For as long as people have been seeing No Meat Athlete shirts out there on the roads and at festivals, they’ve been asking us if we do group runs, local races, and the like.
The answer, up until now, has always been an apologetic no. But finally, it’s happening — and we’re kicking it off with a bang.
My first marathon was a Rock ‘n’ Roll race, and to this day they’re my favorite kind. So I wouldn’t have it any other way than to choose a Rock ‘n’ Roll race as the goal for our first group. There’s a half marathon relay too, so even if you’re not ready for a half marathon, you could split the distance with a friend!
I’ll be running the full marathon; Susan will be running the half. And we’d like to invite you to join us for the race, a special online training group, and dinner and other fun stuff in D.C. the night before the race.
We’re pretty pumped to have the chance to do this with a bunch of other no-meat athletes. And while this is just the first of many races where we hope to do this, we want this initial one to be extra special, and make it something that everyone involved will rave about.
So here’s what we’ve got planned for everyone who signs up for our inaugural group.
Note: Our package doesn’t include the registration for the race itself, so make sure you do that separately!
The Training
Training for a marathon, half, or even a relay can be overwhelming if you’ve never done it before (or even if you have).
We want to make the process as easy and as fun as possible, whether it’s your first race or your tenth. So here’s what we’ve got to help you get across the finish line with a smile on your face.
Private site and forum access
We set up a special site set just for those training with us, and once you’re inside, you’ll be able to connect with us and the group, to make friends, have your questions answered, and share and celebrate your progress along the way.
Maybe it’s corny, but we want you to make real friends through this. It’s not that often that you meet people who share your beliefs about food and health … so who knows, maybe you’ll even find a training partner.
One of our plant-based training guides
You’ll also get a copy of one of our training guides — Marathon Roadmap or Half Marathon Roadmap — whichever you choose, including all six audio interviews that you can listen to on your way to work or while you run. Of course, you’re welcome to train with any program you like, but even in the case that you go with a different program, our guides are packed with helpful information about training (and not just training, but on a plant-based diet) that you can apply to your particular program.
Weekly email check-ins
To help keep you on track, you’ll get an email from us each week. We’ll remind you of where you should be with your training and what you should be focusing on, thinking about, and even eating as the race approaches.
We look at this as your weekly “wake-up call,” to get you motivated for the week ahead and help you stay focused.
Two live Q&A calls
Whenever you’ve got questions, you’ll be able to ask them in the forums. But for your more in-depth questions about your training or the race, the kind that are better answered in person, I’ll be hosting two video chats just for the group. You’ll be able to sign on and ask me your questions, and get an immediate and personal response from me.
I haven’t set the exact dates yet, but one will be in January, once things have settled down after the holidays and while you’ve still got a few months of training left, and the other will be a week or two before the race, to help you calm those last-minute jitters and prepare for the race itself.
The Race Experience
We’re all about making race day and the day before as fun and festive as possible. To me, that’s what makes it all worth it. And that’s why we chose a Rock ‘n’ Roll series race.
But we’re going a step further than just choosing a fun race. We’ve also got some great stuff planned for the day before the race and the morning of, so that you can share the excitement (and the jitters) with us and other no-meat athletes.
Pre-race dinner party at Cafe Green
We know it’s not always easy to find vegan or vegetarian food, especially the kind that you need the night before a big race. So we’re working with Cafe Green, a fantastic vegan restaurant nearby, to develop a special menu fit for pre-race fueling that’s just for our party. Your dinner will be included in the price of the training package, and this will give us all a chance to hang out before the race. (And yes, you’ll be able to bring a guest to the dinner. We haven’t finalized the exact dinner price with Cafe Green yet, but plan on $20-25 for a guest to come along.)
Pre-race breakfast from Sticky Fingers vegan bakery
To make race day morning a little more gourmet, we’ll enjoy bagels and breads from the award-winning, 100% vegan Sticky Fingers Bakery. We’ll also provide some fruit for those who are choosier about their pre-race breakfast, and of course you’re welcome to do your own thing as well.
A few other perks still in the works…
We’re also tossing around some ideas for other activities the day before the race, like a relaxing yoga class or short group run to shake out those last-minute jitters. (We’ll get some input from the group to help decide which people are most interested in.)
We’re also planning to put together a spectator guide, so that your fans will know where to be and when (and you’ll hopefully get a few extra cheers since our group’s spectators will probably get to know each other this way).
Bonus: a No Meat Athlete shirt to train and run in
Our running carrot shirts have been a driving force behind the community, so it’s only natural to throw one in for anyone who joins our group, right? Choose any one you want from our store to wear while you train or race to show everyone you “Run on Plants.”
We wish we could take everyone, but …
We’d love for this to be a massive group, to help bring attention to just how many people out there running races like this are doing it on plants. And maybe one day, our groups will be this huge.
But this first time, we wanted to keep the in-person experience as special as possible. And so we chose a pretty small place for dinner to keep it tight-knit, so that everyone can get to know each other and so that everyone comes away from this raving about how much fun it was.
So here’s the deal. We can only take 25 people for this group.
It’s possible we’ll be able to open up the online forum and webinar access to a larger group, but unfortunately we have to cap the number that are included in the in-person stuff at 25.
What’s the cost?
We think this is a pretty sweet package. And we really want this experience as amazing as possible and create a close group who will be comfortable giving us lots of feedback, to improve it now and in the future. So from the beginning, we decided that this first-time we’re going to keep the cost for this whole experience as low as we can.
Just to recap what’s included and what it would normally cost you:
Our Roadmap training guides regularly go for $27 and $37. Dinner at Cafe Green (which is included, like everything else here) is $20-25, and Sticky Fingers breakfast will be another $5. And a technical NMA shirt costs $23.
So that right there is $80+ worth of stuff. And that’s before you even consider the value of having access to the forums where you can connect with others and get answers to your questions, the weekly training emails to keep you on track, and the live Q&A calls where I’ll be there to answer your questions as you ask them.
And of course, don’t forget that we’ll be adding even more stuff, like the yoga session or group run and spectator guide.
So while the value of the whole package easily exceeds $100, we’re thrilled to be able to offer all of this to the very small, first-time group for only $57.
We’re really looking forward to seeing you in D.C. and in the forums for the next few months. If you’d like to be one of the 25 people who join me and Susan in this very special group, click the green button below to sign up.
UPDATE: The group is now full. If you’d like to join the waiting list in case not everyone brings a guest, contact me and let me know.
As soon as you do, you’ll get an email with some initial questions about things like which shirt and training guide you want, what distance you’ll be running, etc., and then we’ll open up the online community at the beginning of next week.
See you inside!
PS — If you’ve got any questions about what’s included or anything else, just contact me and ask!
