“Stay Home” Virtual Races to Benefit Organizations Across the US During COVID-19

May 7, 2020

Virtual Races to Raise Money for Participants’ Local Communities

WASHINGTON, Utah – In a joint effort, Vacation Races, Virtual Running Club, Wander Project and the Public Lands Alliance announce the launch of individual and team fundraising options for the Stay Home Half Marathon and the Backyard Ultras, which allow participants to run distances between 5K and 100K in exchange for raising a minimum of $250 for a local business or non-profit of their choosing.

Participation is easy – runners decide whether to fundraise as an individual or a team, build a fundraising page and share the link to request donations. Runners decide who will receive the money they raise – the only stipulation is that the beneficiary must be a registered business or non-profit. Runners who raise $250 or more will receive a waived entry fee, bib, shirt and finisher medal. Runners who raise $1,000 or more will also be eligible for fundraising incentives.

“These are very trying times in which small businesses and nonprofits are struggling,” said Salem Stanley, Founder and CEO of Vacation Races. “We know because we’re a small business ourselves. It’s our hope that by offering these virtual events, we can provide a platform for people to give back to their communities and encourage everyone to stay active and healthy at the same time.”

For those who want to help but don’t wish to fundraise, donations can be made here. In addition, 10 percent of every registration will benefit Wander Project. Over 20,000 participants have already signed up and will help make a big impact on communities across the country.

Runners have already raised over $15,000 in the first month. The fundraising deadline for the Stay Home race is May 25, 2020 and funds will be distributed to the selected organizations by June 15, 2020. The Backyard Ultras event launched on May 1, 2020 and already has over 500 registered runners. Fundraising is underway and the deadline for that race is July 19, 2020. Funds will be distributed to the selected organizations by Aug. 3, 2020.

For more information about this fundraising opportunity or to register for one of the races, visit www.staycationraces.com.

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ABOUT VACATION RACES

Producing beautiful half-marathons against the backdrop of our country’s majestic National Parks, and Forest Service Lands, Vacation Races is motivated by their vision of promoting health, natural beauty, well being and creating memories. Founded in 2012, and providing the only national park races, Vacation Races’ foray into racing events focused on three different, regional parks – Zion, Rocky Mountain and Lake Powell. Now expanding with nation-wide and international opportunities, Vacation Races faces the future with a wide variety of events and locations. For more information about Vacation Races, visit vacationraces.com or follow us at Facebook.com/vacationraces or Instagram.com/vacationraces.

ABOUT VIRTUAL RUNNING CLUB

Born from the spirit of traditional races, Virtual Running Club is the finest virtual experience provider in America. VRC gives participants the incentive, motivation, and accountability to make meaningful positive actions through tangible rewards via online events. The purpose of VRC is to help you spend time with loved ones, both near and far while working toward a common goal of accomplishment. We do this with virtual races and other events that come with a physical reward once the challenge has been completed through an honor-based, self-report system. For more information about Virtual Running Club, visit virtualrunningclub.com or follow us at Facebook.com/vrunningclub or Instagram.com/virtualrunningclub.

ABOUT WANDER PROJECT

Wander Project is the official non-profit organization of Vacation Races whose mission is to engage with athletes and racing events to support local communities through inspired fundraising and service. We seek to live our values of inspiration, engagement, and support with every athlete, racing event and partner organization we have the opportunity to serve. With grassroots fundraising efforts through peer-to-peer fundraising, we have raised over $600,000 since our inception. For more information about Wander Project, visit wanderporject.org or follow us at Facebook.com/wanderproject18 or Instagram.com/wanderproject_501c3.

ABOUT PUBLIC LANDS ALLIANCE

The Public Lands Alliance is a network of more than 170 member organizations that serve more than 650 public lands and contribute over $250 million dollars annually to the preservation and visitor enhancement of those lands. PLA members are found in all states and territories and provide operational and interpretive support to nonprofit organizations and their land management agency partners. For more information about Public Lands Alliance, visit publiclandsalliance.org or follow us at Facebook.com/publiclandsalliance or Instagram.com/publiclandsalliance.