Distance Challenges - 2024

Details
Category: Awards

Distance Challenges 2024

These work in a similar way to the Performance Level Awards (except for the annual totals) but have different qualifying requirements AND you are able to submit  physical or virtual races, so long as the results are published, so that we can verify your results, where applicable.

Distance Challenges are not WAVA based so all that is required is that the organisers publish the results so that we can verify a finish in each of your events.

N.b. Event details are required for the Full House and the Ultra-Level awards - Strava activities are not acceptable. You may only include a 'leg' of a relay race if your name, time and distance are published, not just the team result.
For the Annual Totals awards your Strava profile URL IS acceptable, event details are not required. A screenshot of your annual running total may be required from Strava, Garmin Connect etc.

You may claim just one of the awards described in this article for the year.

Obviously, this is largely based on trust so please be honest! Please keep track of where the results can be found – we’ll need the URL to your result to verify your finish

The rules - event based distance awards

Qualifying races  - where applicable - must have been run in the current calendar year, Jan to Dec. These must be from 5k upwards, and be formal public events open to all runners.

For a 5k event, should your chosen award require one, you can use an actual Parkrun, a (not) Parkrun, a club 5k handicap, physical or virtual. You can of course submit other 5k events too - like Marsden Forest or the Hatfield 5k series races if they happen.

For the Arrows 5k handicaps and virtual events you need to tell us the date when you ran it, the website where the results are displayed, your time and ideally your Bib number if you had one.

No duplications. Please don’t submit a claim based on the same run under ‘Fly 5k’ AND Arrows virtual 5k for example. You need different runs for each of your submitted results - different dates and different events. No overlapping events either.

Subject to the rules stated here you can include ANY distance-based races with specific distances and publicly published results. You cannot just go out and run and submit that. It must be an organised event that you have signed up for. You can include organised physical or virtual events provided the results are publicly published. You cannot use lap based endurance events like Stampede or Thunderrun where the main objective is to run as many laps as possible in a fixed period, but you can use events – like Sikhs in the City Dawn to Dusk - where the objective is to gain an award for half marathon, marathon or 50k (or whatever) by running different numbers of small laps to complete the distance. Contact the committee first to ensure your event is acceptable.

You cannot double up so for example you cannot submit both a half marathon and a marathon using the same marathon run, etc. To make this point clear we will only allow one event on any particular calendar date.

For distances of a half marathon and above, where the virtual event permits it, you do not need to complete the required distance in one go. If you choose to split your run, the time will be from the start time of the first leg to the end time of the last leg. E.g. If you run a marathon (needed for Gold and Platinum) starting at 9 am on Monday and finish 11:15 am on Wednesday please calculate your time as 3 days 2 hours and 15 minutes. Obviously the WAVA will be incredibly low but it is irrelevant in the distance challenges.

All events in your claim must be supported by the organisers results pages, not Strava Activities, Garmin Activities etc. If you intend using an event for your award claim please check with the event organisers if and where the results will be published. 

If you are not sure if your race / event qualifies please check with the Arrows committee BEFORE the end of the year. We will try to be as flexible as possible but we will stick to these rules.

The requirements for the three different  awards are shown below. You may only claim ONE of these awards.

Full House Award Complete a 5k and a Full Marathon (or longer) event plus 3 other different intermediate event distances (eg 10k, 10m, half or 5m, half, 20m etc) in any time. (NB an intermediate distance is something over 5k and under a marathon)

You cannot include runs you have done which are not part of an organised event or virtual event. Sadly, Cross Country / League / Midweek League races cannot be used as the distances are usually only approximate, and these are not 'public' events.

The Ultra Level Award Complete at least 4 formal ultra races, each from a different event out of the following distance categories. 50k, 50m, 100k, 100m, over 100m . (NB Because ultra distances tend to be driven by 'geography' the 50k race can be anything from 50k but under 50m and so on for each category) . Race events may be physical or virtual and - if permitted by the organisers - may be run over more than 1 day in multiple legs. As with the Full House you cannot include runs which are not part of an organised event.

The Annual Total Award Maybe The Fun 500 2024 is enough fun for you or you don't really do events. Or maybe you may wish to target a longer annual distance for the year, in this new, non-event based Award, which will be given for your annual mileage reaching 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 or 2500 miles and above by the 31st December. Please note that once you have put in your claim for one of these distances you may NOT claim again for a longer distance.

You simply need to record all your RUNNING activities for the year and submit a claim for the total miles you have completed during the year using your Strava, Garmin or other running App profile as evidence. All your running will count, events, non-event runs,  and training sessions but please ensure you have not included any bike rides or other activities.

How to Claim

You can claim your Award as soon as you've completed the requirements using THIS LINK. Claims must be made by 23:59 on Jan 1st 2025. This will be strictly enforced. You can only claim one Distance Challenge award, including The Fun 500. Please try to claim all your Awards in one submission.

If you prefer something shorter and faster how about the The Arrows Rocket Award - 2024 which we are also running again for 2024

For an overview of all of this years awards look at our Awards Summary 2024 page.