Rock ‘N’ Roll VR17 Sees Over 10,000 Registered Participants From 89 Nations Register to Take On 10K, 6K, or the Remix Challenge

August 25, 2020

- Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Series Featured Rock ‘n’ Roller Megan Pitts of Nashville, Tennessee shares “Why I VR” - Rock This Town, charitable arm of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, will donate a non-sterile face mask to the Nashville Rescue Mission for every Music City Challenge participant registered - Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon highlighted through new State 48 Challenge, where participants aim to run or walk 48 miles throughout the month of September in recognition of the 48th admitted state to the US - Rock 'n' Roll VR18 kicks off August 28-30 offering a Half Marathon, 5K, and Remix Challenge

TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 25, 2020) – More than 10,000 people from 89 nations and 46 states stepped up the virtual start line for the 17th edition of the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Virtual Running™ (VR™) Series. This past weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll VR17 gave participants the opportunity to challenge themselves with two different race distances that included a 10K and 6K, as well as the Remix Challenge for participants who wanted to take on both distances. Participants were able to compete anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as long as the distance of their choosing was completed in one session between Friday, Aug. 21 at 5 a.m. ET and event close Sunday, Aug. 23 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Featured Rock ‘n’ Roller Shares “Why I VR”

Megan Pitts

Megan Pitts is a high school science, math and engineering teacher who has fallen in love with all things virtual running since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “I absolutely love it,” says the Nashville resident. “Those silly little badges are so motivating.” The 35-year-old mother of two is a devoted Rock ’n’ Roll Nashville runner, and has participated in the event in some form every year for the past nine years. One of her goals this year was to get back into full marathon shape after having her second child. Despite the race not taking place as originally scheduled in April, Pitts still ran her own half marathon on the day of the race. When the Rock ’n’ Roll Virtual Running Club was launched soon after, Pitts was one of the first to sign up. Since then, she has completed every single Remix Challenge since Rock ‘n’ Roll VR2, only missing a half marathon the weekend of her sister’s wedding. This month, she’s taken on the Music City Challenge in full force and is already on her third round. Yes, you read that right: She’s done the 32-mile challenge twice already, logging over 64 miles so far in August alone. Pitts expands on running these days, and what the virtual scene is adding to her running and her life in The Beat.

Giving Back

Rock This Town^®, the charitable arm of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, is supporting the Music City Challenge by donating a non-sterile face mask to the Nashville Rescue Mission for every challenge participant that registers. Through Operation IRONAID Face Masks in partnership with Framebridge and supported by Good360, Rock This Town is upcycling new and unused race shirts for donation to charitable organizations across the nation. To date, nearly 8,000 individuals are registered for the challenge, however, runners have until August 31 to sign up on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Run Club website. In addition, Rock This Town has announced its third round of IRONAID^TM COVID-19 Support Fund grants to be awarded to 40 charitable organizations to assist with COVID-19 response programs. To date, over $300,000 in funds have been distributed to 120 health-related charitable organizations around the world through Rock This Town’s IRONAID COVID-19 Support Fund. Applications are now open for the fourth round of grant funding. More information about IRONAID is available at ironmanfoundation.org/ironaid.

Rock ‘n’ Roll VR17 Recap

Participants for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR17 came from around the world and ranged in age from 19 to 82. The United States led the way with over 8,000 walkers and runners followed by United Kingdom (over 450), Canada (over 400), Mexico (over 400) and Portugal (over 150). Other nations represented included Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador, India, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Singapore and Uruguay, among others. Papua New Guinea joined the nations represented in a Rock ‘n’ Roll VR event for the first-time during Rock ‘n’ Roll VR17. Of the 46 U.S. states represented this past weekend, the greatest number came from Texas, followed by California, Virginia, Florida, and Arizona.

More than 15,000 participants took on a Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club™ Challenge leading up to Rock ‘n’ Roll VR17. Several separate running and workout-based challenges were offered with the opportunity for special prizes such as a Rock ‘n’ Roll by Brooks Running Company Accessories Bundle, a Rock ‘n’ Roll by Brooks Running Company LSD Set includes LSD Pullover and Sherpa 7″ Short, or a Rock ‘n’ Roll by Brooks Running Company Dash ½ Zip. The challenges included the Music City Challenge, United Airlines: The Takeoff and Excuse To Explore: Run With Your Furry Friend. To date, nearly 53,000 people from across the globe have joined the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club platform, giving them access to the series of weekly races, challenges, and rewards.

Looking Forward

A new monthly challenge titled State 48 Challenge, created to showcase Arizona and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon which takes place in the 48th admitted U.S. state, will open on Tuesday, September 1 to the global community of runners along with multiple other Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Club Challenges. The new challenge will have participants complete 48 miles of running or walking throughout the month of September highlighting the participants of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona who return to race year-after-year and take great pride in racing on a course that goes through the cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, & Tempe. Participants who complete the challenge will earn 770 points (equivalent of 154 credits toward rewards) and become eligible to win a free Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series registration to future physical event.

Before the State 48 Challenge kicks off on Sept. 1, Rock ‘n’ Roll VR18 will offer participants two distances for the global community, including a Half Marathon and 5K, as well as the popular Remix Challenge for participants that want to take on both distances. Race weekend starts on Friday, August 28 at 5 a.m. ET and closes on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

To register for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR18, runners need to sign up through the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club platform and connect to their tracker app. Runners can then complete their registration by going to the “Events” tab and clicking “Register Now” on the virtual race page.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club™ Challenges for this week are available to participate in now and include:

• United Airlines: The Takeoff – Fly through a marathon this month. Track and complete 26.2 miles of running or walking activity throughout the month of August.
• Music City Challenge – For the final week of August, participants can complete this challenge by running or walking 32 miles — the number of Honky Tonks on course at St. Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon. Participants can complete this challenge in multiple sessions. Nearly 8,000 participants are currently registered to compete and those who complete the challenge will earn 510 points and become eligible to win a free Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series registration to future physical event.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Series also offers tangible Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Finisher Bundles and other Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Series merchandise at www.runrocknrollstore.com/rock-n-roll-vr. Finishers who complete the Remix Challenge also earn access to additional medals.

Full details and specifics regarding the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Series, Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club and Challenges are available on www.runrocknrollvr.com. For more information on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, please visit the website at www.runrocknroll.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@runrocknroll.com.

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About Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^® is the world’s largest running series taking part in over 30 destination events around the world every year. Established in 1998, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series simple idea of making running fun has transformed both the U.S. and global running landscape by infusing the course with live bands, cheer teams and entertaining water stations, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators alike. Focused on running, music and community, race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health and nutritional information and much more. Events culminate with an entertaining finish-line festival featuring some of the biggest names in music, with past performances including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, O.A.R. Aloe Blacc, Pitbull, Flo Rida, The Band Perry, Fitz and the Tantrums, the Goo Goo Dolls and Bret Michaels. Further information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series can be found online at www.RunRocknRoll.com and follow @RunRocknRoll on all social platforms.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance (www.advance.com), a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.