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Virtual Races and Challenge Events: Real World Case Studies
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- 2. Go Virtual ❖ Singleevent ❖ Do a virtual event for an already established event ○ Opportunity to raise money because people want to support you ○ People are used to doing that event and you are giving them that continuity ○ Continuity so that come back next year ❖ Special day (like July 4th or a Turkey Trot) ❖ Typically a run/walk/ride
- 3. 3 Pros of GoingVirtual ▷ Make money this year ▷ Engage the community this year with a fun event to commemorate this strange time ▷ Save money by not having an in-person event ▷ Keep relationships with runners, sponsors, volunteers so that they will come back next year ▷ RunSignup lets you go virtual on a $0 budget ▷ Virtual races are here to stay (and it’s not a zero-sum game)
- 4. Let’s See SomeCreative Examples of Real Races that Went Virtual
- 5. Scott Coffee RotaryRun ❖ 573 registrations (compared to 858 in 2019) ➢ Suspended marketing the week leading up to and through the virtual race week ❖ 236% increase in donations from 2019 ❖ 244 participants (42.5% of all registrations) came directly from Email Marketing
- 6. Harpoon 5 Miler ❖Usually a sell-out race ❖ Offered 2 event options ➢ 6-Pack: $15, race bib & virtual results ➢ 12-Pack: $35, + race shirt & 4-pack beer ❖ 38% increase in the number of individual donors ❖ Made a 25 second video featured on their race website and Facebook page
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- 8. My Big Run ❖The Big Run is an in-person 5k that celebrates Global Running every year at Fleet Feet locations nationwide ❖ My Big Run was this year’s virtual edition ❖ 10,956 participants and $42,885 raised for Girls on the Run ❖ $10 registration fee: $15 voucher to local Fleet Feet, digital bib & results, training tips ❖ Sold branded face masks as add-on
- 9. Virtual Dash forDonation ❖ Fundraiser for Lifeline of Ohio ❖ 21st annual Dash for Donation, and largest fundraiser to support bereavement programming ❖ Tied event dates and pricing to the cause ➢ $8.50 registration fee ➢ 8 days to complete virtual 5k ➢ Equals number of lives an organ donor can potentially save and heal
- 10. What’s a VirtualChallenge Event? ❖ Multi-day or multi-week activities with goals (either set by individual or challenge goals) ❖ Can include multiple activities ○ Ride, Run/Walk ○ Pushups, Planks ○ Fiction, Nonfiction ❖ Best for when you have an idea that can engage your community over a period of time ❖ Not limited to endurance - you can get as creative as you want with custom tallies
- 11. Let’s See SomeCreative Examples of Challenges
- 12. Buffalo Marathon Summer PuzzleChallenge ❖ Complete 4 different distances: 5k, 10k, Half, and Full ➢ Each distance can be done at one time, or over multiple runs/walks ❖ 40 local charity partners ❖ Website specifically states that registration fee will help offset production cost increases for the 2021 Buffalo Marathon
- 14. 1 Million Milesfor Justice ❖ Goal is to collectively run and walk 1 million miles to help fight injustice in our communities ❖ $25 registration fee gets you 25 miles - donate $1 for each additional mile logged ❖ Net profits go to National NAACP ❖ Partnered with Black Girls Run!, Fleet Feet, National Civil Rights Museum, and more to promote event and cause
- 15. 1 Million Milesfor Justice
- 16. LRC Summer Milesfor Scholarships ❖ Lakeland Runners Club ❖ Goals are to run 10,000 miles and raise $10,000 for local scholarships ❖ Open to all participants (not just club members) ❖ Able to cross-promote other events
- 17. LRC Summer Milesfor Scholarships
- 18. FCIAC COVID-19 Pushup Challenge ❖Pushup challenge event between high school students in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Conference ❖ Fundraiser for Fairfield County COVID-19 Relief Fund ❖ Teams were schools in the conference ❖ Students logged the number of pushups between June 1 - June 5
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- 20. Indy 500 MileChallenge ❖ Laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ❖ Cross-promote the Brickyard 4.00 Miler ➢ Virtual Challenge + Virtual Race ➢ Multi-race Bundles
- 21. The 4 SeasonsChallenge ❖ 50 Mile Challenge for each season ➢ Each season is set up as an event and separate results set ❖ Swag for each challenge - commemorative pin, tattoo, decal ❖ 16% discount when you sign up for all events at one time
- 22. Peach State Challenge ❖State Challenge ❖ 4 different distance options - appeals to participants of different abilities ❖ Donations go to Georgia Food Bank Association
- 23. Peach State Challenge ❖Live map that shows challenge progress
- 24. Leadville 100,000FT Challenge ❖ ElevationChallenge ❖ Flexible Options ➢ Run, Ride, Combo ➢ Solo or Team ❖ Individual leaderboard + team results
- 25. Leadville 100,000FT Challenge ❖ Leaderboardsorts on most elevation, but time and distance also show
- 26. Promotion How to MarketVirtual Challenges
