TEXSAR's 2022 Trek Across Texas Virtual Challenge

TEXSAR's Trek Across Texas Challenge is a virtual, month-long physical challenge fundraiser. Registration is $35 ($45 for late registration), and participants can choose one of our courses based on distance (10 mi., 30 mi., 50 mi., 100 mi., or the new Ultra-Trek category) to complete within the month by either walking or running that distance. If you'd like to participate by doing a different activity, we also have an Off-Road Trek category for all non-walking/running activities such as biking, swimming, kayaking, etc. Crawling is allowed, but 5.11 pants are expensive.

This challenge is perfect for anyone who:

• WANTS TO ESTABLISH EXERCISE AS A HABIT: It takes a month to form a new habit. If you are having trouble making physical fitness a priority or struggle with a lack of accountability for an active lifestyle, this is your solution. Your Division Lead will thank you.
• LOVES TO COMPETE: i.e. any given TEXSAR member. There is a lot to compete for in this challenge: money raised, miles run, and completion time. Digital leadership boards give you real-time updates on the status of fellow participants so you know exactly how to get a leg up on the competition. "It’s better to live one day as a lion than 100 as a sheep."
• And most importantly...LOVES TEXSAR! All profits from this fundraiser go to TEXSAR. In addition to registration fees, any donations you solicit through your individual fundraising page helps our organization to do what it does best- help Texans in need.

These are the courses from which you can choose one (note: you don’t need to actually follow these routes, they just represent the distance and help you visualize how far you’ve traveled across our state!)

• Dallas to Irving (10 miles)
• Houston to The Woodlands (30 miles)
• San Marcos to San Antonio (50 miles)
• Austin to Waco (100 miles)
• Off-Road Trek (any non-walk/run activity)
• *Ultra-Trek*-  Who can go the furthest and the fastest?

What's new from last year?

• Ultra-Trek: Calling all marathoners- this new category will designate who can go the furthest and the fastest!
• PRIZES: We have some exciting new prizes in the works that we know you'll love. We'll post some sneak peeks down the road.
• SWAG: Our shirt this year will feature the race logo so you can continue to grow your arsenal of race shirts. We know you've got one! 
• We Are Blood: This year's event is sponsored and partnered with We Are Blood, a nonprofit blood bank here in Texas and a partner of TEXSAR's! We are encouraging all runners to to give blood in the month of April and check that off as a milestone on your Trek! You can give blood through We Are Blood or your local area blood bank. More information coming soon!

Details

Early registration will run from 3:00pm on March 1st to 11:59pm on March 31st for $35. Included with each registration is an event t-shirt, a few fun freebies, and a digital bib. Physical items will be mailed to you and arrive within the first week of the race if you register by March 15th, and the first 175 registrants will be guaranteed their preferred shirt size. Registration will be open until the end of the challenge on April 30th; however, the price of registration will increase to $45 after March 31st. Those who register after March 20th may not receive their registration package until after the first week of April. Our Referral Rewards program gives you a discount when you get friends/family to sign up using your link, so invite anyone you think may be interested!

The challenge period will begin on April 1st and end at 11:59pm on April 30th. Participants upload their time and distance progress to the virtual race platform, allowing them to compete with fellow challengers. Look forward to weekly wrap-ups on the Challenge Updates page as well as the official Trek Across Texas Facebook Group, and compete against each other to see who can top the leaderboard for their category! This is your chance to show off your athletic prowess by rising in the rankings above your teammates. The top challengers within each sub-category that meet their course distance goal in the shortest amount of time will get a prize pack. If you aren’t living on the edge, you're taking up way too much space.

Fundraising

If you’d like to help TEXSAR in a BIG WAY, at NO EXTRA COST to you, listen up! The best way you can support TEXSAR is to set up your own individual fundraising page, you will be prompted to do this during registration. This is a page you can share with friends and family via email/text/social media post, and tracks the donations that you as an individual are able to raise for TEXSAR. We’ve got extra special prizes for those who reach certain milestones or finish at the top of our fundraising leaderboard. This part of the race fundraiser is where you can really make a difference, so we encourage each and every participant to create a page and give it a go!

We've made it as easy as possible for you to do set it up upon registration and start collecting donations. There's no fundraising minimum, but we encourage you to set a high goal (like $1,000). You have nothing to lose and so much to gain!

1. Register for the event at TEXSAR's 2022 Trek Across Texas race page.
2. Craft your story on a personalized donation.
3. Share your story with family and friends!

 

Getting Social

Throughout your journey, we’d love to see your in-action photos and status updates. Post them in the Facebook group and/or tag us in your social media posts at @texsar on Facebook and Instagram, or @texsar1 on Twitter. Use the hashtags listed below! Be goofy, we expect it from many of you.

