IAU Virtual Global Solidarity Weekend announcement
2020 has been a year that will be etched in our memory for generations. Covid-19 has brought the entire world to a standstill which resulted in cancellation of all of our championships for the year. We adopted to the current situation and organized the IAU Global Solidarity Run. This was very well received and we had astounding success from our athletes and member federations.
Following the great outcome from our Virtual Solidarity Run and to remember history we have taken the decision to introduce the Annual IAU Virtual Global Solidarity Weekend. This weekend will bring together athletes from around the globe together for one weekend in a non-competitive virtual event and will remind us to take a look back at history (to year 2020) and the challenges we faced but persevered and raised the solidarity amongst our fellow ultrarunners.
This will be a fixed event on an annual basis that will take place on the 3rd weekend of March and will keep the 6H format. It will be a great opportunity to connect amongst us. A chance to participate in a global run with the convenience of being in your local community and most importantly giving others the opportunity to participate in the IAU Run.
The first event was great success with almost 20 000 km completed by over 400 runners around the globe. It all started early July when we initiated the communication with a great enrolment of 34 teams with over 430 runners. We received some great details of everyone’s participation so that we shared these with you for a three-week period after the event. This ensured that you all had the full details, pictures, and experience of our global involvement. Therefore, we decided to continue this journey with you and keep our family even closer.
Resilient. Confident. Strong. These are expressions that come to mind when I think of our IAU ultrarunning family. This year has made us all a lot more determined and brought us closer together. History makes us wiser for the future and reminds us of how we got to where we are today. 2020 will be the year that our sport embraced the challenges that came our way and held hands virtually for the Global Solidarity Run. We will forever remember this year for the camaraderie and unity by having the IAU Global Solidarity Weekend every year to celebrate these values that define ultrarunning.
Nadeem Khan, IAU President
We will provide more details and share information over the next few months so stay connected and follow our website and social media for more info.
IAU Council
October 1st, 2020
