Virtual Events
Top Virtual Events of the Week: UK
With the mass participation event schedule coming to a grinding halt due to the Coronavirus crisis, businesses and event organisers globally have been partnering with Let’s Do This to set up virtual events to keep your training on track and the community spirit high.
The Let’s Do This Virtual Events tool allows you to see a live leaderboard, and feel connected to your fellow participants with our image gallery, where you can upload your epic finisher’s photo. To keep you up to date on events, we will be releasing our Top 5 Upcoming Virtual Events each week:
1. Maverick Adidas Terrex X-Series Virtual Race: 20th - 27th June
Event Perks: Distance Challenge, medal, goodies, optional t-shirt
Maverick is well-regarded as one of the best trail-running organisers in the UK. Now, in the midst of lockdown, they’ve turned their arm to virtual racing. This time around, they've challenged participants to run 50km in a 7 day period. Participants can choose to run it in one go in a feat of ultra endurance, or spread it out over the week. Whichever way you decide to do it, epic race medals will be posted out after the event to all finishers; and they are offering spot prizes for those with the best on-course and finish line photos.
2. Nice Work's Midsummer Virtual Half Marathon, 10k, 5k & 1k Challenge: 20th - 21st June
Event Perks: Finisher's medal, trophies for winners, family-friendly
After the success of their first 2 virtual events, Nice Work returns with another awesome midsummer themed virtual event. With family-friendly distances, prizes for the best finish-line photos, and bespoke medals for all finishers, this is a summertime event you won't want to miss.
3. Sportiva Cycling or Running Challenges: 26th June - 26th July
Event Perks: Distance Challenge, finisher's medal, spot prizes.
Sportiva Events is here to keep you motivated through the summer with their running and cycling Distance Challenges. Run 100km or cycle 250km between the 26th June and 26th July, and stand to win awesome spot prizes for the epic action photos you take en route! Every finisher will receive a medal and the option to purchase a Sportiva t-shirt as extra motivation during checkout.
4. Big 5 Virtual Event Series - African Game Medal: 20th June - 20th July
Event Perks: Series event, charity fundraiser, bespoke medal, series challenge
Calling all animal lovers and passionate conservationists alike for Hermes' Big Five Virtual Event Series. The event is being run in support of conservation projects aiming to reduce the amount of animal poaching and habitat loss in Southern African game parks. 10% of proceeds will go to Save the Rhino and Tusk. Each week participants will have to run a different distance, from a 5k to a half marathon, and each week will represent a different member of the Big Five; Leopard, Lion, Buffalo, Elephant, and Rhino. Participants will receive a bespoke themed medal for each week they run, and those who complete all 5 weeks will receive a special medal and a Hermes technical buff.
5. Not the Mourne Way Marathon: 13th - 26th June
Event Perks: Bespoke medal, challenging distances, finish-line playlist
Famous for their epic trail marathon events, 26 Extreme is bringing their Mourne Way Marathon to you - wherever you are! A great event for more seasoned runners or beginners looking for a challenge, the shortest distance available is 10km, with the longest being a 40 mile ultramarathon. Strap on your trail shoes and head for the hills, and celebrate with your bespoke finisher's medal and a buzzing downloadable finish-line playlist.
Top Virtual Events of the Week: USA
With the mass participation event schedule coming to a grinding halt due to the Coronavirus crisis, businesses and event organizers globally have been partnering with Let’s Do This to set up virtual events to keep your training on track and the community spirit high.
The Let’s Do This Virtual Events tool allows you to see a live leaderboard, and feel connected to your fellow participants with our image gallery, where you can upload your epic finisher’s photo. To keep you up to date on events, we will be releasing our Top 5 Upcoming Virtual Events each week:
1. The (No Stress) Loch Ness Virtual 5K/10K/Half & Running Challenge: May 4 - July 12 -
Event Perks: Awesome race swag including medal, shirt and virtual goodie bag with great local offerings.
If you love receiving race swag and are up for a challenge, this running challenge hosted by Sasquatch Racing is the one for you. Starting May 4th, times can be submitted every weekend leading up to July 12, and participants will receive a handcrafted race woodallion from Elevation Culture, an awesome lifestyle friendly race shirt, a virtual goodie bag with great deals/offerings from Hill City, A Runner's Mind, Taft Street Winery, Nuun, and more. If you complete the Triple Nessie Challenge - a 5K, 10K, and Half - by the end of the challenge, you will receive a Sasquatch Racing technical running trucker hat and a Sasquatch Racing buff.
