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500 MILES THE CAPTIVE QUEEN
VIRTUAL RUNNING / WALKING CHALLENGE SERIES
TAKE PART ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
OPEN UNTIL THE END OF 2024
This challenge - the fifth in The Rivals series - follows virtually in the footsteps of Mary, Queen of Scots, as she's forced to abdicate, begs for release from her 20-year incarceration in England, and eventually to her execution at Fotheringhay.
Every time you complete a walking, running or cycling activity, you'll advance along the virtual map - unlocking podcasts and postcards from Mary along the way.
Earn beautiful bling, stay focused and make your miles more fun. Run, walk and/or cycle the 500 miles, choose your own time frame to complete it in and sign up today.
For this challenge, you can share the distance in teams of 2 or 3. Just sign up like normal. If you sign up for your challenges one by one there's an option to add a team name when you do so. Then we will create a team for you and your teammates will be able to join in My Virtual Mission.
Alternatively, if you're a season pass holder, just email hello@secretlondonruns.com, letting us know your team name and the names/emails of the other members of your team. If your team name is not on the dropdown list when you go into My Virtual Mission, do not fear. We'll add you through the back-end - just email hello@secretlondonruns.com.
For those who aren't fans of the longer journeys, we've created a shorter version of this challenge, with a total distance of 119 miles. Find out more and get set up here.
EARN BEAUTIFUL BLING
Celebrate your achievement with a beautiful limited edition Mary, Queen of Scots magnetic medal. Exclusively designed for this event, with lots of special history touches for history lovers, these medals are bound to stand out in your collection.
GET THE WHOLE SET
This medal is the fifth in a series of medals dedicated to The Rivals Series. We've created a giant 18cm wide finisher's medal, upon which you can attach all the individual medals in a secret Tudor scene.
UNRAVEL FASCINATING HISTORY AS YOU GO
Over the 500 miles you'll follow in the footsteps of Mary as she's forced to abdicate, begs for release and is eventually executed at Fotheringhay.
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HOW DOES IT WORK?
We've partnered up with My Virtual Mission for this event so your whole journey is managed through their amazing tech platform - available through their website and in an easy-to-use app.
For those who have already signed up
TAKE PART AS A TEAM OR INDIVIDUALLY
Share the distance in teams of 2 or 3. If you sign up for your challenges one by one there's an option to add a team name when you do so. Then our tech partners will create a team for you and your teammates will be able to join in My Virtual Mission.
Alternatively, if you're a season pass holder, just email hello@secretlondonruns.com and let us know your team name and the names/emails of the other members of your team. If your team name is not on the dropdown list when you go into My Virtual Mission, do not fear. We'll add you through the back-end - just email hello@secretlondonruns.com .
When you sign up for each challenge, you'll be asked for your goal completion time for the challenge. E.g. How many weeks/months would you like to take to walk/run/cycle 500 miles for Mary's 500 Miles the Captive Queen?
SELECT YOUR GOAL
Wherever you are in the world, complete a running, walking or cycling activity - whatever distance you like. Measure it using a GPS tracking device or take a photo of your treadmill screen. Lots of people have fancy GPS watches but there are plenty of free apps (e.g. Strava) that you can download on your phone that work just as well.
RUN, WALK OR CYCLE
LOG YOUR ACTIVITY AND MOVE ALONG THE VIRTUAL MAP
Once this activity is logged in the My Virtual Mission app, you'll see your figure move along the virtual map. You can set it to automatically sync to some apps, or manually upload a photo of your GPS evidence in seconds.
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UNLOCK PODCASTS AND POSTCARDS
When you reach certain places along the map, you'll unlock a postcard or podcast to tell you more about her time there. For example, Hever is about 22 miles along the route for our Anne Boleyn challenge. Once you've clocked up 22 miles of activity, you'll unlock a podcast telling you more about Anne's time at Hever. This will appear in the My Virtual Mission app/website and you'll also receive it by email.
At any time in your journey, you'll be able to check out your virtual surroundings on street view. You might even bump into someone with a matching profile frame!
SEE YOU ON STREET VIEW
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY
The Secret London Runs Connect Facebook group is full of like-minded walkers and runners. Come join us and share the fun.
EARN YOUR MEDAL
We'll send you your medal in the post to celebrate your journey. There are 6 magnetic medals - will you collect them all? For this series, there's also a giant Finisher's Medal to host all the individual medals!
SIGN UP OPTIONS
SINGLE EVENT ENTRY
Mary's 500 Miles the Captive Queen
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Motivation and accountability for 500 miles
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A unique magnetic medal with original illustrations
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Unlock loads of history along the route via postcards and podcasts
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Access to "My Virtual Mission" platform for race mapping, tracking and street view, and synced activity uploads.
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Choose your own time frame - set a goal for how long you want to take to complete the challenge.
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Take part anywhere in the world and join our amazing community in the Secret London Runs Connect Facebook group.
£30.60 (Including VAT, extra shipping for those outside the UK)
OR sign up for the challenge and opt to not receive a medal, for just £17
6 QUEEN SEASON PASS
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Entry to all 6 challenges, whilst saving a few £££
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6 Magnetic medals, individually wrapped
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A free limited edition postcard with original illustrations
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25% off the medal backing plate and any event-based merchandise (e.g. buffs)
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Motivation for all of the challenges!
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A fabulous community to share the challenges with
6 QUEEN PASS: PAY IN 2 INSTALLMENTS
We want as many people as possible to be able to benefit from our season passes. But we’re aware there’s a small gap between us launching the challenges and the start of the first one and your bank account might not welcome the surprise. So we’re giving you an option to pay in two installments.
With the first installment you’ll get access to the first two challenges in The Rival Series as well as the limited edition postcard (with original illustrations) that we’re sending to all Season Pass Holders.
Once you’ve paid the second installment, we’ll send you all 6 of your medals, as well as open up the remaining 4 challenges for you when they launch.
You’ll also get all the benefits of full season pass holders, which includes 25% off the medal backing plate and any event-based merchandise (e.g. buffs).
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THE SERIES
Here's what's still to come...
119 MILES THE CAPTIVE QUEEN
£25.50 (+ VAT & Shipping where applicable)
We know some of you love the long journeys and others hate them. So you can choose how much of Mary's 20 year incarceration in England you want to follow, as we've launched a 119 mile version of this challenge.
75 MILES THE VIRGIN QUEEN
£22.50 (+ VAT & Shipping where applicable)
It’s 1588 the Spanish Armada threatened to destroy England as a huge fleet of ships set sail for the channel. In this journey we’ll follow Elizabeth’s movements during the successful English defence, ending up in Tilbury in Essex for her famous victory speech to the troops. We’ll be exploring why she never married and how symbolism and propaganda were used to promote her status as the warrior queen.
THE MEDALS
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6 Magnetic Medals to collect through the year. And a GIANT 18cm Finisher's Medal with spots to fix each medal.
The giant medal's ribbon is detachable - so you can alternate between wearing it and hanging it on your wall.
When you buy a season pass for The Rivals, you'll get 25% off the giant finisher's medal and any event-based merchandise.