Frequently Asked Questions
Answers
There’s this virus going around and we don’t want to spread germs. Plus, there are some rules right now about how many people can gather and we need to follow those guidelines. This is our spin on an annual event that’s super important to us and our community. We think the idea we’ve come up with is pretty sweet.
To be honest, we don’t really like the term “virtual” because there’s nothing virtual about the actual running/walking you’re doing! They’re real miles by real people like you. We’ve been thinking a lot about how we can still make this a community-building event even if we can’t be together in person. Thus, a collective goal that can’t be reached unless we do it together. Plus, a tour across America to spread joy and unlock surprises as we reach certain cities along the route. There’s nothing virtual about that!
Yes! The more the merrier. We’d love to have people contributing miles from all over the world, so please spread the word to family and friends near and far. It’s great for everyone to have something positive like this on the horizon!
Absolutely! We love walkers and runners alike.
You may begin logging miles towards the goal at 8am on July 3rd. The online platform to enter your mileage will close at 8pm on July 5th.
Yes, please do. We’ll need all the miles we can get from you to reach the goal. We’ll send you a personalized link to track your mileage throughout the weekend and you may submit once a day over the three-day period if you’d like.
No. We’ll ask you for an estimate when you register, but you’re not bound to that number. This will just help give us an idea how many miles it’s looking like we’ll reach throughout the weekend. It’s also a great way for you to set a goal for yourself.
As the event approaches, we’ll send you a personalized link to track your miles. You can add miles once a day over the three-day period and it’ll tally the total for you.
Maybe it’s a special message from the mayor of Las Vegas. Maybe it’s a donation to a local charity in San Francisco. Maybe it’s a celebrity shout out from Chicago. Since we’ll be tallying miles throughout July 4th weekend, we’ll know when our collective total gets us to specific cities along the route. You’ll want to stay tuned to our social media outlets that weekend to look for which city is next and we’ll unlock the surprise when the total miles submitted get us there!
Every participant gets a shirt (you pick: tank top or short sleeve) and race bib so everyone in the neighborhood knows you’re officially tracking miles towards the Valley 4th RUN Across America. Plus, a once-in-a-lifetime tour across the USA where your miles add good juju to your life and the lives of others.
No. You can run or walk at the time(s) that work best for you and log your miles via a personalized link we’ll send you. You may run/walk once or multiple times throughout the three-day period.
That’s up to you! Pick your favorite route or try something new. We recommend using a free app like Strava or RunGo to track your mileage. We also recommend running/walking in an uncongested area and practice social distancing.
Uh, definitely! We still envision this is a family event where kids are excited about adding their miles throughout the weekend.
No. All miles count towards the total!
No. Run/walk as much as is healthy for you over the three-day period. Not sure how much is healthy? Please consult your physician.
We aren’t doctors, so we ask that you consult your physician on this one.
Short answer: no. Long answer: The event is not chip timed for obvious reasons, but you’re more than welcome to track your time with an app or watch. We will not ask you to submit a time for your miles – only the number of miles you completed.
No. You’ll simply submit your total miles and we won’t ask you for your time. We appreciate the competitive folks and encourage you to set a stretch goal for your mileage total.
We’ll have a safe way for you to pick up your stuff at our socially-distanced packet pickup from 12-7pm on July 2nd. Location TBD in Harrisonburg, VA.
Yes. You’ll see an option for having your packet mailed when you register. There is an additional $7 per individual or $12 per family/group cost to mail your packet(s).
All participants signed up by the end of the day on June 23rd will receive a shirt!
We will be unlocking surprises as we reach certain cities along the route and some of those will be donations to charity. Like many others, we’ve taken a financial beating as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. When you sign up for events like this, you also help increase our odds of making it through this.
Check out the map of the route. At first, we thought it would be cool to just run to California. Then, we thought about whether we could get there and back. We started dreaming about what it would look like to “stop” in cities along the way and unlock fun surprises. We figure: why not set a big goal and let the community show up in a big way?
Our mission is energizing communities for good. We plan active events with an emphasis on building community. We’re a for-profit, for-purpose social enterprise created by two buddies who care about promoting active lifestyles in an approachable way. VA Momentum has donated $123,528 to charities since its founding.