The Great Run Company has launched a virtual event where participants complete 15 activities in 28 days to stay motivated during the crisis whilst supporting the city of Manchester. On the final day, runners are asked to wear black and yellow and join in a Virtual Bee Wave. 

The coronavirus outbreak resulted in the cancellation of the Great Manchester Run but people have the option to roll over their entry to next year’s race on 23 May 2021. Rather than let all that hard work and training go to waste and lose motivation at the same time, the We Love Manchester Active Challenge has been designed for that very purpose. It is a goal to aim for whilst raising funds for the We Love Manchester charity and youngsters can join in the Junior Challenge. 

It starts on 10 August and ends on 6 September – the day when the Great Manchester Run was scheduled to take place. Participants complete 15 or more activities which can be a run, jog or walk and more than once a day and track their activities, e.g. Strava. They can join the official Strava group and see how they compare with others.

As everyone is not permitted to run together as per government guidelines, the organisers have created an alternative or the Virtual Bee Wave for 6 September. Participants complete their last activity whilst dressed like a bee as a way of showing unity and a positive attitude in these uncertain times. 

There is a bespoke medal and digital certificate for everyone who completes the challenge and a downloadable black, yellow or stripes memento. These are awarded as follows:

Yellow  - up to 50K

Black  - up to 100K 

Stripes – over 100K

All profits from this event will be donated to the We Love Manchester charity. 

For more information and how to enter, visit the Great Run website.

Image courtesy: The Great Run Company