Knights in White Lycra (KIWL), a well-established voluntary group that Custom Media supports, organizes sports events—such as cycling, walking, golf, running and futsal—to support and raise funds for charitable causes. Here, Connect features KIWL’s latest running event: the Go-Go Virtual Charity Run. The KIWL Go-Go Charity Virtual Run 2020 (sponsored by 76 LUBRICANTS) supports YouMeWe, an NPO that aims to provide children at care homes with the support they need to enter society by the age of 18. Since it is a virtual run, anybody can take part anywhere. Here’s how:
How to Join the Run
1. Sign up
You can sign up here.
2. Run a minimum of 55 km
You must be wondering why 55 km. Well, the Japanese word for five is go. You have the whole of November to do your run. Please track your runs, using the GPS function on a smartphone or a watch. You can show your progress by joining the KIWL Go-Go Charity Virtual Run 2020 Club on the Strava app at https://www.strava.com/clubs/kiwlrunners. If you’re not a Strava member, sign up for free at https://www.strava.com. Club members will show up on the weekly leaderboard, which will list the top 100 in running distance. Make sure your activity view privacy setting is set to “Everyone”—otherwise it won’t appear on the leaderboard. On Tuesday, December 1, everyone’s totals for November will be tallied. The leaderboard automatically resets every Monday, so the organizer will post weekly summaries on the Strava Club and the KIWL Runners Facebook page, showing the top ten runners.
3. Donate
Donate a minimum of ¥5,500 ($50 or, if you like the number 55, then $55) through YouMeWe’s GlobalGiving fundraising page.
Why You Should Join
KIWL’s motto is “Get Fit to Give Back.” In this spirit, there’s no better way to get fitter and challenge yourself with longer running times than knowing your run will go to support better living and studying conditions for underprivileged children.
All participants will receive a certificate of appreciation designed by one of the kids. The top five male and female runners completing the longest distances as shown on the leaderboard will be awarded lovely KIWL T-shirts.
About KIWL
The Knights in White Lycra was formed in 2012 to raise funds in response to the 3-11 disaster. It has supported recovery efforts in the Tohoku region and latterly, marginalized children living in institutional care homes in Japan. KIWL has raised more than ¥78 million for children in Japan, supporting many NPOs in Japan such as Mirai no Mori, NPO Esperanza, and most recently, YouMeWe. If you’d like to “Get Fit to Give Back,” follow KIWL at their website so you don’t miss any of their events!
