Miles for Isles

5K My Way

September 5th 2020 – September 20th 2020

Thank you to all the sponsors and participants who supported the 2020 Miles for Isles: 5K My Way!


Get out and get active for Miles for Isles: 5K My Way! Sign up for our virtual 5K fundraiser and complete your miles between September 5th and September 20th.

It’s a 5K “My Way” – you pick the race, route, and timing and share your community by posting photos with the hashtag #milesforisles.

The Details

  • Choose your event: Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned walker/runner, bike enthusiast, or swimmer, we have an event for you! Sign up for a fun run/walk, 5k, 10k, or bike ride.  See more details on our event sign up page.

  • Register and/or fundraise your way: Registration is $20 per event. Participants have the option of creating their own fundraising page, and if you hit a $120 minimum, your $20 registration fee is refunded.

  • Show your support by wearing your one-of-a-kind Miles for Isles t-shirt (pictured here). The t-shirt is included for all registrations prior to August 20, so register today!

  • Share your community: We work to build healthy communities, and we know that this is more important now than ever. While we can’t run together this year, we want to build a virtual community. We’ll be sharing highlights about Trenton – show us what makes your neighborhood special. Share your favorite walking, running, cycling, (or swimming!) routes around your way! Take photos and share them on our Facebook group or on Instagram with the hashtag #milesforisles.

Become a Fundraiser

There are several competitive peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities, individual fundraisers, pledges per mile and team fundraisers, detailed below:

  • Individual Fundraisers Ask your friends and family to support your race through one-time contributions on your individual fundraiser through our race page. Raise $120 to receive a refund on your registration. The top three fundraisers win custom sweatshirts.

  • Pledge-per-Mile Set a goal for the number of miles to complete along with a dollar amount for your supporters to donate per mile. The person with the most miles wins a custom sweatshirt.

  • Team Fundraisers Grab some friends or get your office involved to work towards a common goal. The team who raises the most funds wins a custom championship banner for the office or other shared space.

    To set up an individual or team fundraiser, visit our registration page here. To enable pledge-per-mile, you may do so by editing your individual fundraiser on your runner profile after registration, or by contacting the race director directly at [email protected].

Run (or Walk) with our New CEO!

Last week, we announced that Sean Jackson has been selected to serve as our next CEO, starting October 1st. In addition to Sean’s many talents and experience in public policy, law, and real estate development, he is an avid runner and 5k expert!

Complete your #MilesforIsles alongside Sean as he tours Trenton and Isles’ work on Saturday, September 12th. Not a runner? No problem! Sean will be hosting both a 5k run as well as a 1-mile fun walk to connect with friends of all abilities. Come meet our new CEO, see Isles’ thriving gardens, and get an update on our latest work.

Saturday, September 12th:

  • 8:30 am: 5k Run
  • 9:30 am: 1 Mile Walk

Both activities will begin at our 33 Tucker Street location.

Let us know you’re planning to join by emailing [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Why should I participate in Miles for Isles: 5K My Way?

Registration fees for Miles for Isles: 5K My Way go directly to Isles, Inc. in support of our mission to foster self-reliant families in healthy, sustainable communities. The funds raised through this virtual, community building event will go to the development and effective delivery of new direct services and help us adapt swiftly when circumstances change. To learn more about Isles’ direct services download our brochure here. To learn more about how we have adapted to changing circumstances recently, see here.

The race seems to last for two weeks. How does that work exactly?
 
The race event takes place from midnight on September 5th – 11:59 pm on September 20th.  Participants can complete their event(s) any time during that period. If you wish, you may enter routes and photos all at once or on multiple days within that timeframe. This way, we can better accommodate participants’ schedules, account for changes in weather, and provide enough time for you to share what’s to love around your way.

Is the 5K the required distance, and why are there multiple events on the registration page?

There are four official events so that we can offer four official distances, or event types, The fun run/ walk, the 5K, the 10K, and the bike ride. The fun run/ walk has no designated minimum or target distance. The 5K is for sharing 5K routes. The 10K is for sharing 10K routes. The bike ride has no designated minimum, however, we are interested in finding marathon routes in the area, so we have set the target distance for the bike ride to 26.2 miles.

If I want to run multiple distances, do I have to pay for each event?

The answer here is yes and no. If you register for multiple events, you will be charged a registration fee for each one. If you want to record multiple distances without paying multiple event fees, we suggest that you register for the fun run/ walk since it has no designated minimum or target distance.

Photos, Routes, and Times

How do I upload and share my routes and photos?

