User:Mellinger91/sandbox

Virtual race's started to gain mainstream recognition around 2015 offering participants the opportunity to take part in an event, generally 5k/10k/marathons/cycling, from the comfort of their own neighbourhood. A virtual race is one where there is no set location or course to follow and can be undertaken at any location of the participant choosing.

There are several organisations that offer structured virtual events including Medal Miles, Phoenix Virtual Running and RunThrough Virtual.

Categories
Any category of an endurance race can be a virtual event. As of 2017, the market is mostly saturated by running and cycling events but there are a smaller number of other categories around. These are becoming more prevalent as the whole of the virtual market increases.

Operational
It’s common for a virtual race to have a time frame, though not all do, in which the participant must complete their run as well as a set distance. There are often a number of distances the participant can choose from. Both the distance and time constraint are specified before purchasing the ticket and are often the only constraints.

Once signed up organisers send the details of the race to the participant. This can contain the distance requirements, time constraints and how to submit evidence. Some operators also include items such as custom bibs.

Once a participant has completed their race, confirmation and validation can be achieved by submitting pictures of a GPS device, screen shots of an app or GPS data to the event organiser. Each organiser has their own preferred method to validate results. If the event offered a medal, this is often sent out after the validation by most organisers. Some do provide medals without validation and rely on trust. A number of operators also include sweats, t-shirts and other items as additional rewards.

Popularity
Participants have a variety of reasons for taking part including an appreciation of the medals, the ability to take part in the event even if not able to attend the main event, using the events as motivation, disliking the atmosphere at events among others.