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"I founded Gone For A Run because I cherish the joy in 'Going for a run' and I believe that the magic found when you run should be encouraged, shared, and celebrated." - Julie Lynn, Founder

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One-Bad-Mother-Runner-Virtual-Race-Recap


When I was told our May virtual race would be called One Bad Mother Runner, and it would be held the same week as Mother’s Day, I was really excited. I loved the idea and just knew it would bring families together; whether it was runners who wanted to share an experience with their mothers, children sharing their first run with their moms, or moms taking their young children along for the run to show them how great running is at an early age. I also saw it as a chance for Mother’s Day to be about more than the usual flowers and jewelry (as nice as they are) and for families to create lasting memories and bond as they participated in something they’d not only be proud to have achieved together, but they’d remember for years to come.

I’m happy to say, from the stories and photos posted to our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, I was over the moon with all the smiling faces and stories of people participating in their first virtual runs with their mothers, or their first 5K since becoming a mother, or celebrating with other mothers. There were so many wonderful stories posted.

Meisha A. not only ran with her mom, but she set a new PR of 27 minutes (which is quite impressive – go Meisha!) while being cheered on by her father and her children.

meisha A

Christina B. ran with her daughter and sisters (and poor Tracy lost one of her running shoes heading to the finish and had to fight a duck to get it back – that’s dedication!) That’s definitely a story they’ll be talking about every Mother’s Day for years to come. It’s also great to see all of them with their medals and huge smiles after finishing the race.

Christina B

Martha C. ran with her mother, who finished her first 5K on Mother’s Day. She could only say how proud she was of her mom, and how glad she was to have shared such a beautiful day participating in the race with her mother. They are the definition of bad mother runners.

Martha C.

I had the opportunity to speak with one of the virtual runners, Stephanie S., to hear more about her story, and how she not only ran her first virtual race, but did so with her mother, and ten friends all across the country.

Stephanie: “I promised myself that 2016 is the year I get back to my old ways and start running and leading a healthy lifestyle. Since getting back into running, I wanted to make every special holiday or event a healthy one. I came across Gone for a RUN on Instagram and the name One Bad Mother Runner really caught my eye. Then I saw the dates of the race and it hit me  should do this as my Mother’s Day run. After discussing it with my fiancé, he mentioned I should get my mother and cousin to join me, and I agreed. I started spreading the word and ended up rounding up an additional seven women to run the race with me virtually. It felt amazing to have gathered ten active women together to run this race. I had women from New York, Ohio and Florida join me. We all posted our pictures when we were done and it really encouraged us to do more virtual races together, near and far.”

I asked her what the best part about this race was:

Stephanie: “I believe this race really helped bond my family and friends and we are eager to do more of them together. My top two most memorable part of the day was one, completing the race with my mother on Mother’s Day and two,seeing my family and friends post their completion pictures. I think Mother’s Day 2016 will forever be the most inspirational Mother’s Day –  and the start to a yearly event.”

She included these lovely pictures of herself and her mother, as well as the other women who ran the race with them.

IMG_5483 IMG_5602

There were so many inspirational stories of families coming together to run in honor of Mother’s Day, it was hard to choose.  To see more photos of our bad mother runners, check out our race recap here.

If this has piqued your interest in virtual races, we have two races currently available – Runder the Sea in June (there are only a few remaining slots, so sign up while you still can – we hate to see anyone left out!) and Race for the White House in July – with more planned for the rest of the year.  You can sign up for one or both here.

Happy (virtual) running from GoneForaRUN.com!



The post The One Bad Mother Runner Virtual Race Recap appeared first on ChalkTalkSPORTS Blog.