2. Quarantine Survival Series: April 25th - May 16th -
Event Perks: Fundraise for a community memorial hospital, series event, discount for 4 week series entry
Test yourself with this race series run by Elite Sports California that sees participants race between 3 miles and 4.5 miles over the course of a month. 20% of all proceeds will go to ESA's local community memorial hospital, allowing you to support frontline healthcare workers whilst racing through the weekend. Plus, series finishers will receive an epic medal in the mail 3 weeks after the event.
3. PTEN Foundation A Worldwide Race to Stay Ahead of Cancer: May 9th - May 31st -
Event Perks: Raise money for PTEN Foundation, race in a series, prizes for fastest times and best selfies
Raise money and awareness for PTEN Foundation by racing in this month-long series, starting Saturday 9th May. The fastest 5k, 10k, and 5k hike times, as well as the most popular sweaty selfie, will win a $50 Amazon gift voucher - so make sure to get creative! Participants can enter every week so make sure to lace up your sneakers and aim for PBs and 4 weeks of epic racing in what's set to be a highly competitive series.
4. San Diego Beach & Bay Half Marathon: April 25 - June 22 -
Event Perks: Iconic event with large participant pool, unique licence plate themed finisher’s medal, long submission window.
This iconic half marathon around San Diego has gone virtual for 2020, and is allowing existing registrants and new participants to take part in the action. Those who sign up can submit their times as many or as few times as they would like every weekend from April 25th through June 22nd, and will receive an awesome finisher’s medal in the mail. Be sure to keep an eye on the leaderboard each week to see how you’re stacking up against fellow runners!
5. MBV Foundation Challenge: May 9th - May 25th -
Event Perks: Race in a series, mixture of free and paid events, race for charity
Race to raise funds for University of Southern California Veteran Association with this three-part series, finishing on Memorial Day Weekend! This weekend's 7k event is free, with the chance to give an optional donation to the MBV Foundation - supporting veterans pursuing business education. Those who take on the Memorial Day Weekend 5k will also receive a bespoke finishers' medal in the mail after the race!
7 of LDT's Favorite Running Watches
Fitness and endurance sports are more accessible than ever; whether you’re running a marathon on your balcony or just trying to squeeze in 10,000 daily steps, it’s never been easier to track your progress with wearable technology.
FITNESS AND ENDURANCE SPORTS ARE MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN EVER; WHETHER YOU’RE RUNNING A MARATHON ON YOUR BALCONY OR JUST TRYING TO SQUEEZE IN 10,000 DAILY STEPS, IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER TO TRACK YOUR PROGRESS WITH WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY.
Not all running watches are created equal: there are huge variations in functionality, compatibility with 3rd party apps, battery life, weight, design, and pretty much every other variable one can think of.
With such diversity in the market and seemingly endless iterations of the evergreen smartwatch, it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. Whether you’re in the market for a swish timepiece that’ll let you plan a 50 mile bike ride whilst you answer WhatsApp messages, or a simpler bit of kit to track your resting heart rate and changes in VO2 max, picking the right device comes down to tailoring it to your specific needs.
FITBIT VERSA 2 – £199.99/$199.95
Fitbit are the doyenne of wearable technology, having branched out from clip on sleep and step trackers to full blown smart watches over the last decade. The Versa 2 is Fitbit’s answer to the Apple Watch, right down to the iconic square design, but at a more accessible price. Unlike other Fitbit offerings, the Versa 2 supports 3rd party apps and even enables contactless payment via device, it also supports on-device music storage and – unlike the Apple Watch – has native sleep tracking. However, what the Versa 2 succeeds at in being a jack-of-all-trades it fails by being a master of none: multiple other smartwatches perform the same functions as the Versa 2 with better integration with smartphones. Another drawback is that it lacks a GPS chip and relies on your phone’s GPS so potentially it isn’t the tracker of choice for hardcore endurance sports enthusiasts. This being said, it’s still a great entry level running watch for those looking for something more reasonably priced.
Ideal race: Richmond Runfest 10K
Our rating: 6/10
APPLE WATCH SERIES 5 – £399.99/$399
Apple produces phenomenally popular timepieces, outselling the entire Swiss watch industry in 2019. First launched in 2015, Apple have quickly eclipsed competitors by producing everything-but-the-kitchen-sink devices. With the notable lack of any native sleep tracking apps, and the ability to receive regular notifications from iPhones, the Apple Watch is perhaps better suited for those looking to stay connected and less concerned with tracking recovery.
Smaller and lighter than the Series 3, the Apple Watch Series 5 has ironed out some of the creases found in earlier devices and introduced new features. The new always on display which is useful for keeping track of time during workouts – something which was notably absent from earlier generations. Other interesting additions to WatchOS 6 is the Noise app, which warns wearers when they enter noisy environments, and advanced haptic feedback making the device itself much more responsive.
