a walking or running challenge for you and your furry friend!
Run or walk to be rewarded with pup-themed pins as you hit 6 milestones along the way to your medal. Go 100 miles and get healthy all along the way (1,000-mile challenge sold out).
"The Dog Lover's Challenge has kept me moving both throughout pregnancy and after. Having that little extra motivation is so helpful and I get so spend some extra time outdoors with my dog which makes it extra special."
Morgan T.
Dog Lover's Challenge participant
What do I get?
Every Registration Includes:
Available add-on options:
additional dog lover's gear available in the vrc shop
PICK Your Registration OPTION
Select your distance below, then your reward structure.
did someone say treats?
Check out the pins you'll be collecting as you reach each checkpoint
-
1,000 Mile challenge
100 MILE CHALLENGE
Challenge yourself to go 100 miles! Run or walk as many as you can with your pup and earn a pin at each checkpoint, and medal at challenge completion.
Checkpoint Pins
Finisher medal
Medals for you and your favorite pup
Why take on the challenge?
Because the miles are better together! Celebrating your pup with regular exercise is good for you both. Even if your dog can't come along for all the miles, even a few will do them good. Dogs that receive the appropriate amount of exercise for their age and breed are often reported as:
Have a Question? Let us help!
Click an item from the dropdown menu below for help.
Nope. We understand every person and pup is different. Running is great, but so is walking, hiking, dancing, rucking...
Check out our free conversion chart to see how different physical activities can be applied to this challenge.
You have through December 31, 2023 to complete this challenge! Take the time you need to reach your 100 or 1000-mile distance goal.
If you prefer a more flexible timeline, we recommend opting to receive all your rewards up front during registration. Then you can earn them on your unique schedule.
Swag ships separately in the methods and timeframes listed below.
Pins & Medals
- Ship with a tracking email from [email protected]
- If you select autoship, pins and medals ship within a week of registration
- If you opt to report for rewards, pins and medals ship within a week of reporting their completion on the VRC mobile app
Additional Dog Medals
- Ship with a tracking email from [email protected]com within a week of registration
Shirts, Stickers, Mileage Trackers, & Tote Bags
- Printed on-demand and expected to arrive roughly 2 weeks after you place an order
Registration remains open while supplies last.
Your registration comes with access to the VRC mobile app to report your miles. Click here to download the app on iOS or Android, then follow the instructions below:
- Enter the email associated with your registration.
- Click the Dog Lover's Challenge event.
- Select “Add Activity”.
- Enter your miles and click “Save”.
- When you reach a milestone, your freshly earned pin will pop up on your screen. Congrats! Click “Claim” and follow the prompts to receive your reward. If you opted to receive your rewards up front instead, the “Claim” button will not appear.
If you opted to report for rewards, make sure you log your miles in the VRC mobile app. Once you log enough miles in the app to reach a milestone, your freshly earned pin will pop up on your screen. Congrats! Click the Claim button and follow the prompts to receive your reward.
Reached the milestone awhile ago and still haven't gotten your reward in the mail? You may have forgotten to hit the Claim button. Here's what you need to do:
- Log back into the app.
- Click the milestone you reached, but have not yet received your reward for.
- If you forgot to hit "Claim" the first time, the Claim button will reappear.
- Click it and verify your mailing address to put your reward in our shipping queue.
Still having trouble? Shoot us an email at [email protected]
Our messages come from [email protected] Please add this address to your safe list so you're sure to get all updates.
There’s a special Facebook group for VRC Distance Challenges, where members share their achievements and cheer each other on. Joining the group is entirely voluntary.
Choose between completing 100 miles or 1000 miles.
Take the opportunity to strengthen your bond and discover your healthiest selves together!
We recognize every dog has different fitness needs based on medical history, breed, age, and other factors. We encourage you to include your pup in as many miles as appropriate, and to consult with your veterinarian if you’re unsure what regular activity looks like for your four-legged friend.
We find some of our participants like to do multiple Virtual Running Club events at once. If you want to double-dip – that is, apply your miles to multiple events – you have our full permission to do so. Choose whatever works best for you!
Yes! A portion of proceeds will benefit Turquoise Paw. Their mission is to rescue animals within the borders of the Navajo Nation, to support efforts in population control and education, and – most importantly – to provide the humane choice of no kill sheltering by maintaining a volunteer-based, safe harbor network.
Work with our friends at Wander Project and when you raise the minimum threshold for a non-profit (usually $500), Virtual Running Club will sponsor your participation in this event at no cost to you!
Learn more on the Wander Project Charity Bib Page.