VHI’s Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon: #Powerof10

The VHI Women’s Mini Marathon is an annual charity race that usually takes place during the June Bank Holiday Monday. Of course, this year the event was delayed and then eventually cancelled for that date. The event has been moved to October so it will still go ahead. The key difference this year is that it is now a virtual marathon.

Here is some history for the Marathon.

The race was established in 1983 and 9000 women took part. Since then that number has grown each year. In 2014 they had their biggest turnout with 41,000 women participating. Over 1 million women have participated during the 37 years.

The marathon has managed to raise an estimated €255 million since it began. It is the biggest all-women event of its kind. Other cities, such as London, Oslo and Glasgow have followed in its footsteps. Participants come from all over the country, (all 32 counties are represented), of all ages and athletic ability. Not only that, but women from all over the world, from countries such as Japan, England and France, have flown in to participate. Participants walk, run or jog, or combine a mixture of all three.

This year, the marathon has taken up the motto #ThePowerOf10. 10 days to walk 10k to raise €10 million. They are hoping to provide much needed relief to those who were, and are still being, affected by Covid-19.

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Here is what to expect for this year’s Virtual Marathon.

Where to sign up

You can sign up for the race here by clicking the ENTER NOW button. The event has a €10 entrance fee and P&P fees – €2.85 for residents and €6.05 for non-residents. This fee goes toward the following items which will be mailed to the participants –

• The Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon Commemorative Medal.
• A Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon T-shirt
• 10% discount for the 2021 race entry.
• A Downloadable Race Number – participants are encouraged to personalise their number. Add a picture or the name of your charity.
• Everyone who enters receives a Downloadable Certificate of Completion after the event.

When

The race will commence on October 1st. While usually being a one day event, it is now a 10 day event, so will end on October 10th. So, this will give more runners around the country, or those in different countries, a chance to compete. They can spread the 10k distance throughout the 10 days – or set themselves a challenge and do it all in one go.

How to participate

Usually the start line is at St Stephen’s Green. That route heads towards the RDS, around UCD and back to St Stephen’s Green through Donnybrook. Of course this year, there is no set route so participants can take any route they desire – even just walking circles around your back garden if you cannot leave the house. The aim is to hit the 10k mark.  If you want, you can submit photos of you during your walk, jog or run using the hashtag, #VhiWMM to @VhiWMM, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Participants don’t need to send an official time upon completion.

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Enter your charity and donations here.

Perhaps the biggest component of the marathon is the money that has been raised. This has helped numerous charities over the past few decades. At the time of writing, this year’s virtual marathon has raised over €100,000 in both donations and pledged funds, across 22 different countries.

If you click the fundraise and donate button, you will be redirected to the givengain website. From there you can enter your charity name and the amount you are donating. Or start a fundraiser account for people to donate to. If the name of your charity isn’t on the website please discuss directly with that charity about fundraising and donating. If you do not have a set charity you are fundraising for, there is a list of options for you to choose from on the donation page. Tips on fundraising can be found here.

Or, if you cannot compete this year, you can choose from the runners featured on the website and donate to their charities.

The VHI website gives participants tips and tricks on how to prepare for the marathon. This includes training tips, recipes to follow and how to prevent injuries. Although this year it won’t be a straight 10k marathon, these tips can still be useful for preparing for your own personal walk or run this year. These tips are found under the Train tab at the top or bottom of their website.

No matter how big or small the donation, every little donation truly does help.

Are you, or is anyone you know,  participating this year? Have you participated before? Tell us about your experience with the marathon in the comments below!