Ideal race: San Francisco Half Marathon
Our rating: 7.5/10
POLAR IGNITE – £174.50/$229.95
The Polar Ignite is a sleek smartwatch that falls at the lower end of the price range, competing with the Apple Watch Series 3 and Fitbit Versa, whilst aiming to provide the features of a higher-end watch. Both the Nightly Recharge (similar to the Garmin’s Body Battery) and the FitSpark virtual coach are used to tailor workout programmes for the wearer and definitely are ahead of the game in terms of bespoke exercise recommendation. One small drawback, however, is the lack of GPS accuracy, which is disappointing, and a relative lack of responsivity to haptic feedback. However, unlike the Fitbit Versa, the Polar Ignite’s GPS system is inbuilt rather than reliant on a phone, making it that little bit easier to track runs and rides on the go.
Ideal race: Superfeet Sandman Triathlon & Duathlon
Our rating: 8/10
GARMIN FĒNIX 6 – £699.99/$799.99
Garmin are a household name, having been producing GPS technology for the past 30 years. From handheld GPS eTrex devices to multisport smartwatches like the Fenix 6. The Fenix 6 is a top end smartwatch, promising to build on Garmin’s previous smartwatch offerings and add a host of new features – and it does that. An excellent choice for those who are really serious about fitness, the Fenix 6 offers amazing GPS accuracy, colour topographic map displays, a 46 day battery life when set to ‘expedition mode’, and a sensitive barometric altimeter for the serious hikers among us. The only slight drawback is that it is absolutely enormous, maybe a little too heavy to be watch of choice for those in the market for something a little more lightweight. This being said, the Fenix 6 provides all sorts of advanced training metrics and trip-routing which makes it perfect for serious trail runners and those tackling ultra distances.
Ideal race: Snowdonia Trail Ultra Marathon
Our rating: 9.5/10
CASIO PRO-TREK WSD-F30 – £449/$549
The Casio Pro-Trek WSD-F30 is tough, as in tested to military spec for temperature shock and waterproof to 50m tough, making it the most outdoorsy watch listed in this article. The design itself harks back to Casio W-Series and G-Shock watches. More suited to hikers than gym bunnies, the WSD-F30 doesn’t have any HR or sleep tracking capabilities but instead focuses on tracking trekking, kayaking, and a host of other outdoors activities. What is slightly confusing though is the relatively poor battery life; the WSD-F30 will last maybe 48 hours in the woods which is fine for tackling the Manitou Incline but less useful for mammoth treks like the Annapurna Circuit. On a more positive note, the barometric altimeter is incredibly useful for adjusting training to altitude, the GLONASS-GPS-Galileo system ensures accurate coverage, and magnetic declination calibration makes for an accurate compass which comes in handy if you’ve taken the wrong turn on your trail.
Ideal race: Santa Barbara Red Rock Endurance Run
Our rating: 7/10
GARMIN FORERUNNER 945 – £519.99/$599.99
With the Forerunner 945 Garmin kept everything that was right about the 935 – the design, the feel, more metrics than you can shake a trekking pole at – and totally revamped the innards, providing a plethora of next-generation features such as a pulse oximeter, Garmin Pay, and support for music storage and playback via Spotify. The Elevate HR sensor improves upon the accuracy of previous Garmin HR sensors – even when tracking underwater – and seeks to strike the balance between a solid running watch with GPS navigation (with added GLONASS and Galileo support) and an everyday smartwatch to free wearers from their phones. The wide variety of sport modes available – encompassing everything from yoga to snowboarding – makes it a great all-round sport watch for multidisciplinarians.
Ideal race: Wild Tri
Our rating: 10/10
SUUNTO 9 BARO – £539/$549
The Finns are known for producing some of the most durable tech in the industry – we’ve all seen the jokes about indestructible Nokia 3210s – and the Suunto 9 Baro is no exception. Suunto have made battery life management their forte, and the 9 Baro can track up to 120 hours of continuous running, miles ahead of Garmin’s 32 hour maximum. This watch is most definitely geared towards ultra runners, with the ability to sync with Suunto Planner for route creation, allowing for easy navigation during long distance outings; the navigation app also uses a barometric altimeter to track elevation gain. Unique battery management modes with real time battery-life stats allow wearers to adjust settings to ensure the most useful balance, for them, between performance and longevity. Another useful addition to the Suunto 9 Baro is FusedTrack, which aims to provide GPS data in areas where there is no existing data (yes, you read that correctly) by using the accelerometer and altimeter to fill in the gaps and it does so to a surprisingly accurate degree. Suunto are evidently appealing to a niche audience, so maybe this isn’t the perfect device for career cyclists and triathletes, but it does absolutely fit the bill for those among us whose idea of heaven is a 250mi race through a desert.
Ideal race: Ultra X Jordan
Our rating: 9/10
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