- 27. Marketing Ramp-Up forChallenges ❖ 3 to 4 weeks to build up marketing before the challenge starts ❖ Use language around accomplishment and completing the challenge
- 28. Target Walkers (morethan Runners) ❖ Challenges are more inclusive than a 5k race ❖ Use Walk/Run or Run/Walk language on your ads, website, and registration options ❖ You can offer participants multiple activity types when they log their miles
- 29. Highlight Nonprofit Partners ❖Nonprofit partners can add legitimacy to your virtual race or challenge ❖ Highlight in marketing and website ❖ Set them up as a charity partner so they receive direct payments for all donations ○ Donations >> Charity Partner ○ You can have multiple charity partners
- 30. Case Study: Gourdy’sPumpkin Run ❖ Partnered with Girls on the Run ❖ Announced partnership in press release ❖ Added fundraiser event option ❖ GOTR has a charity partner dashboard and receives direct payments ❖ Facebook Fundraiser Integration ❖ Fundraiser Rewards (registration fee refund, then exclusive co-branded GOTR and Pumpkin Run swag)
- 31. Compelling Website ❖ Usea Cover Page that highlights: ○ Swag ○ Referral Rewards Program ○ Course Map (if there is one) ○ Nonprofit Partners
- 32. Case Study: Philadelphia76 Challenge https://www.76challenge.com /
- 33. Strong Referral RewardsProgram ❖ April 2019 – 7% of registrations from Referral Rewards ❖ April 2020 – 18% of registrations from Referral Rewards
- 34. Case Study: Indy500 Challenge ❖ Branded Referral Program with detailed instructions ❖ Refunds + Swag with multiple reward levels ❖ Menu item and cover page section ❖ 2 Registration Follow-Up Emails (3 and 5 days after sign up) ❖ 22% registrations from referrals
- 35. Registration Follow UpEmails Promote Teams Promote Social Media Promote Referral Rewards Program
- 36. Teams ❖ Promote teams ❖Offer team size discounts ○ Get 10 members and everyone gets a $5 refund/discount ❖ Team Results! ○ And more improvements on the way...
- 37. Facebook Ads ❖ CustomAudiences ❖ Targeted zip codes ❖ Feature images with exclusive swag ❖ Consider having an ad made (Upwork or Fiverr)
- 38. Influencers ❖ Not everychallenge is going to have Laz… ❖ But chances are you know people in your community who are influencers - leaders of running groups, coaches, Rotary Club members, etc. ○ Engage them to participate in the challenge and share with their networks
- 39. Case Study: 1Million Miles for Justice
- 40. When to doyour Marketing Push ❖ Up to 50% of registrations will be when the challenge starts ❖ The first day of the challenge is often the biggest registration volume ❖ Spend marketing dollars and send emails the day before the challenge starts to maximize the push
- 41. Participant Experience Engage yourparticipants and supporters
- 42. Virtual Swag ❖ DigitalBibs ○ Email Replacement Tag ○ Profile Link ❖ Finisher Certificates
- 43. Swag ❖ Giveaways ❖ Add-Ons ❖Add-Ons + Shopify ❖ SWAG Rewards
- 44. Shipping and FulfillmentCompanies ❖ Negative Split Productions ❖ Gilman Surge ❖ Boulder Bibs ❖ Emedia ❖ Virgo3 and exosports ❖ JWalls Ink ❖ Always Advancing
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- 46. Virtual Result Submission ❖Simple Result Submission ❖ Option for Auto-RaceJoy Submission ❖ Option to not enter time ❖ Option to upload GPX/FIT file ❖ Option for Race Director Review before showing ❖ July - Option to upload photos
- 47. Challenge Submission ❖ FlexibleActivity Entry ○ Distance ○ Count ○ Time ○ Elevation ❖ Easy conversions ❖ Load from GPX/FIT ❖ Add Comments ❖ July - Add Photos
- 48. Virtual Results ❖ Auto-Scoring ○Advanced Division Options ❖ Full screen and Mobile Views ❖ Editable Columns ❖ Editable Results by RD ❖ Editable Results by Participant
- 49. Individual Challenge Results ❖Digital Certificate ❖ Progress Bar ❖ Summary Stats ❖ Activities - Easy Edit ❖ Map ❖ July - Photos
- 50. Maps ❖ Maps areoptional - KML File Upload ❖ Many tools to create maps - MapMyRun, Google Maps -> YourPlaces -> Maps, etc. ❖ If you are using a popular route (i.e. Appalachian Trail, Oregon Trail, etc.) - google the route’s name and “kml file” - you will likely be able to download for free
- 51. 51 Overall Dynamic ChallengeGoal Race >> Race Page >> Cover Page
- 52. Overall Challenge Results ❖Ordered by ○ Lowest Time ○ Activity Count ○ Highest Time ○ Greatest Elevation Gain
- 53. Customize Results Results Pageon your Race Website 53
- 54. Teams for Challenges ❖Setup Groups/Teams ❖ Automatic Team Results ❖ Soon - Team Goals
- 55. Photos 2.0 ❖ WholeNew Infrastructure ○ Over 4M Photos for 5,000 Events ❖ Participant Albums ○ Collections ○ Uploads (especially for Virtual) ❖ More features coming! ○ Photo API ○ Better Album & Photo Organization ○ Better Results integration ○ Better notification/email ○ Nonprofit Ticket Events ❖ Still FREE!
- 56. Coming Soon! ❖ Multi-Goals ❖Milestones ○ Certificates ○ Notifications ○ Reminders ❖ Improved UX ❖ API ❖ Participant Photo Uploads
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