Last March we could never have imagined that we would not be able to run the Oakland Running Festival as a traditional race in 2020. We held out hope and waited as long as we could before moving the event to a virtual race.
As we approach the end of 2020, it is apparent that we will once again miss the opportunity to run an in-person event in the Spring. While nothing can replace the unique experience and community aspect of running Oaktown on race day, we are excited to be able to keep the tradition alive and host a virtual Oakland Running Festival on its traditional race weekend, March 21, 2021. ds
We will continue to offer distances for the marathon, half marathon, and Total Health Dental Care 5K. However, in order to offer even more distances to runners of all abilities, we are adding two more races to our virtual line up:
A 26.2-mile challenge will offer participants the chance to run, walk or jog to compile 26.2 miles over the first 21 days of March. The new 10K distance offers a mid-grade distance between the 5k and half-marathon and replaces the team relay option from previous years.
All participants will be invited to be part of our vibrant social community, which will help us stay connected as we prep and run our race. Runners who deferred their 2020 Oakland Running Festival race entry to 2021 will receive separate information in the near future about their registration options.
And don’t despair! We’re planning a new live event for August and hope to share the details early next year as we continue our commitment to delivering first-class running events to the Oakland community.
Distance running is all about overcoming unsurmountable obstacles. We have all endured quite a bit this past year but we know that together we will get through it. We hope that you will decide to run with us in 2021. As American storyteller Tobias Wolff said, “We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.”
More about our new challenges:
More about Running Virtually.
Our medal this year will once again represent a prominent mural in Oakland. See last years medal below. Do you have a favorite mural you would like to see? Email info@runlocalevents.com
Customer service questions? csewest@corrigansport.com
