Hey everyone!
I hope you are all safe and well as our cities and states are re-opening. I have been so excited to get back out in my community and have been looking for safe, healthy ways to reconnect with people! Our girls in Tanzania are returning to their college and vocational classes/campuses this week armed with social distancing and healthy protocols. We are doing the same here in the U.S. – examining and redesigning the way we do things to ensure the health and safety of our volunteers, staff and the young women we serve.
For the past five years an amazing group of volunteers, led by Dawn Hershberger and Joann Vice, created a premier race event in Northern California. Their hearts were broken for children who were being sold for sex. When they heard Courage Worldwide’s mantra – do what you love to do for these kids – they came together as one in their community and created the Courage Triathlon; consistently raising over $20,000 each year to help rescue and restore victims of sex trafficking!
This year the coronavirus has brought uncertainty to this race event. While we are most anxious to all be together, we also want to follow state guidelines, keeping everyone safe and healthy. We will continue monitoring the situation and will make decision on July 1st as to whether or not we will be able to hold the physical race.
In the meantime, we saw an opportunity to bring this amazing event literally around the world by adding a virtual race component! Now – no matter where you live – you can join us, coming together as one on Saturday, August 29th to RUN! So she doesn’t have to!
You can run, bike, swim/paddleboard/kayak your way to helping us give hope and a future to children and young women who have been abused, tortured and sold for sex! I know you may have many questions; I know I did when I first heard the term “virtual race.” Hopefully, our Frequently Asked Questions listed below will provide all your answers. If not, email us at info@courageworldwide.org!
I am super excited about this event component, believing more of you will have an opportunity to join us in changing the world; one individual at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Virtual Race
1. What is a virtual race?
A virtual event is just like our traditional event but you do it wherever you are. You pick your start time and go! Our triathlon has been a run, bike ride and kayak race on site at one place. For the virtual 2.8 mile (4.5 km) run you can do it outside or inside. You can run, walk, hike or skip it! You can even do it on a treadmill. The same for the 7.1-mile (11.4 km) bike portion. You can ride on the street or a trail or inside on a stationary bike. For the water portion – you pick. Swim laps in a pool or in a lake for 1-mile (1.6 km) or you can kayak or paddle board for 4.1 (6.6 km) miles. You choose. You could do the entire race inside your gym! Wherever you want, whenever you want; alone or with whomever you want!
2. What if I don’t have access to a bike or water?
You have a couple of options. You can form a team with 2 other people and each person take an event. (Visit the link down below for more info on team prices). You can also just pick one portion of the event and do that! With the event being virtual you get to customize and choose. The goal is to have people from all over the world participating in this event on the same day – August 29th – using their voices to say “it is wrong for a child to be sold for sex”!
3. Since there is no actual race, what does my entry fee include?
Thanks to our most generous sponsors, your registration goes directly toward helping to rescue and restore a child from sex trafficking! As a thank you for participating and for your race day attire you will receive the following: a race t-shirt, race bib and a race medal!
Click these buttons here to read more FAQs and register for the Virtual Triathlon!
We look forward to sharing more information with you over the coming weeks! We are so excited for this event, and can’t wait for you to join us. Thank you for your continual support and involvement with Courage. We couldn’t do this without you!