J OLIVEIRA
Virtual location:
Mile 24, London Marathon
Actual location: Avenida
Atlantica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazilsays. ‘Sport, traditionally, is quite
regimented, but everyone has
different ways of doing things, and
virtual running offers a chance for
people who don’t enjoy – or don’t feel
ready to try – more traditional events,
to feel a part of something.
‘A lot of people are motivated by
the medals when they start,’ says
Squire. ‘They might love the theme,
what the medal represents, or just
how it looks. After they sign up,
though, I think virtual running then
becomes about more than just
medals; it’s about leading a healthy
lifestyle and realising how good
keeping fit makes them feel.’ At the
time of writing, MedalMad has
15,600 active members, with 26,000
virtual runs logged this year alone.
Virtual runners also earn rewards
for others besides themselves. The
low cost of organising virtual races
makes them effective fundraisers.
‘Virtual Runner donates at least
20 per cent from every entry fee tocharity,’ says Wheatcroft. ‘To date we
have raised close to £450,000 for good
causes.’ And charities are getting in
on the act, with the likes of Action for
Children, the Stroke Association,
Royal British Legion and Fight for
Sight just a few of the organisations
hosting their own virtual-race series.
The relative lack of resource needed- medal production aside – also makes
virtual races a big plus for the planet.
The uncomfortable truth for eco-
conscious runners is that running
events can leave a big footprint. The
simple equation is that lots of runners
means lots of waste, such as bottles
and gel packets. Then there’s the fuel
required to take runners to and from
the race, and the environmental cost
of manufacturing thousands of race
T-shirts and goody bag items.
The virtual world may hold some
real pitfalls for runners, however.
When every run is uploaded to a
digital platform for all to see, that can
create unwanted pressure to perform.
Last year, psychologist Dr Josephine
Perry (performanceinmind.co.uk) led
a study into the effects social media
can have on runners. Her research
found that platforms such as Strava
may cause some endurance athletes
to adhere to exercise so strongly they
risk exercise addiction. ‘The risk of
exercise addiction in those running
marathon distance or above was
found to be 44.2 per cent,’ says Perry,
‘and those using a large number of
technologies in their sport were
found to have the highest risk of
exercise addiction. The extensive and
pervasive comparisons that these
technologies allow can create stress,
increase injury risk, lower potential
performance and strip out some of
the joy that these athletes take from
their sport.’
Part of the success of social media- data apps included – is down to a
universal need for recognition.
Runners, in other words, want to
impress. That’s not a problem in
A BROWN
Virtual location:
Mile 24, London Marathon
Actual location: Chestnut
Avenue, Bury038 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019