Ready for Race Day

Let's prepare for a great race day. Make sure you're ready for October 3 with our Pre-race Checklist:

Create and join teams
Plan your route before you run
Get decked out for the day
Double-donation day on Vizer
Ideas to make race day fun
Stay safe

☑ Join at least two teams

Race day is more fun with friends. We know you run in multiple circles, so you can create and join multiple teams from the app. ? Book Club, ? Coworkers, ? Neighbors, ?‍?‍?‍? Cousins, ? Spin Class—you can make a team for all of your groups and race together. On race day you'll be able to cheer each other on and see results for the team.

We recommend you join at least two teams to make the most of race day; in addition to teams of friends, you can also join featured teams on the Teams page from partners, nonprofits, and more.

Tip: anyone on the team can customize the Team name and icon for everyone. Pick a good name so it's easy to tell which group it is!

Manage your teams

☑ Go on a practice run of your planned route

You have multiple options for how to track your time, and with Practice Runs you can try out all of them during your training. We recommend planning out your route and giving it a try with a practice run to find the race tracker that works best for you.

How to plan a route: There’s a nifty tool in Google Maps to measure distance along a route. Just trace where you’ll going and you’ll see exactly how far it is. Looking for inspiration on new routes in your area? The Strava Global Heatmap can show you where other runners near you go to get the ideas flowing. Remember to always be safe.

Go on a practice run

☑ Get decked out for the day

From hats to tanks, stickers to magnets, we want you to be decked out for race day. Order today—the sooner you place your order, the more likely you'll have the gear in hand for race day.Shop for race day

☑ Increase your impact with Vizer

Make your Fall 5k count for more with our partner Vizer: 30 active minutes or 10,000 steps each day = a donated meal. And in honor of the Fall 5k, they're declaring a double-donation day on October 3. All you need is the Vizer app to start contributing. Turn movement into meals

☑ Call your teammates and make a fun plan

A virtual race can still be a social one. Coordinate with your team on some of these fun ideas:

Phone tag relay Set an order for a virtual relay. You can’t start the race until someone else from your team calls to say they’re done and hands you a virtual baton.
Start together Video chat with your team and have someone call a start so you all begin at the same time.
Post-race Happy Hour After the race, have a video call with your team to share stories of the route and unwind together.
Best dressed Have a competition for most creative homemade race bib or race outfit.

☑ Stay safe

We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe. You are accountable for choosing a safe route. It is more important to finish the race in a way that's safe for you and those around you than to get the best time.

Follow guidelines from local, state, and federal agencies on how to stay safe. Depending on your area, you may need to wear protective equipment, maintain safe social distance, and/or obey curfews/stay-at-home orders.

As a virtual race, you have lots of flexibility on when to run and what route to follow. You should maintain a minimum of 6 feet of distance around you throughout the event. That may not be possible at noon on a sunny Saturday, so we recommend you choose an alternate time during the race day. If you live in a city where "open streets" have been created for pedestrians, those can be a good resource, as well.

If local regulations, conditions, or your personal risk factors/comfort prevent you from running outside on October 3, we also offer the ability to record your time manually from your treadmill or other indoor running option. Complete your run inside and take a photo of the display showing your time. Use the Manual Entry option in Practice or Race to upload your time, and we'll make sure you make the leaderboard.

Here are some resources to learn about Covid-19 and exercise: