Organizers of Global Running Day, an initiative to get more people out on roads, tracks and in organized races, are suggesting non-runners, as well as runners alike, pledge to try the sport on June 6. And it has the potential for event owners to tap into its resources, free of charge. (Global Running Day is a collaborative effort of multiple running organizations, event owners, clubs and merchants, many of which are sponsoring events as well as virtual runs as tie-ins).
The website for the event notes that it’s as informal as it is fun:
“It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how far you go—what’s important is that you take part, and how you do it is up to you. Run a lap around your block, take your dog for a long walk, or call your friends for a pick-up game in the park. The important thing is that you have fun being active—and you inspire others to join you.”
Those who are interested can pledge to run on the website. Another cool aspect of the website is the creeping type on the bottom, showing names of random participants: “Morgan from Virginia pledged to run,” “Cláudia Caetano Do Nascimento from Brazil pledged to run with Abbott World Marathon Majors” and so on.
The campaign has a history of success. Last year, more than 1.2 million people from 187 countries pledged to run 8.2 million miles on Global Running Day. The day received twice the number of media impressions compared to the prior year, with running activities taking place across the globe from New Zealand to New York. In 2018, more cities and countries are expected to activate on the day, with events ranging from fun runs to virtual races. #GlobalRunningDay is expected to be one of the most popular hashtags of the day.
And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see it’s catching on. The Running in the USA calendar, which tracks nationwide races on any given day, shows twice as many races on June 6 as for any other typical midweek day.
Something event owners can do is include a link to the event in their current websites and materials, reminding runners that there’s a potential to get other family members and friends involved in the effort. (Another part of the campaign, the Million Kid Run – information on which can be found on the same site – aims to get kids active in a similarly non-competitive and fun way).
Among the organizations being targeted for inclusion Running organizations and groups, individuals, school administrators, coaches, and parents can visit GlobalRunningDay.org to pledge, explore group runs and other events happening around the world, and find information on running activities for people of all ages and abilities. The world is welcome to engage with Global Running Day socially by using the #GlobalRunningDay hashtag and creating a customized Global Running Day bib. Global
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