WALK FOR THE WILD 5K CHALLENGE
Presented by the National Wildlife Refuge System & Public Lands Alliance
October 9–16, 2021
We're on a mission to bring humans back to the wild.
We have some of America's best places to walk in the wild.
Walk with us to thrive.
Walk with us to help wildlife thrive.
ABOUT WALK FOR THE WILD
Did you know that humans spend 95% of their time indoors?! We’re becoming more and more of an indoor species.
A growing body of evidence supports the idea that spending time in nature promotes mental and physical well-being. We all need a little more of that, right?
This October – to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week – join us to help wildlife and humans to thrive by taking a walk, stroll, saunter, hike, prance, trot, amble, ramble or roll for the wild.
The Challenge
We're on a mission to empower wildlife and humans to thrive. The challenge is to get people moving a distance of 5K in nature on behalf of as many national wildlife refuges as possible; there are 568 to choose from.
By joining us, you commit to:
- Move a distance of 5K (3.1 miles) in nature during the week starting October 9, 2021. It’s up to you how you move (as long as you do it self-propelled), where in nature you go, and whether you go solo or with friends or family.
- Choose a favorite or soon-to-be-favorite national wildlife refuge to walk for. We hope to see as many wildlife refuges represented as possible and look forward to reporting how many are represented by Walk for the Wild participants.
- During the week, record your activity — walking, jogging, hiking, strolling, or whatever you choose— either manually, or using your favorite fitness tracker. Once you’ve completed the 5k distance (3.1 miles), you are officially a Finisher!
- OPTIONAL, if you are competitive and want to see who can do the challenge the fastest or slowest, you can report your finish time by October 31, 2021.
- Lastly, we hope you share your challenge experiences on social media with the hashtag #walkforthewild2021 and #WildlifeRefuge
How do I join the challenge?
First: Register
Then: Invite your friends, plan your route, start to train
Then: Walk 5K (3.1 miles.) sometime between 10/9-10/16
Get Your Wild On!
What do you get with the free sign up?
Standard Registration Includes:
When should I sign up?
Pre-order deadline was 9/14.
Last Chance Deadline:
Register by October 16 to receive shirts and bibs by November 15.
SWAG IS LIMITED. Don't wait to sign up!
Walk for the Wild is sponsored in partnership by the National Wildlife Refuge System and Public Lands Alliance. A portion of each registration will be used by PLA to help their efforts of supporting NWRS.
Walk for the Wild is sponsored in partnership by the National Wildlife Refuge System and Public Lands Alliance.
Why Walk For The Wild?
The Refuge System and Public Lands Alliance are here to support you in whatever ways we can.
- We can recommend a favorite wildlife refuge based on any number of personal preferences including your favorite animal or your location. Just follow us at @USFWSrefuges on Twitter and @USFWS on Instagram or visit fws.gov/refuges.
- We have plenty of places for you to take your challenge. With nearly 400 national wildlife refuges open for recreation and within an hour’s drive of most major cities, you may have one nearby you didn’t know about. Find a nearby refuge.
- During the week, a nearby refuge may be holding an event that supports the challenge. A list of events is coming soon - but don't wait. Sign up now and we'll send out regular updates to participants.
Have a question? Let us help!
Click an item from the dropdown menu below for help.
Nope. Do what best suits you. Run, walk, hike, roll, etc. Where possible, we prefer if you go using your own power, but adjust to your needs as necessary.
We aim to ship swag items together where possible, but generally all swag ships separately. Shirts and medals ship with a tracking email from support@virtualrunningclub.com. Bibs are sent in a standard white envelope with a first class stamp.
Shipping Timelines for Shirts/Bibs
Register by September 14 to receive your shirt and/or bib by October 9.
Register after September 14 and your shirt and/or bib will ship in Late November.
Shipping Timeline for Medals
Medals will ship regardless of whether you report the completion of your event. They will start to ship from our warehouse in Utah shortly after the event closes in late October.
Registration Timelines for Shirts/Bibs
Register by September 14 to receive your shirt and/or bib by October 9.
Register after September 14 and your shirt and/or bib will ship in Late November.
Registration Timeline for Medals
Medals will ship regardless of whether you report the completion of your event. Medals are limited by supply, so don't wait to sign up. They will start to ship from our warehouse in Utah shortly after the event closes in late October.
Our messages come from support@virtualrunningclub.com. Please add this address to your safe list so you're sure to get all updates.
5K
Reporting your finishing 5K time for this event is not required. All registrants will receive the swag they register for.
If you'd like to share your race success with us, click here to report your time. The reporting deadline is October 31, 2021.
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!
Don’t see the answer to your question? Visit our help center and contact our support team.