Well, it turns out that we've explored most of our planet. We've been to the top of mountains and explored the valleys, canyons, and caves. We've run through the forests and jungles and across the deserts. However, when we stare up at the countless stars in the night sky, we can't help but feel small. There is certainly a lot to explore above us!
We've created a fun and unique virtual challenge that can push ALL runners to the far reaches of their capabilities and of the atmosphere! These expeditions will take a great deal of effort, focus, and commitment to complete. It certainly won't be an easy month for participants but you're not here to sign up for something easy.
But wait, there's more; we're also throwing in a bit of a twist for those of you who live in hilly or mountainous locations, or just like to accumulate a lot of elevation gain in your runs. We're going to turn all of that elevation into additional distance.
Finally, we are going to offer you an 'out of this world' race kit and, thanks to our friends at Merrell, we have some great prizes to give away as well. For those of you who want to participate in the challenge but don't want a race kit, we have that option as well.
HOW IT WORKS:
1) Read the four different expedition options below and decide how far you want to challenge yourself to run/walk in total from November 1 to November 30th, 2020. That's right, you have the entire month of November to cover this distance.
2) Register for the expedition of your choice. Don't forger to write down your "Confirmation Number", which will also be emailed to you. You can access your "Participant Dashboard" by clicking on the link in your confirmation email.
3) Wait patiently for your race kit to arrive in the mail (click on "Race Kit" in the page menu for more info). If you want, we would love it if you would take a photo of yourself holding your race bib and add it to our photo gallery. It's all about the community and it would be awesome for us to see who we are running with. If you register late, you probably won't get your race kit before the challenge starts but that isn't a problem. We will do our best to get it to you as soon as we can and you can still post and track your run/walk data.
4) On November 1, start running/walking towards your goal. You can use whatever platform you wish to track your data. If you use a treadmill, just take a photo of the data at the end of your workout. You will have access to our results page where you can add your run information and even include a screenshot, if you want to. Please note, in order to be eligible for 'Top 3 Prizing' in each race distance and gender category, you will need to have access to all of your run data for the month so that we can verify the information provided.
5) Our tracking page will keep track of how far you've travelled, how far you have left, and other useful information. Continue to run and track your distance for the entire month of November or until you've completed your expedition.
6) You can also join our Facebook Group and stay in touch with your fellow participants, share photos of you runs, and encourage one another.
7) Wear your race bib on your final run of the challenge and take a picture for our gallery (optional).
CHOOSE YOUR EXPEDITION
For this challenge, we're going to ask you to aim for the stars. Choose a distance mission that you think you can run in the month of November and go for it. We have selected 4 distance expeditions for you to choose from. Each distance was selected due to a significant feature or historical event in space above us. Here are the expedition options:
Here is a look at the layers of our atmosphere to help put it all into perspective:
TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD
We are hoping to reach runners from across North America and even beyond. Some participants could be running amongst the Rocky Mountains or on the Appalachian Trail. Some may be conquering 14'ers in the thin air of Colorado. Others may be running along the Seawall in Vancouver or along the scenic Queen's Quay Waterfront Trail in Toronto. Some may take in the ocean views along the rolling hills of the East Coast. We want you to run where you love to run rather than just focusing on covering the distance. To do this, we have created a system to help account for the added difficulty of running routes with significant elevation gain.
We have scoured the internet to determine how elevation gain can be converted into distance travelled (in terms of effort expenditure). It turns out that there isn't an exact formula since there are simply too many factors at play, however, we have settled on the following:
100m/328' of elevation is roughly equivalent to 1 km/.62 miles of distance
If you don't want to keep track of your elevation gain, then don't. No problem. It's not mandatory but rather an option for those of you who live in a hilly region.
Please click on"Elevation Compensation" in the menu at the top left of this page for more information on this. Don't worry, the tracking couldn't be easier!
IS THIS A RACE OR A PERSONAL CHALLENGE?
Yes. To both. For the majority of runners this will be a personal challenge. Meeting the distance goal within the month is meant to be a challenge. For most of you, completing the distance will be the only goal and will be a substantial accomplishment. You will essentially be racing against the calendar and not other participants (we'll talk about your finishing award in a bit).
However, for some of you, completing the distance won't take the entire month and you may want to see just how fast you can complete the challenge. If you fall into this category, then this is most definitely a race. The results page is not only designed to let you know now just how far you have gone and how far you have left to go, but also where you rank amongst the other runners. The Top 3 Female/Male/Non-Binary will receive awards upon the conclusion of the the event (there will not be age-group awards). Please note, the top 3 athletes in each event will be required to provide run data to verify their results.
