Virtual Races have drastically risen in popularity in 2020, with more people staying home than ever before – but what exactly is a virtual race? As the name would suggest, these competitions allow competitors to compete from home, whether that be on a treadmill or around your neighbourhood. Some races even allow runners to complete the distance at whatever time suits them. It’s not just runners that are allowed to partake, there are also events for bikers, hikers and treadmill enthusiasts.
Virtual Race Medals are common prizes for these types of competition and can be customised for any individual race. RunDisney virtual races are a popular option for virtual 5k races. Disney Virtual Races are a great introduction to the sport as they offer virtual running competitions with medals. Most virtual races are pay-to-enter, but there are also free virtual races around if you are watching your budget.
Can’t find a virtual race that suits you? Many people have been setting up their own virtual races for their local communities using a race planning platform called My Virtual Mission. It’s worth noting that this system was invented by the “Grand Daddy of Virtual Races” The Conqueror. This is a great way to partake in something whilst remaining safe during the current climate.
At Ultimate Awards, we are seeing a huge uptick in orders from municipal recreation coordinators, churches, and fundraisers for facilities like summer camps. We are hoping to share our experience in serving these events and shorten your learning curve.
FAQ’s From Virtual Race Directors
In the past year we’ve visited around 50 different virtual race organizers sites. We find that that most organizer stick to Facebook Events. A few have opted for services like EventBrite. The big ones just have their own ecommerce websites that do the job for them. If you work with us, we’ll produce digital mock-ups of your medal to help you sell the event. We can also guide you on your marketing strategy upon request.
In our experience in working with virtual race organizers, who are converting a “live race” to a virtual one, their estimates are often high. It takes a lot more enticement and frankly marketing savvy to push registrations towards what they “used to be”.
We feel that there is a huge premium placed on having really nice custom medals by racers. The “bling” is the thing! We have some guidelines for you to consider when ordering.
If you can’t order medals for two years and your quantity is less than 50pc, custom insert medals should be considered. They are affordable, fast and you can easily order a small number after. The setup fees are lower on this product ($25) and no minimum order requirement. You’ll pay around $5 a medal including ribbon and logo insert.
The “sweet spot” for custom medals is at 50pc. The thing to know about custom medals is the setup charges start around $130 before we’ve made one medal. This pushes the unit cost to $20 in a hurry if you are ordering less than 50pc. Also its really expensive to order less than 25 pc after the event. 
Here is a list of the Virtual Races we have served recently:
