MOTR Celebrates with LIVE Virtual End-of-Season Race

If the current pandemic has taught us anything over the last six months, it’s that our Moms on the Run community rocks! We had 500 participants at our first-ever LIVE national virtual race on Aug. 23.

National Fitness Director, Olympian Carrie Tollefson, started us out with a live warm-up via Facebook, then participants logged onto the Charge app to start the race, get cheered on in real time, listen to our personalized race playlist and view race results as our runners crossed the virtual finish line. 

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We heard from many of you who said if you couldn't be at a race in person, the LIVE virtual option was a hit. 

"I loved that I felt like I was at the finish line the whole race," shared Kelly M., who ran the 10K. "I enjoyed listening to the announcers naming the different finishers as they crossed the finish line along with listening to all the music. It was so much fun compared to not listening to anything or even listening to your own music. It kept you more motivated and a part of the whole race. I wish every race (not just virtual) gave you this option."

Sarah Mettler of Jacksonville, FL, agreed: "Thanks for putting on such a fun event. I felt like it was the perfect hybrid of live and virtual and the after-party was really cool. It was especially nice to have the early-bird race down in Jacksonville. Pre-dawn is pretty much the only time I run." 

Thank you to all of you who ran in our 5K, 10K or Kids’ Race on Aug. 23. You can view the race results here. ​

For our live after-party, we came together on Zoom to meet up with Carrie, CEO and founder Karissa Johnson and a live DJ for music, awards and prizes. A highlight of the celebration was having a front-row seat to the fun conversations between Carrie and  several influential female runners.

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One of those interviews was with professional runner Steph Bruce, who spoke about her running career, having babies 15 months apart — and the effects on her body — and her dreams to run the 10K on Team USA for the {rescheduled} 2021 Summer Olympics. 

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Another Runner Mother’s Sarah and Dimity, coming to us from Portland and Denver, respectively, shared what it means to be a runner during a pandemic — when the finish line is unknown; the importance of taking care of each other; why moving our bodies is so important; and even cooking versus takeout. (Can you believe Sarah has only ordered takeout twice since the start of this pandemic?)

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​Finally, our headliner, distance and ultra-runner Mirna Valerio, took the mic in Vermont. She spoke of actively searching for joy in her day, dealing with a miniscus injury that has sidelined her running career — and how she has pivoted her training to hiking, biking and strength training; shoes, overcoming mom guilt and encouraging curiosity, which leads to confidence in trying new things. Carrie and Mirna also discussed racial injustice, the questions we can all ask of ourselves, and how we at Moms on the Run can work to make our circle wider to ensure all women feel welcomed. 

​Thank you to all of our 2020 sponsors who helped make this season happen:
Platinum sponsor Summit Orthopedics; Gold sponsors MedExpress, PNC Bank, UCAN and Let's Dish; and Silver sponsors Run N Fun and Photography by Emily Marie. Our awesome #MOTRstrong Playlist, powered by PNC Bank, is available on Spotify for free!

Congratulations to all of of our runners and thank you for joining us for a wonderful celebration. ​

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