Our weekends look a little different now: Family gatherings cancelled, festivals cancelled, backyard barbecues cancelled. But guess what? Running is not cancelled! You can take on a live challenge with other people, in a safe way, running five 5Ks in 24 hours. The 5x5K FOR GOOD is making this challenge a reality.
While 25K sounds like a lot, it’s totally manageable (and it’s completely OK if you don’t manage it — you can still wear your race medal proudly, however many 5Ks you finish). And, if you’re not sure five 5K’s in 24 hours is your challenge, don’t worry we have some options for you, too.
A few simple tips to get ready now:
- Weeks before: Start training. Try completing two 5Ks per week for three weeks.
- Days before: Get your gear together so everything is easy to grab as you move from course to course: running shoes, socks, face mask, water bottle, snacks, phone & earbuds, light colored/reflective clothing.
- Night before: Hydrate! And get a good night’s sleep so you wake up refreshed and ready.
- Morning of: Eat a light breakfast and have snacks and water in your car.
- Day of: Take a nap between your second and third 5K. You may feel like you’re in a rush, but you have plenty of time. Be kind to your body and it will perform for you.
Here’s a sample schedule of how your day might go:
Friday
6:45 pm Finish up work, feed the dog, grab your water bottle and headlamp and get in the car.
7:30 pm Pick your first course, and arrive with the RunGo app on your phone and pull up your neck gaiter/mask.
7:35 pm Check in with your personal QR code at the start line and get the text link to the RunGo course
7:36 pm Turn-by-turn directions in your earbuds guide you the through the 5K. Your time puts you at #5 on the RunGo leaderboard!
8:00-ish Scan your QR code to check out.
8:15 pm Should you hit another course tonight? You choose Chinese take-out and a good night’s sleep instead.
Saturday
6:00 am Fuel up with a morning banana, toast and coffee.
6:30 am Get to your next course to get the day started. Wave to your buddy Jake, who just got here and shoot him a text to bet a pancake breakfast on who gets the best time.
7:15 am You win a pancake breakfast! That was delicious. Now you need to go home and lie down…
11:00 am Back at it at your third course of the day. You’re in a rhythm now. Scan your QR code and repeat.
12:00 pm At this point you’ve run almost 10 miles. You deserve a cold beer with lunch, right?
1:30 pm Grab a shower and power nap at home.
3:00 pm Arrive at the fourth course of your choice. Wow this trail around the lake is pretty. You decide to take your time and walk this one to enjoy the view.
5:30 pm At your final start line! Jake’s back with a new bet, and you decide to hit the afterburners and get your best time of the day!
6:30 pm Time to celebrate. Put on your medal and take a selfie to brag on your socials about your kick-ass 24 hours. Jake owes you a pizza.
7:30 pm Put up your feet. Enjoy a slice of pizza or a few, you earned it! Think of all the GOOD you did.
Don’t miss out on a new kind of 5K — contactless, app-guided, and safe. We will map out 5K courses in five locations, and you’ve got 24 hours to hit them all! And we’ll be doing some good along the way — if you register with the option to support one of our charity partners. Learn more about the 5x5K FOR GOOD.