Participants are encouraged to use their preferred combination of available options detailed below:

    • Option 1: Upload your photos and routes directly to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with the hashtag #milesforisles and the appropriate hashtag for your event.
    • Option 2: Share your photos in our Miles for Isles Facebook Group. Upload your photos to the album corresponding to your event within the group.
    • Option 3: Join Strava and log your results with our Miles for Isles Club. Track your run within the club using the same name that you used to register. Make sure that specific run is publicly viewable.  

If this is all new to you, but you would like to participate, contact the race director, Sophie Ban, at [email protected], for more guidance.

How do I upload and view my distance, time, and elevation results?

To upload your results, navigate to “Results” from the menu (or follow this link). You will see an option to “Submit Virtual Results.” Click on that option to be taken to a search page where you can search for yourself by name or by email address and date of birth. Click the “Log Activities Button.” Enter the date of the activity and log the appropriate distance, time, or elevation information. Add a comment if you wish, and hit “Submit” at the bottom.

To view results, wait 2-4 minutes for your to appear on the results page. The main individual results, sorted by distance run, can be found by clicking on the results menu item, linked here.  Click on your name to see your individual distance log, with every run submitted to date.

How do you verify that runners really complete the runs that they say they do?

As a virtual race, we can’t reliably verify times and distances. We encourage participants to upload their routes and photos and to consider entering one of our fundraising categories between midnight on September 5th  and 11:59 pm on September 20th. We also encourage participants to challenge themselves and each other by recording their times and elevations in our virtual results.

Do my results have to be submitted during that week of the challenge? What happens if I forget to submit my miles and/or time?

Unfortunately, all results must be submitted between midnight on September 5th  and 11:59 pm on September 20th in order to enter an award category. So don’t forget to log your routes!

Will there be medals or awards, and how are winner(s) determined?

There are three categories of fundraisers who will receive awards. These are individual fundraisers, pledge-per-mile, and fundraising teams. The top three individual fundraisers overall will each win a custom sweatshirt. The individual fundraiser who activates pledges-per-mile, and logs the most miles will also win a custom sweatshirt. The fundraising team that raises the most overall will win a custom banner to be displayed in a shared space. 

While there are no awards for fastest times, we hope to recognize a few superlatives like “most routes posted,” or “most photos per mile.” Stay tuned for more information.  

Individual Fundraising & Fundraising Teams

How do I become a fundraiser, and when can I start fundraising?

Everyone will automatically become a fundraiser upon registering. Start raising funds today! The default fundraising goal for each entry is $100, and if you raise $120 or more, your $20 registration fee will be refunded. You are also able to change your fundraising goal and/or hide your fundraising page as needed. We encourage participants to make their fundraising pages public and share them with friends and family.

What if I don’t want to become a fundraiser and just want to run?

We’d love for you to participate! Just choose your category and pay the registration fee. Upon registering, you automatically become a “fundraiser,” but you can disregard your fundraising page and just start planning your run!  (You are also able to change your fundraising goal and/or hide your page – reach out to [email protected] if you need help to do so.) 

How do I join a team? Do I need a password?  Can I still join a team even if I don’t know anyone on any of the teams?

To join an existing team, select from available teams here. Some teams will require passwords. To join such teams, you will need the password from the team captain. Feel free to join any team which does not require a password. Everyone is welcome to join the Isles team, no password needed.  However, the Isles team is not eligible for the fundraising team award.  

To create your own team, do so at registration, or navigate to the create a fundraiser page here. Scroll down to the teams section, and turn on “Create Team.”  You do not need a password to create a team, but you will need one to limit your team to people you already know.

What if I want to donate without participating in the race?

To become a fundraiser for this event, navigate to the fundraising page, and follow the prompts. To support a runner or a team without registering yourself, find the runner or team you wish to support here. Donations may always be made at:  https://isles.org/donate/

Health & Safety

Here are some safety precautions we recommend:

    • Please talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise regime, and be prepared to call for medical assistance if you need it.
    • Always stay hydrated properly, and be mindful of temperature and track your routes in the morning or evening when the temperatures are lower.
    • Please adhere to traffic rules and use caution at intersections when running in the road, and use caution around pedestrians and bikers. 
    • Follow any local social distancing orders, as well as CDC guidelines during participation. We advise participants to use extra caution and run alone.

Thank you and enjoy the race!

Sponsorship Opportunities 

Interested in becoming a sponsor?  Contact Sophie at [email protected]

Thank You to our Sponsors