June.
The registration process was super simple, and my bib was ready immediately. And it's cute. And let's talk about the medal. Honestly, I've done a few virtual races before, but this has got to be the nicest medal I've seen for a virtual race - maybe even nicer than some of my actual races.
The picture doesn't do the medal justice, but it's got a good weight to it, and its nice and shiny. The white and blue ocean waves are made of glitter and so is that big red X.
And just so you could see what the half/full marathon medal looks like, I have a picture of that for you too:
What a beautiful piece of hardware!!
And if the race bling isn't a good enough reason to run one of these races I have another reason for you. This race benefits the ALS association.
The ALS association was established in 1985 and to date is the only national non-profit organization fighting the disease. They are leaders in research on both a national and global level, as well as offering their services in public education, policy, and caregiving to both the afflicted and their families.
There's still time to sign up to the Brave New Route races for May. Or you can browse the other races Jost Running has to offer.
Have you ever run a virtual race?
