Gametiime launches first virtual run, sells out in a flash

We’ve recently started working on a stealth project for the Gametiime running community. While still aiming to give people a better way to live out their running journey in a more socially-connected and meaningful way, this project was built to do so in a different manner than the social race directory we’ve built to empower people to find and save races around the US.

Our hunch told us runners needed it so we quickly got to work.

In just a few weeks, we launched our first virtual run. We called it the Pi Day 5K, in playful celebration of the mathematical number and scheduled for (most appropriately) 3/14/15.

We set our goal to get 500 registrants for our inaugural event. As the days went on and we found our registration numbers far exceeding our daily goals, we raised that number to 750 entries — only to reach that number and sell out in just a few more days.

So what’s a virtual run all about? The premise of the event is that participants register to run with friends and receive a finishers’ shirt, medal, and other sweet surprises for having accomplished their goal. Sounds like any other race, right? That’s where our experience will differ by giving runners a flexible alternative to traditional races they would find.

Virtual events give runners the opportunity to collectively enjoy a fun and motivational challenge — regardless of where they live and less contingent on being available on, say, a Saturday at 7AM sharp. Not to mention, participants nationwide can rally around a cause. For the Pi Day 5K, we are making a significant charitable contribution to IGNITE Worldwide, a 503(c)3 non-profit benefitting STEM education and career opportunities for girls.

Furthermore, as 3/14/15 approaches, we are preparing to soon unveil an online experience that you would not find for a traditional race. It compliments the number of Pi Day 5K goodies that people will be receiving in the mail. Thanks to the beauty of the Internet, participants will be able to:

• see info about fellow registered runners across the US (covering all but 5 states!)
• submit finishing times and be entered into award contests for mail-delivered pies from Sky Bake Deliveries and prize packs from ENERGYbits
• get supportive encouragement for training for and completing their 5K run

We couldn’t be more excited about the big response to our first virtual run. If you didn’t score an entry for this one, worry not! We are already conceptualizing another event.

Signup here to get an early heads up and join us for our next virtual run.