Last week I finally finished up my Massachusetts2Medford Challenge, which is part of the larger Medford2Medford Virtual Run Across America sponored by DMSE Sports! As I mentioned in my initial blogpost, this challenge was celebrating Dave McGillivray's 1978 run across the United States from Medford, OR to Medford, MA. For the Massachusetts2Medford challenge, I had to run or walk 142 total virtual miles across the state to complete this goal. Finding the motivation to run this summer had been a huge challenge for me, so I'm glad that I had this challenge to keep me motivated!

Things I Loved About the M2M Challenge!

Great communication! The cool thing about the M2M was that the organizers sent weekly updates to congratulate folks on completing their challenge, regardless of what distance. They really knew how to keep the runners and teams motivated throughout the challenge and I always appreciate that. The updates also served as a great reminder to get out there and keep chipping away at the miles!

The personal map tracker! One really awesome thing about this challenge is that when you entered your miles, it would update your personal map so you could see where you were virtually along the route. It was so cool to be able to see where my little pin was after each logged run or walk and, because I'm so familiar with the state, I could totally visualize what area of MA I was "in". Here's an example of my completed map!

The medal! The medal for this virtual challenge was so cool. Each distance had it's own colored ribbon (the Masschusetts2Medford was blue) and featured a map of the continental United States with a sneaker that slides from one end of the medal to the other. The show also features the distance you ran! This is actually such a cool medal and I was so excited to finally earn it once I completed my last few miles.

The swag! I signed up for the Premiere Pack when I registered for the challenge, which gave me access to some additional swag items, including a neck gaiter, Dave McGillivray's picture book Running Across America, and the medal! I wore my neck gaiter on my August 29th run which was the commemorative end of the challenge as that was the same day Dave entered Medford, MA back in 1978. It helped me celebrate the moment!

Things I Would Improve

Clarity on the distance. One of the things that bummed me out was finally logging my last 10 miles to reach that 142 mile marker, and realizing that I wasn't officially done with the challenge until I logged ANOTHER 10 miles? The website does say that the Massachusetts2Medford challenge is 152 miles long, but as you can see on the medal, 142 miles is plastered all over it. I also went the entire challenge working off of the 142 number, so needless to say I was pretty disappointed when I thought I had finished the challenge and realized that I didn't finish it quite yet. This is a combination of my own error and the distance not being super clear, so I would have appreciated some clarity.

Pay more, get more. I'm never a huge fan of situations where you get more access if you have more money you are able to spend. The Premium Pack of swag is an additional $25, and while the swag that comes with it is definitely worth the price, I think it always feels kind of icky to get all of this cool stuff knowing that if I didn't have the financial means I wouldn't have access to it, especially when we're all putting in a ton of effort to complete the challenge! I may feel different if the finisher's medal was included in the base price (even if that base price went up a bit!), because the other swag items were truly "extra" in my eyes, but every challenge finisher deserves to celebrate their hard work with a medal, in my opinion!

Overall I had a really positive experience with the Medford2Medford Virtual Race Across America! This challenge kept me motivated to keep lacing and running this summer which is always so appreciated, and it was so great to know I was running with so many other people across the country and working toward this difficult goal together! I would definitely participate in this challenge next year, and maybe even team up with some folks to complete the longer TheMississippi2Medford challenge or the entire Medford2Medford and work my way across the entire country!

Link to this review