But while the basic mechanics
haven’t changed much since we
climbed down from the trees, our
reasons for running definitely have.
The hunt for prey has been replaced
by the hunt for PBs and now, like
cycling before it, running has joined
the virtual world. Kudos is given
for achievements on Strava, apps
like RunSocial and Zwift have
transformed the treadmill experience
into a portal to far-f lung parts of the
planet and now medals are handed
out for races that, should you wish,
you can complete in your living room.
Running’s transition into the
virtual world is illustrated clearly by
the daddy of data apps, Strava. Once
the domain of stat-hungry cyclists,
the platform now has almost as many
runners. In 2018, 240.7 million runs
were recorded across the world – up
46.2 per cent on the previous year. So
what does going digital add to the
running experience?
‘It’s the easiest way to track and
analyse my training,’ says ultra-
runner, OCR champion and Strava
convert David Hellard. ‘It now has
nine years of my running data, which
I can use to analyse past performance
or similar periods in my training cycle.’
Hellard is a competitive runner, but
that ability to track performance over
time provides even beginners with
the type of data and analysis once
reserved for professional athletes.
But data analysis and training
benefits are just part of the story.
There is also the digital interaction
with other members of the Strava
community – particularly the giving
and receiving of kudos (Strava’s
equivalent of a ‘like’ button), which
many, like Hellard, find motivating.
Then there’s one of the app’s most
popular features, Segments, via
which members compete to record
the quickest times over particular
sections – created by users – of local
running routes. Segments can be
used to compare your own times, or
to compete against other users who
have had a crack at that same section,
turning every portion of your runs
into a never-ending race against
everyone else who runs the route.
Moving more firmly into the
sphere of virtual events are Strava
Challenges, originally confined to
distance and elevation targets over a
set time period – such as the July
Run Climbing Challenge, which
tasked users with reaching 2,000m of
ascent over the course of the month- but now fully embracing the world
of virtual racing. Last year, the
fitness app teamed up with New York
City Marathon organisers New York
City Road Runners to launch nine
virtual races: 5Ks, 10Ks and a digital
edition of the marathon itself. The
virtual marathon sold out in a matter
of hours, with the 500 registrants,
from 28 countries and 39 US states,
paying $100 each to complete the
26.2-mile distance. The reward
for completing the distance in one
go (within the first four days of
November) was a specially designed
medal and guaranteed entry to the
2019 New York City Marathon.
‘Appy days
THAT ABILITY TO RACE without setting
foot on a start line is what has drawn
many runners – and many beginners- to virtual events. ‘Two years ago I
was over 20 stone,’ says 36-year-old
Anthony Wright-Mullaney, ‘but then
I managed to lose some weight and
began to run regularly, and before
long I entered a couple of races.’ For
the beginner, though, big crowds and
quick runners can make any event –
no matter how inclusive the pre-race
messaging – quite an intimidating
prospect. ‘I found the races daunting,’
says Wright-Mullaney, at which point
a friend introduced him to the virtual
world. ‘I found virtual races much
more appealing: you can do them in
your own time and at your own pace.’
Wright-Mullaney is now a member of
a club and feels comfortable entering
real-world races, but he recommends
virtual racing for newer runners as a
way to transition to longer events.
Virtual racing, then, can be a
stepping stone to real-world racing,
and the format’s rapid rise suggests
Wright-Mullaney is far from alone.
While postal races – in which
competitors mail their times to be
compared with others – began
decades ago, recent advances in GPS-
tracking technology have created the
conditions for virtual races, in their
current form, to f lourish.
There are now hundreds of
organisations that offer virtual-
running experiences. While details
vary, the concept is pretty constant:
pay your money, run the distance
and get the medal in the post. Some
organisers demand that the run is
completed within a certain week,
month or, in the case of the virtual
New York City Marathon, a single
effort, requiring a photo or app
screenshot as proof. Others allow you
to break the run into as many outings
as you want/need.
Susan Wheatcroft is the founder of
one such company, Virtual Runner
UK. She was drawn into the world of
virtual racing when she felt stuck for
real-world alternatives. ‘I couldn’t
find a race but wanted the motivation
to continue my training,’ she says.
Wheatcroft’s platform allows runners
to complete everything from fun runs
to ultramarathons, without any of the
perceived pressures or logistical
challenges of traditional events.
While Wheatcroft admits she
‘loves the thrill of racing with others’,WE HUMANS, SO THE
BESTSELLING STORY
GOES, WERE BORN TO RUN.
036 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019
T CHEUNG
Virtual location: Bixby Bridge,
Big Sur Marathon, California
Actual location: Kam Shan
Park, Hong Kong