FAQ
Q: How does this Virtual Challenge work?
A: Each day from April 15th till June 15th you have the opportunity to go for a run/walk/or bike. These can be done indoors or outdoors. Then head to your computer or phone and log your distance under your Runsignup profile, you'll see Current Races THEN Spring Duathlon Challenge THEN click "Submit Virtual Results"!
Q: Does this race support anything? Why is it more than a normal race?
A: YES! The Spring Duathlon Challenge will donate $10 for every participant towards the Arctic Bike Club Kids Scholarship, an Anchorage, Alaska based bike racing non-profit for road biking, mountain biking & gravel biking events. This will support kids that are currently active in the biking community but are looking for additional opportunities such as purchasing a new bike, traveling out of state to race in another bike race, etc. Additionally, this challenge is not a 1 day race. You are paying for 2months of motivation and support to stay active. Also, included in the challenge is a synthetic race tshirt, wool socks, & a medal, all shipped to your home!
Q: Can I just walk the challenge?
A: Absolutely, walkers are definitely welcome to participate in this challenge! This is a multi-sport challenge, so you can walk, run, or bike to get in the miles to complete the distance race you have signed up to complete. Use the challenge as motivation to stay active!
Q: Is this challenge for competitive athletes or beginners?
A: Thats the cool thing about virtual challenges, there is a place for everyone! In our past challenge we have several hundred athletes that were walking only and found tons of motivation seeing other walkers pictures. We also have a hand full of competitive athletes that did the longest race and then some, but they were not intimidating. These challenges are truly a very welcoming, supportive community!
Q: Can I count my daily steps?
A: No, we encourage you to log only exercise specific times. This means you planned to walk, run, etc. and not just time you cleaned your house and called it your exercise time, sorry! The goal is to motivate yourself to exercise more anyhow, right?!
Q: What are the distances?
A: 75miles, 150miles, 300miles, 500miles & 1000miles. You pick the distance that works best for you!
Q: Do I need a GPS watch/tracker, or Strava? Will I need to show my watch or device for proof of running, walking, or biking?
A: You can use one if you wish but it's not required. Strava has a free app and you can join our club, Turnagain Training, to join others to track the progress of everyone and keep everyone motivated. Unfortunately, Runsignup does not have a way to link up your device with Garmin, Suunto, etc. but you can upload GPS files when you go into "Submit Virtual Results".
Q: If I complete the 150 mile Challenge and want to switch to the 300 mile Challenge, can I? (And Vice Versa)
A: YES! Simply go to your RunSignUp account and do an event transfer. Deadline to switch events will be June 1st, 2021. Please note that if you do switch events your mileage/workouts will NOT transfer over to the new event. However, all you have to do is input your current mileage under one date and then proceed as normal (we are not going to make you input mileage again for every single day).
Q: What will I receive by doing this challenge? When will I receive my swag?
A: All participants automatically receive custom race wool socks, a synthetic race t-shirt & an Alaskan birch race coaster, all shipped directly to your home! You also can go into your race profile and print out the virtual bib before the race to share with others during race kickoff day! During the race you'll also receive virtual badges for completing race percentages and special mile marker badges!
Q: Are the shirts unisex or gender specific?
A: Gender specific! We will have a mens and women's shirt option available during checkout for each racer! The shirt is athletic fit so, the garment will fit closer to the body then just a standard cut tee.
Q: How will I receive my swag?
A: All swag will be mailed out, shipping date TBD. We will have an optional swag pickup for Anchorage, Alaska locals that would like to pickup in-person.
Q: Can I create or join a team after I have registered?
A: YES! We love to see friends and families encouraging each other. The captain of the team can add teammates, or feel free to email Heather@turnagaintraining.com if you need more help!
Q: We want to be a team; Can we sign up individually & does start - destination need to be the same for all?
A: Every racer is racing individually, for themselves but by joining a team you are working to improve your team overall miles. Please note, you are not working as a team to finish a specific distance (this is not a relay format), you are working individually. Also, if your teammates decide to do different distances, that's ok, they just won't be able to work together to get the largest mileage, since the races are considered several different races within 1 race. Ex: If 5 racers are doing the 150 but you're doing the 300mile race, your total won't be combined into the 150mile team total. The point of the team is a way to motivate one another and try to get the most amount of miles total done first. On the results page there will be a team page that shows total miles that your team has completed, which in theory will help motivate everyone on your team to reach their distance goal! We encourage strong leadership skills ;) We will have a prize for the BIGGEST team!
Q: Can I register for more than one event?
A: No. This is not necessary. You are able to transfer your registration to a shorter or longer distance if you decide you want to change your event, but you must do so by 6/1/2021 at 11:59pm. When you transfer your event your mileage will not transfer with you so you'll enter the total distance you have completed into the first entry to get your total up to date.
Q: How do the results work? How is everyone being ranked? Will the winner be “the winner” based on time or distance, who finishes first?
A: Results are ranked by who has the greatest distance within your race (75mile, 150mile, etc.), time is just added so you can see at the end of the event how much time you've exercises but it is not factored into the ranking system. Additionally, tiebreakers are determined by the first racer to the 25% milestone. Most importantly, this challenge is about getting from A to B and pushing your self physically while seeing how others are doing. There are no prizes for "winning", aside from self pride and a finisher t-shirt!
Q: Do we earn rewards for referring friends?
A: YES! But, they must use your personal referral link. The link was emailed to you.
Q: My friend signed up for the race because I told her to but they forgot to use my referral code. Can I still get referral credit?
A: Yes! You'll need to watch THIS video THEN email the race director at Heather.Helzer@turnagaintraining.com with the information. Please give her 1-3days to enter the information. She will get back to you when she has added them.
Q: Can I change my shirt size?
A: Yes! Shirts are ordered on May 1st, you have until then to email the race director at Heather@turnagaintraining.com with any changes you may have. After that point, we will have very limited sizing availability to swap from.
Q: My shirt doesn't fit! What are my options?
A: We will have a thread via on private Facebook page for racers to post their shirt details if they're looking to swap a shirt with another racer but the cost of shipping will be up for you to work out. We will also purchase a very limited amount of extra shirts we will have available on the races store page, if you'd prefer to go that route instead.
Q: Are there any awards for this challenge?
A: There are no awards for this challenge (simply because there is no verification system). However, we will have weekly contests on the private Facebook page, which racers can find the link to in our weekly newsletters. The race director also will be giving away a handful of race director choice awards at the completion of the race for themes like most inspiring, most motivational, most determined, etc.
Q. How do I refer people and get referral refunds?
A: 1. Register.
2. Once your registration is complete, you will receive a unique referral link. You can copy and past this link from (a) your confirmation page screen at the end of your registration, (b) your confirmation email, (c) you can resend your confirmation email from you Runsignup account and get the link.
3. Get 3 friends to sign up using your unique referral link and you will automatically receive up to a refund of $15.00, refunded to your credit card.
4. Get 6 friends to sign up and you get an additional $15 more!
5. Get 9 friends to sign up and you get $15 more! Total refund is the cost of your registration.
RULES:
The RunSignup system automatically keeps track and refunds the first $15-$45 automatically.
Don't email us constantly for updates. We will pull reports weekly and post. We will post top referrers here in the FB Group.
Don't see your question answered here? Shoot us an email, heather.helzer@turnagaintraining.com
