I mentioned in my previous post how last Sunday I met up with my Moms Run This Town ladies.
A little backstory on MRTT: I started my city’s chapter a little over a year ago having no clue what to expect. I was sorta involved in neighboring cities but thought that having one in mine would be fun (and convenient) so I went for it.
Over 150 women later, my chapter has become very active and super fun. It’s been a blast to see the group grow and meet people starting their fitness journey, coming back from a hiatus, or trying out a “run club” for the first time.
We have weekly meet ups on Sundays, but because both my husband and I are currently training, I’m not always able to attend (I’ve been long running Saturdays and my husband Sundays). I do have an amazing co-leader who has been instrumental in helping the group grow and making our meet-ups successful though.
With her help, I finally felt like our chapter was ready to take on a summer virtual race. MRTT national hosts two virtuals a year, one in summer and one in winter. I passed last winter as I was reluctant (and really, still a newb) to take on such a task. But with my buddy Jennifer, this summer I was in.
The theme was “Giddy Up and Go!” and the medals were suh-weet!!
A lot goes in to making a race happen (and this was a suuuuper small one, lol!) and organizing was tough, but after months of planning, last Sunday, we were finally able to see the fruits of our labor. And it was….AWESOME.
We had such a great turnout for our first!
Jen and I created swag bags that our runners would receive (and swag for their littles if they ordered medals for their kids!), mapped out a 5k course, and even had bananas, oranges, and water as post race fuel.
Everyone loved our swag! We had MRTT colored bandanas, headbands, an MRTT magnet, and really cool drinkable glass jars (that had chalk tops to write on!). Inside the jar were hair ties, a rubber MRTT bracelet, running fuel, and a discount card to a local burger joint.
I decided not to race and take pictures for the runners. That way, they could get free race pictures 😉
I also wanted to be at the end so that when they’d cross, I’d be able to medal them. The mom who finished first was so excited that she was the first to cross, saying that she’d never finished a race first in her life. It was so cool to see her excitement 🙂
All in all, it was so much fun and even though it was super tough behind the scenes, the big day was such a success that yes, I’d do it all over again ❤
–Have you ever organized a race?
–Have you run a virtual race before?
I hope everyone has a great weekend!! Who’s racing? Who’s long running? (I’ve got 18!! Eeek!) ❤ , helly
hellyontherun 
What a wonderful event you and your co-leader put on! Kudos for doing a great job! Also killer swag bag.
So awesome that you are part of something like this! I love how you chose not to run and supported the other runners – that is so sweet. That mom who crossed the finish line first must have been on cloud nine, I loved reading that! The medals are so pretty, too!
This is so cool and I LOVE the medals! Congrats on a job well done!
This sounds amazing! I love everything you did with this – the swag, the food, and most especially the support you gave! Taking pictures was such a great idea. I would LOVE to do something like this one day – plan a running event and be there to support everyone. I think I need some more volunteer experience first to see how it’s all done. Good luck on your 18-miler! I’ve got 18 too! ❤
Awe, I love this so much! I’ve never organized a race but I’ve led a women’s running group and it was the coolest experience to see them cross the finish line. I made swag bags for them too. I adore you! Good luck on that 18 this weekend, Helly! You’ll get it.
This is so cool! I’d love to organize a race someday, but I’m not sure what for yet!
Those medals are so cute. And you were so creative with the swag! Love it 🙂 Great job to you and your co-leader!
Congratulations on organizing your first race! I can’t imagine how much time and effort it must have cost. Those swag bags are adorable and awesome!
Love this! Congrats on such a successful group and event! I’ve organized a youth run which grew from 150 runners to 450 in a few years! It’s a lot of work but so worth it in the end!