One of the UPSIDES to this crazy year is all the virtual race options. I kinda love them because you can run races that were beyond reach in a normal year.

That's why I was all in for the VIRTUAL Air Force Marathon's Fly! Fight! Win! Challenge. My challenge included running a 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon.

Runners could run their race anytime in September. I chose to run all three races on the original race weekend. I wanted to challenge myself and create a real race weekend vibe.

I picked 3 different race routes to keep it interesting. The weather cooperated, and I ran my races as planned. A BIG advantage to virtual races is you can adjust if weather (or life) interferes with your plans.

I took lots of photos and posted my races on social media for accountability and to share the experience with my friends and followers.

It was impressive how interactive the Air Force Marathon social accounts were. They were encouraging throughout my training, and gave enthusiastic congrats when I finished. That was fun. Seeing other people post about their races online made it feel like a community of runners.

Race management for this virtual event was great. There were newsletters, reminders, and updates. I had all the information I needed. Photos of swag and medals were posted online. They'll mail to finishers at the beginning of October. I earned a shirt, quarter zip jacket, and 4 medals for completing the challenge.

The 2020 medals feature the HH-60G PAVE HAWK helicopter. The challenge medal has moving helicopter blades! (See photo)

This was one of the best virtual races I've run. Management was attentive and interactive. There was a Facebook live stream on race morning. The race expo was online and open to the public. Runners could print their race bib and a finisher's certificate.

I hope to run the Air Force Marathon in person sometime. Until then, I'm very happy with my virtual run experience!

#FlyAFM #AirForceMarathon #FlyFightWinChallenge #AFMara