Run or Read Your Way Through the Harry Potter Alliance’s Annual 10K

by · October 29, 2020

Whether you prefer running or reading, the Harry Potter Alliance (also known as the HPA) has just the event for you! The fandom-focused nonprofit has announced its annual 10K in partnership with Potterhead Running Club (PHRC), but it isn’t your typical virtual run. Given the concerns that some participants might have about going outside or going to a gym amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shine a Light in Dark Times: 10K Magical Read & Run will award medals for reading too!

According to the press release from the HPA, the reading challenge also comes with a target in mind.

The HPA’s wizard accountants crunched the numbers and found that it takes an average of 15,000 steps to complete a 10K – so they’re asking readers to read 150,000 words (that’s roughly 600 pages or two young adult novels!) by October 31st. The HPA is even sending participants recommendations for what you can read to meet the goal!

Participants in the 10K can run or read at their own pace, the HPA notes, asking participants to use the hashtag #LightintheDark10K on October 31, 2020.

If you’re interested in participating, registration is $27 per participant. Each participant will receive a medal and can purchase an exclusive event T-shirt or hoodie. Registration is open until October 31 at midnight PDT or until the 1,000-participant cap is reached. Medals will be mailed in the first week of November.

For more information, check out the press release below!

Press Release

The Harry Potter Alliance Allows Fans to Run or READ Their Way Through Annual 10K

Hundreds of Harry Potter [f]ans around the world are coming together to run a virtual 10K race this October...with a twist.

The Harry Potter Alliance’s “Shine a Light in the Dark Times: Read & Run 10K” event is taking an innovative approach to activism this fall, setting an example for how nonprofit organizations can creatively host fundraising events in a socially distant world. The Harry Potter Alliance is an activist organization that over fifteen years has united hundreds of thousands of online members and local chapters across six continents and 30 nations.

Not everyone wants to step outside or in a gym right now. So [t]he Harry Potter Alliance is allowing fans to earn virtual race medals by just reading! The HPA’s wizard accountants crunched the numbers and found that it takes an average of 15,000 steps to complete a 10K - so they’re asking readers to read 150,000 words (that’s roughly 600 pages or two young adult novels!) by October 31st. The HPA is even sending participants recommendations for what you can read to meet the goal!

As a virtual event, fans are able to read or run at their own pace. Whatever they choose, they are asked to share their photos using #LightintheDark10K on October 31st, 2020.

This 10K is the HPA’s sixth virtual race and is being hosted in partnership with the Potterhead Running Club. Registration costs $27 per participant. Participants will receive a medal and can purchase an exclusive event T-shirt or hoodie. Registration is open until October 31st.

Registration is a tax-deductible donation to [the] HPA and will help them continue their groundbreaking campaigns and leadership programs to use the power of story and popular culture to make activism accessible and sustainable, and turn fans into heroes!

Registration closes on Halloween at midnight PDT (or when the 1,000 registration cap is reached), and all of the medals will be mailed the first week of November.

 

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