2021 International Barefoot Running Day???? So, as we all know, last year's IBRD was a bust. With reports of Covid varients emerging around the world, this year's IBRD doesn't look very promising. Instead, let's think of some alternative ideas practicing social distancing and how to implement those ideas. If you have any suggestions, please share below. We have a winning 2020 IBRD tee shirt design by Dawsy that we were going to use for 2020, but since that event never took place, I plan to use his design for the first IBRD we resume in person. IBRD takes place on Sunday, May 2, 2021!
Yeah. Literally in place. I've done it before for Special Olympics virtual workouts. It could work for this too. The longer you run barefoot in place, the better your score will be. Sound good?
Hmm tricky one.. So from my box of silly ideas - Maybe we could all just run individually on that day and then log our mileage, times, etc... here. I wonder what total distance we could collectively log for the day? Or perhaps we could between us try and fill the 24 hours of that day just by running or walking or working out in some way? After all, if we're truly global, presumably a 24 hour period measured by reference to say your time clock could be done (e.g. I tend to run in the morning, so I would run probably around 2.00am your time (7.00am here -I think??) for around an hour. Just need enough folks to cover the whole 24 hour period.. ...or maybe I've just had too much caffeine today already!..
A virtual race sounds like a great idea Tedlet! We could use the Sodisp platform for the virtual race, it's free for virtual races under 100 participants and it encourages and rewards (awarding extra points) running with social distance. And you can use Strava, Fitbit, Apple Watch, Polar, Garmin and other platforms to connect to the virtual race. If we expect a larger number of participants, we can reach out to them to request the use of their platform free of charge. Thoughts? https://sodisp.com/
I agree a virtual race would be a great idea. This might also be an opportunity for local running clubs to encourage their own virtual barefoot contests of some sort. I know our local club has hosted several virtual events this past year just to keep the club going, and they're always looking for something new to try. Who knows - there might be some barefoot runner wanna-be's out there that just aren't comfortable doing it in a group setting anyway. A virtual environment gives them a nice option to try it by themselves with no peer pressure. After all, isn't IBRD largely about spreading information and recruiting new barefoot runners?
I will. I've tried to organize local IBRD events in the past without much success, but this year there's some pent-up need to do anything, so who knows?