• #TEXSARTrekAcrossTX
• #TEXSAR
• #TexansHelpingTexans
• #TexasSearchAndRescue

No social media? No problem! Just send any pictures and comments to us at shannon.smith@texsar.org or whitney.huddleston@texsar.org and we can post them for you so you can join the fun.

We will be offering a prize pack for the top photo in each of these categories:

• (1) Most Picturesque Photo
• (1) Craziest Photo
• (1) Social Media Maven 
• (4) Social Challenge (one per week of the challenge period)

 

Sponsors

Interested in sponsoring the challenge? Contact Whitney at whitney.huddleston@texsar.org or 254-721-7209

Shipping

We can only ship to addresses within the United States. Please ensure that the address you enter upon registration is the address you wish to receive your race packet and/or prize pack at. 

Participants that register by March 15th, 2022 will receive their race packets within the first week of the challenge. Participants that register after March 15th, 2022 will still receive their race packets, but they may not arrive until after April 1st. Prize packs will be shipped out after the challenge ends.

If the shipping address you entered is not correct, please contact us at shannon.smith@texsar.org as soon as possible. If a package is delivered to the wrong address due to an incorrect address being submitted by the participant, the participant will be responsible for additional shipping costs if they would like the package re-sent to them.

 

FAQ

What is a virtual challenge?

Participants in a virtual challenge choose their course, which determines the distance that they have to complete within the challenge period (which is from 4/1 - 4/30/2022 for this event). You can earn your miles by walking, jogging, or running anywhere- even indoors on a treadmill. If you'd like to do a different activity, we encourage you to register for our Off-Road Trek category!

You most certainly don’t have to complete the entire distance all at once- plan to spread your miles out throughout the month! You don’t have to wait to upload your results either. Log into your RunSignup account and periodically update your total time and total mileage so we can see where you are in the challenge.

How do I register?

Visit the Event Page here, and select sigh up for race.

Can I register multiple participants at once?

Yes! You can register multiple people in one transaction. Once you've entered Registrant #1's information, scroll down and click the gray button that says '+ Add Another Registrant'. This will pop up a form for Registrant #2.

How do I set up an individual fundraising page?

Click the tab that says ‘Donate’ on the left side of this page. Click on the dropdown tab that says ‘Become a Fundraiser’.

How do I track my distance and time my run? How do I submit results?

1. Click the ‘Results’ button from the Trek Across Texas homepage.
2. Click the ‘Submit Virtual Results’ button.
3. Find your participant registration by entering your first and last name OR enter your email address and DOB. Then, click the ‘Lookup Registration’ button.
4. Hit the ‘Log Activities’ button to enter your time and distance.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish uploading results! For more detailed information on uploading results, visit this link.

Make sure that all of your results are uploaded before 11:59 PM on May 1st- we won’t be accepting submissions after that time!

How can I see the results of other participants?

Click the tab that says ‘Results’ on the left side of this page.

How can I see the results of other participants within a group?

Click the tab that says ‘Group/Teams’ on the left side of this page.

How do I upload pictures?

After submitting your results (scroll up to see how you can submit results), you will be taken to a confirmation page that says that your activity has been saved. There will be a grey button at the bottom of the page that says 'Submit Your Photos!' Follow the prompts to upload and submit your photos.

Alternatively, email them to shannon.smith@texsar.org and they will be uploaded on your behalf.

I don’t have social media. How can I see everyone’s pictures and view challenge updates/shoutouts?

Click the tab that says ‘Challenge Updates’ on the left side of this page. This page will be continually updated with weekly wrapups, challenge updates, and any shoutouts that we post on social media!

To find photos that other participants have posted through the RunSignup platform, click the tab that says ‘Photos’ on the left side of this page.

When is the last day I can submit results?

The last day you can submit the results for your event is 5/1/2022 at 11:59pm.

 

About TEXSAR

TEXSAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit first responder organization headquartered in Austin, Texas. TEXSAR serves all citizens of the State of Texas and deploys at the request of law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency management agencies. TEXSAR provides specialized services such as ground search and rescue; flood and swiftwater rescue; K9 search, rescue, and recovery; disaster relief services; wildland fire; aerial search; UAV support; and dive team operations. TEXSAR is fully self-sufficient, including incident management team (IMT) capabilities, logistics and communications. TEXSAR’s services are free to requesting agencies and are staffed by volunteers who are trained professionals in their fields.

TEXSAR is made up of multiple divisions across the State and deploys to all 254 counties in the State of Texas. TEXSAR has been a significant leader in emergency services and disaster response in the great state of Texas since 2004 and over the years has evolved into one of the largest non-paid search and rescue organizations in the State.

 

For any questions, shoot an email to shannon.smith@texsar.org. See you on the virtual racetrack!