August 12, 2019 |

Start Your Own Virtual Race for Charity!

Virtual Races for Charity

Virtual races are trending. Every day more non-profits around the world are searching for the perfect virtual race platform to launch their own as a way for fundraising. This delights people that want to participate in a race whenever they want and from wherever they are while supporting a charity.

virtual race video gif

atlasGO

Non-profits around the world trust atlasGO to deliver innovative virtual races. We are a seamless all-in-one platform with a custom registration/ticketing platform, a mobile app for tracking and engagement, and integrated peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities.

In the last five years, we have organized 250+ virtual challenges for charity on our mobile app! Every virtual race is in support of one of our non-profit partners. Our community has raised over $5 million dollars for charity! Every day, thousands of sweaty changemakers fight homelessness, plant trees, provide scholarships for students, empower women, and so much more.

three girls wearing an atlasgo green tshirt in front of bridge in San Francisco California

How virtual races work

The concept of a virtual race is quite similar to a classic road race. The only difference is that there is no physical event happening. You can do a virtual run for charity in your hometown, street, park, treadmill, alone, with friends. You choose!

Similar to a classic race event,  there are three steps to participate:

? Register: Buy your (virtual) bib and invite your friends to join! Every bib supports a non-profit organization. You can even add an extra donation!

? Sweat: You are given a certain amount of time (days or weeks) to complete an individual goal (5k, 10k, 42k,…). You participate wherever you want and at the time that best suits you!

?  Celebrate: Once you achieve your goal, you receive a medal, t-shirt, or access to cool prizes from sponsors or event organizers. It’s that easy!

blonde girl running in the park wearing a Garmin watch

Benefits to participants

1. Wherever you want

Participants can run, walk or bike in your hometown, on the beach, on a treadmill, in the woods, or even at an actual race. You are in charge of your own destination! This increases the accessibility for races to everyone with an internet connection.

2. Whenever you want

Participants can run at the time that best suits you! Hate waking up early for a run? Awesome, you can run in the afternoon. Sunday is your favorite day to go long? Perfect, you can get your Kms in whatever day you wish! You can even spread your run’s distance over multiple days!

3. Get a medal

Once you complete your distance (5k, 10k, half marathon,…), you will be mailed a one-of-a-kind medal, t-shirt, or unique swag from the virtual race.

4. Support a charity

Every virtual race we organize supports one of our charity partners. And even GO the extra mile with peer-to-peer fundraising! Make an impact today!

Man of color running in a park with dog

Benefits for nonprofits

1. Limited operational costs

Organizing a physical event requires city permits, dozens of volunteers, and more! It’s a lot of work! Doing virtual races makes your life a lot easier! Focus on marketing and creating an amazing experience for your participants rather than fighting with city officials and paying for permits for everything!

2. Reach an unlimited amount of people

The virtual world is not limited to space. You can reach thousands of people around the world. Create a “run around the world” race or “run for the planet” race to engage thousands of sweaty changemakers to engage around your mission! By using a perfect virtual race platform, your possibilities are endless.

3. Get even more people involved by adding extra activities

Virtual runs for charity are not for everyone. Some people like to bike, swim, do yoga or even ski for charity! By offering several activities, you can increase the number of participants and also donations towards your cause.

girl with medal celebrating after a marathon on atlasGO's virtual race platform

Accessibility and flexibility

There is beauty in bringing people physically together. 45,000 people running a Marathon the same day in the same city is extraordinary. NYCBrussels, Mumbai, Boston, London. These races create a sense of belonging and community that is difficult to replicate in the virtual world. But, physical races are not accessible to everyone and don’t happen every day. The virtual component is not replacing physical races but is simply offering another option. Virtual Races are here to stay as they have proven how effective they can be. Adding a virtual component increases the accessibility and flexibility, and by choosing the best virtual race platform for your non-profit, you can expand your message even more.

man and woman hugging a tree in a forest

Why sweat for a cause?

Sports bring people together. It’s a great way to bring people on the same level and start a conversation. I believe that running for charity makes everything better for four reasons:

1. Purpose: Running, walking, biking is great. Exercising with a purpose is better! It allows you to give a reason for the extra mile you put in.

2. Lack of competition: Exercising for a cause brings less pressure to the race. We are all in this together. Doing something that’s bigger than ourselves.

3. Running for a cause makes you think of the issue you are supporting. It sparks a conversation and brings awareness to issues we can sometimes put aside.

4. Communities are powerful. Running together for a cause brings a new dimension to your race. You can be part of a movement. A movement of sweaty changemakers!

group of runners in San Francisco California

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