With our mission being “To empower people to live a more healthy and active lifestyle”, it was a no-brainer that we wanted to be involved in the #OptOutside campaign as soon as it was announced. #movethemission

So not only will we get out and enjoy the outdoors ourselves, we’ve partnered with our friends at Nuun Hydration to organize a free group run at Green Lake Park in Seattle. It’ll be a chance to socialize, work off those holiday eats, and win one of several raffle prizes from us, Nuun, KRAVE JERKY, and REC:Shirts & Swag. And, if you’re not in Seattle, we’ve come up with a clever way for you to join us in spirit.

Click here or the photo below for info.

It’s truly a privilege to be able to get out and enjoy the fresh air of the Pacific Northwest with fellow runners and walkers in our community. We don’t take that for granted and look forward to making the most of the day — as we do every day.

Wishing you and yours a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving.

Jon

Co-Founder & CEO | FitFam

Today is our newest starting line…

As you may have seen, we recently announced an upcoming rebrand for Gametiime. Well, great news: today, that rebrand is here…

We are incredibly excited to launch FitFam — a platform for you to enjoy branded virtual events nationwide with thousands also seeking to achieve their impossible.

You can learn more and check out what we’ve built so far at https://fitfam.com.

We have never been more motivated to #movethemission — to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. And, there is much more to come in the future.

All previous features you’ve come to know and love on Gametiime are still available — including our race finder, groups, profiles, and followership of inspiring runners.

Here forward, you’ll receive communicate from FitFam. And, you can continue to connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Thank you for your support and I’d love to hear any of your feedback or questions on our next big step forward! We can’t wait to #movethemission in an even bigger way and we look forward to you joining us in the next part of our journey.

Jon
Co-Founder & CEO | FitFam

Tomorrow is a new Day 1…

Firstly, thank you for your support of our journey and being part of the Gametiime Community. Over the past few years, we have created a tool to help thousands of runners of all ages and abilities to explore the world of racing and connect as a community — to go further, be stronger, and commit to being your best.

Our mission to empower a healthier and more active world has always been at the forefront of what we do, and always will be. It’s why do we what we do.

This is a big week for us at Gametiime and we look forward to you joining us. In the next 24 hours (and forward), we will be launching a new brand that we believe better and further allows us to empower you. And, our new featured offering will introduce an innovative, engaging way to connect runners seeking to achieve their impossible.

Worry not, Gametiime features you’ve come to know and love will still be available — including our race finder, groups, profiles, and followership of runners who inspire you.

We can’t wait to tell you more about what’s to come. We’ve shared an incredible journey with you thus far, and we look forward to our next path to #movethemission.

Jon

Co-Founder & CEO | Gametiime

Today, we are pleased to announce that Gametiime.com has evolved to now feature a fresh, easier-to-use mobile interface. All of the same features you have grown to love — like searching for events in your city or a date range, saving races to your user profile, claiming virtual race medals, and more — are now available through an improved, responsive layout.

Whether you’re using a smart phone or tablet, we’ve improved your Gametiime viewing experience. Please give it a try on your mobile device and let us know us what you think!

With the participant community already representing 20 states, we thought it’d be fun to interview a registrant and hear what’s got her most excited about the event. Keep reading to hear why Emily’s so stoked to be signed up for Doggy Dashers!

Why did you decide to join us?

“I signed up for Doggy Dashers because I am a volunteer with NWBR. And because I’m a big fan of boxers. I’ve been recovering from a foot injury the last year or so, and I’m hoping to use Doggy Dashers as a motivation to get back into a jogging routine.”

What does NWBR and this event mean to you?

“I’ve been a fairly active volunteer with NWBR for the last three years, and it has brought a tremendous amount to my life. My actual job isn’t always the most fulfilling for me, but I’ve been able to make NWBR a very fulfilling piece of my life to counteract that. Plus I get to be involved in the changing of lives of so many dogs, even indirectly. This event itself is a way to not only get our message out to a new audience, but it allows us to fund-raise in a unique way.”

What do you have planned for the event?

“Right now, my plan is to take my dog Tonks, plus my mom and her boxer mix (and NWBR alumni) Rudy, out to a local trail to complete our 5K. Hoping perhaps to convince some friends to join us before the registration deadline comes up too.”

Anything else you’d like to share?

“Just a thank you on behalf of NWBR for all that have registered, and to Doggy Dashers for partnering with us in this venture. And a thank you to Nancy Trejo, one of our dedicated volunteers who helped organize this event.”

If you’re not yet familiar with a virtual run, it’s an event allowing runners to run locally but connect nationally (and perhaps even globally in the future). By signing up, registrants become part of an online participant community — centered around the event’s theme and charitable beneficiary. They run where and when they would like (within a given timeframe), share results, photos, and stories of their adventures, and receive exclusive merchandise in the mail to remember the experience.

