The Royal Parks Half Marathon, presented by Royal Bank of Canada, saw more than 6,000 runners, from 42 countries, take part in a digital event experience on Sunday April 11th.
Runners taking part found a cause and ran the race distance in their local area, in support of The Royal Parks charity and hundreds of other UK charities. This one-off digital experience celebrated green spaces up and down the UK, with runners coming together to provide critical fundraising for the UK’s charities and to ‘#RunGreen without limits’.
Working with a customised app, the Royal Parks Half provided runners with as much of a race day experience as possible using digital integrations. Through the app, runners experienced the atmosphere of race day through ‘custom audio cues and augmented reality that brought the route to life as they ran in their local area.’
To recreate the event day experience, race morning incorporated an online warm-up led by professional dancer and fitness trainer, Karen Hauer, before the race got underway at 09:00 after being officially started by British comedian Eddie Izzard.
Runners were encouraged to find open space and connect with nature, all whilst following the latest government guidance on social distancing.
Audio cues were played to runners at each mile of the course by UK celebrity names including Ore Oduba, Victoria Pendleton, Jenni Falconer, Andi Peters, Sophie Raworth, Selasi Gbormittah, Paul Tonkinson and Rob Deering.
All runners were sent a premium race pack with their race bib, sustainable water bottle, courtesy of RBC, finish line made from seeded paper and an FSC certified beech wooden medal. An interactive leader board was enabled during the race, with the standard winner categories awarded as usual, in addition to a new non-binary field.
Project Lead at The Royal Parks, Persephone Deacon-Cole, said “In this challenging time, we’re thrilled to bring together runners from across the UK and the globe, enabling us collectively to celebrate green spaces the length and breadth of the country and raise much needed funds for UK charities.
“At its core, the Royal Parks Half has always been about community and this unique digital event showcases the importance of coming together, while remaining apart.”
Dave Thomas, CEO at RBC Europe, added “As someone who has enjoyed running the half marathon several times, it has been incredible to see how The Royal Parks has transformed this virtual event and captured the essence of what makes this run so amazing.
“The Royal Parks Half has a special place in the hearts of its participants and we at the Royal Bank of Canada are particularly proud of our association. These past months have demonstrated not only how crucial supporting our charity partners is to our communities, but also the vital role physical activity and being out in nature has on our mental wellbeing.”
