TEACHER APPRECIATION VIRTUAL RACE 2026

Teach • Love • Inspire

Teachers change the world—one student at a time.

Celebrate the educators who teach, encourage, inspire, and believe in us with the 2026 Teacher Appreciation Virtual Race.

Whether you're a teacher yourself, want to honor a favorite educator, are looking for a meaningful Teacher Appreciation gift, or simply want to complete a virtual 5K for a great cause, this race is a beautiful way to say:

Thank you for making a difference.

Choose a 1 Mile, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, or Marathon virtual race, complete your miles anywhere you choose, and earn a beautiful apple-shaped Teach • Love • Inspire finisher medal.

Complete your challenge anytime between May 15 and December 31, 2026.

Because of teachers, the world learns.

CHOOSE YOUR DISTANCE

1 Mile • 5K • 10K • Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) • Marathon (26.2 Miles)

🍎 Celebrate teachers and educators
🏅 Collectible Teach • Love • Inspire apple-shaped finisher medal
🎁 A meaningful Teacher Appreciation gift
🏃 Run, walk, jog, or hike
📍 Complete your virtual race anywhere
📅 Complete anytime May 15–December 31, 2026
👟 Five distances for all fitness levels
❤️ 15% of every registration donated to DonorsChoose
🌎 Join a community that has helped raise more than $1 million for charities and nonprofit organizations

A VIRTUAL RACE TO CELEBRATE TEACHERS

Most of us can remember at least one teacher who made a difference.

Maybe it was the teacher who believed in you before you believed in yourself.

The one who made learning exciting.

The one who encouraged you to keep trying.

The one whose classroom felt like a safe place.

Or maybe you're an educator yourself and know just how much heart, patience, creativity, and dedication teaching requires.

The Teacher Appreciation Virtual Race is a chance to celebrate those incredible educators.

Complete your miles for yourself.

Dedicate them to a favorite teacher.

Invite your school or fellow educators to participate together.

Or give the race as a meaningful gift to a teacher who deserves to know how much they're appreciated.

Teach. Love. Inspire. Repeat.

EARN YOUR TEACH • LOVE • INSPIRE FINISHER MEDAL

Complete your challenge and celebrate with the beautiful Teacher Appreciation Virtual Race finisher medal.

The apple-shaped medal symbolizes knowledge, growth, learning, and gratitude and features the words:

Teach • Love • Inspire

And on the back:

“Because of you, the world learns.”

It's more than a race medal.

It's a meaningful keepsake for an educator—or a special reminder of the teacher who helped shape your life.

HOW DOES THE TEACHER APPRECIATION VIRTUAL RACE WORK?

1. CHOOSE YOUR DISTANCE

Select:

1 Mile | 5K | 10K | Half Marathon | Marathon

Teachers, students, families, runners, and walkers of all fitness levels are welcome.

2. COMPLETE YOUR MILES

Run, walk, jog, or hike anywhere you choose:

• Around your neighborhood
• At a local park
• On your favorite trail
• At the gym
• On a treadmill
• On a track
• Around your school campus
• During another organized race

Complete your distance all at once or spread your miles across multiple sessions.

3. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Use your favorite running app, smartwatch, fitness tracker, treadmill, or another method to track your distance and time.

4. CELEBRATE YOUR FINISH

Submit your results and celebrate what you've accomplished.

There is no required pace and no crowded starting line.

Your race. Your pace. Your reason to inspire.

A GREAT CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS, SCHOOLS & STAFF

This virtual race doesn't have to be completed alone.

Turn it into a fun wellness challenge for your:

• Teachers and school staff
• Grade-level team
• PTO or PTA
• School running club
• Students and families
• Homeschool group
• Friends and coworkers

Everyone can choose their own distance while participating in the same challenge.

It's a fun way to encourage movement, build community, and celebrate the people who make education possible.

YOUR MILES HELP TEACHERS

This Teacher Appreciation Race does more than say thank you.

It also gives back.

15% of every Teacher Appreciation Virtual Race registration is donated to DonorsChoose, helping educators get the books, technology, supplies, and classroom resources their students need.

That makes every mile a little more meaningful.

You're not only celebrating teachers.

You're helping support them.

Run for the teacher who inspired you.

Walk for the educator making a difference today.

Or complete your miles as a teacher who knows firsthand just how important classroom support can be.

Celebrate teachers. Support classrooms. Make your miles matter.

MORE THAN $1 MILLION RAISED FOR CHARITY

When you participate in the Teacher Appreciation Virtual Race, you're joining a community committed to making miles mean something.

The Virtual Run Events community has helped raise more than $1 million for charities and nonprofit organizations.

Every registration adds to that impact.

Every race gives us another opportunity to support an important cause.

And every participant helps turn a running or walking challenge into something bigger than a finish line.

Move your body. Celebrate someone special. Make your miles matter.

A MEANINGFUL TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFT

Looking for something different from another mug or gift card?

The Teach • Love • Inspire Virtual Race makes a unique Teacher Appreciation gift for:

• Classroom teachers
• Preschool teachers
• Special education teachers
• School counselors
• Coaches
• Principals and administrators
• Homeschool teachers
• Retired educators
• Student teachers
• Anyone who has made a difference through education

Give them something that celebrates not only what they do—but the difference they make.

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL RACE?

A virtual race is a running or walking challenge you complete on your own schedule from virtually anywhere.

There's no required starting line.

No crowded race morning.

No minimum pace.

Walk your neighborhood.

Run your favorite trail.

Use a treadmill.

Walk around your school campus.

Complete your miles alone or invite friends, family, students, or fellow teachers to join you.

Virtual races are perfect for beginners, walkers, experienced runners, and anyone who wants the motivation of a race with the freedom to complete it their own way.

You choose the distance. You choose the course. You create the finish line.

BECAUSE OF YOU, THE WORLD LEARNS

Teachers do so much more than teach lessons.

They encourage.

They listen.

They inspire.

They challenge.

They believe.

And sometimes they change the entire direction of a person's life without ever realizing it.

Choose your challenge:

1 Mile. 5K. 10K. Half Marathon. Marathon.

Complete your miles for yourself—or dedicate them to an educator who made a difference in your life.

Teach • Love • Inspire

Because teachers don't just teach the future.

They help create it.