For The Puppy Run, we introduced some brand-new additions to our offering, including:

1. Three run distances for participants to choose from (5K, 10K, and half marathon)
2. Customized ribbons for each of the distances above
3. The addition of a dog registration specially-made for our favorite running buddies
4. A more streamlined process for submitting your finishing time

On top of the shirt, bib, medal, and other goodies past recipients received for the Pi Day 5K earlier this year, Puppy Run participants received an adorable collection of puppy-themed swag — celebrating their hard-earned running accomplishments and (of course) their devoted love for puppies!

Rather than tell you about it, we figured we would show you in pictures! Here just a few of the hundreds of photos submitted by Puppy Run participants during the mid-June event. Click here to see all of the photos from across The Puppy Run Community!

And, that’s not all. The Puppy Run benefitted a great cause too! Selected as the charity partner for this event, Valhalla Canine Rescue — dog rescue and care facility located in Winlock, WA — received proceeds from the event to help their efforts in rescuing abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs. With all of the talk of Cecil the Lion and animal rescue being such a highlighted issue in recent news, we’re thrilled to have benefitted their courageous work. Here’s a message from Valhalla’s Director, Patti Angeliz:

Working with Gametiime and Jon Tam has been one of the most pleasant experiences ever. Not only did I learn a lot about the organization and the wonderful work they do, but they provided me with everything we needed to share with our friends and supporters. It was a great way to create an exciting event that was different from our normal type of fundraisers and also provided a new way to meet people from all over with a love for dogs.

The donation made to Valhalla from the participants of the Puppy Run was more than we expected. This generous donation can help continue to live our mission statement and ensure that we can continue to rescue dogs from shelters that would otherwise be killed for a medically treatable condition or injury.

Lastly, a special thank our dog food and treat partners for this event, BOGO Bowl and Wiggle Waggles Barkery, for their help in providing delicious goodies to our registrants!

Miss out on the Puppy Run? Have no fear! There’s another doggy-theme run around the corner! Click below and join the interest list for the Doggy Dashers Virtual Run/Walk — benefitting Northwest Boxer Rescue!

Tell me when Doggy Dashers is announced!

Want to stay in the loop on future Puppy Run announcements in the future? Follow The Puppy Run Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

1. The opportunity to run as part of a uniquely-connected online community
2. Being part of a fun-themed event with an impactful cause
3. Receiving awesome, exclusive merchandise mailed to their door!

Over 750 runners later, it was clearly true — the Pi Day 5K was a sweet, mathematical hit. Over the weekend of 3/12 to 3/15, runners across all but 5 states (as well as 3 Canadian provinces) submitted hundreds of photos on Instagram, finishing times for their well-earned miles, and received coveted Pi Day 5K swag and prizes.

All in all, we shipped over 700 shirts, medals, bibs, stickers, and Clif Bars — and even mailed out 80 delicious pies from Sky Bake Deliveries!

When all was said and done, we capped off the event with one of its most important aspects — a $900 cash donation to IGNITEWorldwide, benefitting STEM education for girls. We couldn’t be happier to contribute to such a worthy cause and, rather than say it ourselves, here are a few words from IGNITE’s Founder and Executive Director, Cathy Rodgveller:

Partnering with Gametiime for the Pi Day 5K was wonderful for our non-profit, IGNITE. Gametiime made this experience easy, and captured the attention of our volunteers who signed up in droves. Because of this great collaboration from Gametiime, everyone was able to help raise funds for our organization!

Money raised from the 5K will go toward beginning new IGNITE chapters in diverse, low-socioeconomic schools. Our chapters work with girls in 6th-12th grade, and help provide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) opportunities and support the girls would not otherwise receive.

Gametiime is very passionate about our mission to reach as many girls as possible and sought out our organization to fundraise with us. Gametiime truly cares about their community and the positive impact their company is able to make.

Lastly, we would like to thank our partners for this event, the Mustache Dache!

Want to hear about our next virtual run? “Paws” for a moment and scamper over to the Puppy Run event website. Proceeds from the event will benefit canine rescue and care through another 501(c)3 organization, Valhalla Rescue.

Our hunch told us runners needed it so we quickly got to work.

In just a few weeks, we launched our first virtual run. We called it the Pi Day 5K, in playful celebration of the mathematical number and scheduled for (most appropriately) 3/14/15.

We set our goal to get 500 registrants for our inaugural event. As the days went on and we found our registration numbers far exceeding our daily goals, we raised that number to 750 entries — only to reach that number and sell out in just a few more days.

So what’s a virtual run all about? The premise of the event is that participants register to run with friends and receive a finishers’ shirt, medal, and other sweet surprises for having accomplished their goal. Sounds like any other race, right? That’s where our experience will differ by giving runners a flexible alternative to traditional races they would find.