We have created a visual representation of the journey that you will be plotted on based on the run information that you submit. This visual will show where you are in relation to Earth's atmosphere. "Hey Margaret, guess what. I just ran passed the Aurora Borealis!"
BE CHARITABLE
Unfortunately, Happy Trails Racing had to cancel almost all of our events this year. It totally sucked for all of our participants and for us. However, it also really sucked for the different charities that our events support. While registering, you will have the opportunity to select a charity that you can make a donation to, if you are able. Although ALL of the charities that we typically support are deserving, we have chosen to focus on 3 for this event. Please click on "Charities" in the menu at the top left of this page to learn more about our charities.
RACE KITS
You don't just get a crazy month of running for your hard earned cash!
We are really excited about these race kits. We have worked with some incredible companies in order to provide the highest quality gear we could get. We offer custom made vinyl stickers and buttons, space-themed custom tubular headbands, AMAZING commemorative medals with LED lights and large or extra large belt buckles. Your kit will be mailed directly to you. Register early in order to get your kit in the first wave of deliveries.
Please click on "Race Kit" in the menu at the top left of this page for more information and images of what you should expect in your race kit.
'MAKE YOUR OWN RACE BIB' CONTEST
Thanks to our friends at Merrell Canada, we are pleased to offer a "Make Your Own Bib" contest. Using the bib number that you will receive upon registration, get creative and make your bib. It can be any size and made out of any material you want- after all, YOU'RE the one that will be wearing it. Post a picture of your bib in the gallery and you will be eligible to win some great prizes from Merrell Canada, including 1 of 4 pairs of running shoes!
Your Bib Number will be listed in the confirmation email that you receive after registering.
Registration fees
The Kármán Line Expedition Closed
Online registration closed-
The Kármán Line is a line in the thermosphere that theoretically separates Earth's atmosphere and outer space. Cross that line and you've made it into outer space!
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$39.00
Early Mailing
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$44.00Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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The Sputnik Expedition Closed
Online registration closed-
The Sputnik 1 was Earth's first artificial satellite and was launched on October 4th, 1957. It maintained an elliptical Low Earth Orbit with the nearest part of the orbit being 215 km above Earth.
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$44.00
Early Mailing
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$49.00Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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The Space Station Expedition Closed
Online registration closed-
The International Space Station is a modular space station that started orbiting the Earth in 1998 and has been continuously occupied ever since. It is a multinational collaborative project between five participating space agencies and orbits around 408 km above Earth's surface.
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$49.00
Early Mailing
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$54.00Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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The Exosphere Expedition Closed
Online registration closed-
The exosphere is the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere. This is well beyond the International Space Station and even the orbit of most space shuttles. This is a challenge that will test even the most dedicated, hard-core runners. Warning: it gets lonely in the exosphere.
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$54.00
Early Mailing
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$59.00Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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The Kármán Line Expedition- No Race Kit Closed
Online registration closed-
This option is for participants who want to run/walk but don't want any of the gear that comes with the race. Please note, although these participants will still be eligible for prizes, they will not receive any parts of the race kit, except the printable certificate. No medal, no stickers, no tubular headband.
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$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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The Sputnik Expedition- No Race Kit Closed
Online registration closed-
This option is for participants who want to run/walk but don't want any of the gear that comes with the race. Please note, although these participants will still be eligible for prizes, they will not receive any parts of the race kit, except the printable certificate. No medal, no stickers, no tubular headband.
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$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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The Space Station Expedition- No Race Kit Closed
Online registration closed-
This option is for participants who want to run/walk but don't want any of the gear that comes with the race. Please note, although these participants will still be eligible for prizes, they will not receive any parts of the race kit, except the printable certificate. No medal or buckle, no stickers, no tubular headband.
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$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
-
The Exosphere Expedition- No Race Kit Closed
Online registration closed-
This option is for participants who want to run/walk but don't want any of the gear that comes with the race. Please note, although these participants will still be eligible for prizes, they will not receive any parts of the race kit, except the printable certificate. No medal or buckle, no stickers, no tubular headband.
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$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 1 – Oct. 20 -
$15.00
No Race Kit
Oct. 20 – Nov. 29
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Event schedule
- Sun., November 1, 2020 12:00 a.m. - Start of challenge
- Wed., December 30, 2020 11:59 p.m. - End of challenge
- Thu., December 31, 2020 11:59 p.m. - Last chance to submit results
Contact information
- Event contact
- Jeff Rowthorn
- Website
- Visit website
