HOW TEAMS WORK
A Criss-Cross team can have up to 10 members and completes the West-to-East, North-to-South, or Double route by combining all the miles run and walked by the team members over the 22 weeks. A TEAM captain registers him/herself first and pays for the number of people that will be on the team, and creates a team name password for the team. The individual team members then register themselves, using the team name and password the captain has created to complete their registration. No additional money is collected. The TEAM captain or other member posts the runs and walks on the virtual challenge results platform, but every team member has access to the results so they can see how the team is doing.
Teams that want to complete the DOUBLE (224 miles + 435 miles) need to email Jan Seeley at director@illinoismarathon for special registration instructions.
DO I TRAVEL TO THE TOWNS ON THE ROUTES TO COMPLETE MY DISTANCE?
Nope. You do all your running and walking WHEREVER you live, then you post those outings on the virtual challenge results platform and see your progress along the route (the route is like a board game, and you are a game “piece” that moves along the route as you complete and post all your runs and walk). Miles run or walked on a treadmill are acceptable for the Criss-Cross Virtual Challenge.
WEBINARS
To enhance your experience in the Criss-Cross Virtual Challenge, we will record a new set of webinars that will celebrate the state of Illinois and share information inside and outside of the endurance industry. The webinars are sponsored by Human Kinetics and moderated by race director Jan Seeley. Below are the timeless webinars we recorded back in 2020-2021 during the first Criss-Cross. New webinars will be added as we record them. A link to each webinar recording is available after the webinar is completed.
Webinar #1 The Prairie State: Fun Facts & Figures.
Special guests: T. J. Blakeman, President of the Board of Trustees for the Champaign County History Museum; and Patrick Cain, Public Programs & Visitor Services Coordinator at the Museum of the Grand Prairie
Webinar #2 Don’t Let January Break Your Stride: Keep Stepping Safely This Winter.
Special Guests: Mike Lindemann, owner of Body n’ Sole Sports + Lori Ozment, exercise instructor, personal trainer, and yoga teacher.
Webinar #3 Staying the Course: A Runner’s Toughest Race
Special Guest: Marathon legend Dick Beardsley will join us for a lively chat about his life, which reads like a Greek tragedy with an upbeat ending. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll come away uplifted by his powerful story of SURVIVAL. Don’t miss it.
Webinar #4 Race Directors’ Crystal Ball. What’s Up for 2021?
Special Guests: Big Sur International Marathon executive director Doug Thurston; Hartford Marathon founder and executive director Beth Shluger; and Nuun Hydration Experiential Marketing Director Mike Sommers will share their insights about the road racing industry as it battles back from the pandemic. Are there some silver linings?
Webinar #5: Hidden Gems in the Prairie State: The Coolest Places in Illinois You Never Knew Existed!
Special Guests: Jayne DeLuce, president and CEO of Visit Champaign County; and Cory Jobe, president and CEO of Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau, based in Alton, Illinois. You’ll come away from the webinar with a fascinating list of “must-see” places in Illinois like Cache River, Cave in Rock, Cahokia Mounds, Fort Des Chart, Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch, Alton…the Most Haunted Small Town in America, and more.
Webinar #6: Criss-Cross Participant “Field” Report
Special Guests: Criss-Cross participants Tina Heidrich, Craig Stundahl, and Lisa Candocia share unique and memorable moments from their journeys over the past five months. And, Jan Seeley spills the beans about the new virtual challenge launching on April 22 (Earth Day)—Pace & Pedal Perimeter Challenge.
RACE SWAG & PRIZES
All Criss-Cross Virtual Challenge entrants receive a gender-specific, long-sleeve Leslie Jordan-brand cotton/poly shirt. The women’s shirt color is heather sea green and the men’s shirt color is heather true royal. Shirts will be available for pickup at Body n’ Sole Sports in Savoy (or will be shipped directly to you) starting in early February. After mid-February, additional race swag will be available at Body n’ Sole and shipped to new entrants once a month until the end of the challenge. Bonus race swag will also be available for purchase during the registration process.
New to the Criss-Cross this year will be really cool prizes and gift cards from some of the towns along the west-to-east route and north-to-south route. These will be awarded to race entrants, randomly selected throughout the course of the 22-week virtual event.