Virtual events give runners the opportunity to collectively enjoy a fun and motivational challenge — regardless of where they live and less contingent on being available on, say, a Saturday at 7AM sharp. Not to mention, participants nationwide can rally around a cause. For the Pi Day 5K, we are making a significant charitable contribution to IGNITE Worldwide, a 503(c)3 non-profit benefitting STEM education and career opportunities for girls.

Furthermore, as 3/14/15 approaches, we are preparing to soon unveil an online experience that you would not find for a traditional race. It compliments the number of Pi Day 5K goodies that people will be receiving in the mail. Thanks to the beauty of the Internet, participants will be able to:

• see info about fellow registered runners across the US (covering all but 5 states!)
• submit finishing times and be entered into award contests for mail-delivered pies from Sky Bake Deliveries and prize packs from ENERGYbits
• get supportive encouragement for training for and completing their 5K run

We couldn’t be more excited about the big response to our first virtual run. If you didn’t score an entry for this one, worry not! We are already conceptualizing another event.

Signup here to get an early heads up and join us for our next virtual run.

 

  

  

Enter our race giveaway before 3/6/15, or skip that and register right away here!

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Follow Blooms to Brews on Facebook!

Are you interested in a flat, fast that features scenic views along the Columbia River, majestic country farmland, and acres of beautifully-colored tulips that lead to the final two miles of a crowd-cheering race finish? So are we! We had an opportunity to interview Elba Benzler of Get Bold Events about the Blooms to Brews Marathon, Four-Person Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, & 10K. Read more about this picturesque Boston Marathon qualifier and be sure to put your name in for a free entry when our drawing is announced soon!

Tell us about Blooms to Brews. What, when, and where is it? Blooms to Brews is a unique, spring race that features a marathon, four-person relay, half marathon, and 10K. All races will be on April 12th, with start times between 7:30am and 7:50am. It takes place in one of the most historic and scenic communities in Washington — the Woodland Bottoms farm country.

What can participants expect to see and do? Nature at its best! Participants will enjoy views of the mighty Columbia River, the North Fork of Lewis River, Horseshoe Lake, eagle nests and chinook salmon fisherman the river, and country farm land with tulip fields and lilacs in bloom. Still want more? Participants can also make a short jaunt — before or after the race — to see a number of other tourist spots nearby, including: Merwin Dam, Yale Reservoir, Mt. St Helens, and the Cedar Creek Grit Mill.

Your registration includes a wicking shirt, goodie bag, and Alameda beer, food, and a live DJ at the post-party. We also have finishers medals for all four runs!

What do you consider to be the best part about Blooms to Brews? The best part of Blooms to Brews is the course. It’s flat, fast, and beautiful. Coming out of Horseshoe Lake Park, marathon and relay runners will be in the city for two miles. They will pass, then cross over into beautiful country farm land. By mile five, runners will be on Dike Road, which follows the Columbia River. (Half marathoners will see much of this as well.) The run along Dike Road and the Columbia River will span ten miles before coming to the five-mile Veteran’s Loop, and then runners will continue under the railroad tracks bridge onto a gravel road. Along this the section of the race, road runners will see the Lewis River and eagle nests in the area before coming back onto pavement where they will see acres and acres of beautiful tulip from Holland America Bulb Farms. Once they pass the tulip fields, it’s two miles to the finish line!

How many participants do you expect for the race? We expect over 2,000 participants for this year’s event — pretty closely spread out races each of the four race distances we’ll be offering.

How long has the race been around? This is the third year of Blooms to Brews. The first two years, we only had our half marathon and 10K races. 2015 is the inaugural year of our marathon and four-person marathon relay races, and we couldn’t be more excited to add them to the event!

Does Blooms to Brews benefit any charitable organizations? Yes! Our race organization, Get Bold Events, is a non-profit 501(c)3 itself. We are also benefiting the Scott Hill Sports Complex in Woodland, WA. Proceeds will go towards the building of a sport complex for the kids, including brand new baseball and soccer fields.

Do you organize other events as well? Sure do! Get Bold Events also organizes three other events besides Blooms to Brews:

• Resolution Run – second weekend January in Battle Ground, WA
• Harvest Hay Half – third weekend of July in Battle Ground, WA
• North County Wine Run – second weekend of September in Ridgefield, WA

Anything else you’d like to share with the Gametiime community? Get Bold events staff members are endurance athletes just like you. Most of us are runners, and we’ve also been known to challenge ourselves with cycling events and triathlons as well! Case in point, we’re proud to mention that Karen King (one of the race directors) is taking on IronmanCanada the last week of July and we are all behind her in support.

How can people find out more about the Blooms to Brews? You can find out more information by visiting our website or Facebook page.

Have an awesome event you would like us to highlight in Races of Gametiime? Leave a comment or send an email to info@gametiime.com and we’ll get back to you shortly.

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