TCA 5K
Will You Move for Something that Matters?
The health of our taiko community is important – and the path to a healthier community starts with the health of our own bodies and minds. The Keep TCA Running 5K is an event where hundreds (or dare we say, thousands?) will run, walk, jog, hike, roll, drum, or any other activity you can think of for 3.1 miles as a way to declare just how much their personal health – and by extension, the health of our community – matter to them.
Join us on Friday, July 30, 2021 from wherever you are for the first-ever Keep TCA Running 5K. To prioritize the safety of everyone involved, this year’s 5K will be 100% virtual (which also means it’s globally accessible!).
In addition to moving together, we’re working to raise $10,000 $15,000 (thanks to your generosity, we’ve upped our goal!) in support of our mission to empower the people and advance the art of taiko. As a TCA 5K “runner,” you can move and fundraise for whatever moves you – your own health and healing, to honor loved ones, to celebrate, to uplift community, to rebel against Zoom fatigue – anything. TCA’s history as a grassroots organization built and sustained by community fundraising initiatives means that the funds raised by your movement will funnel directly back into the taiko community through our programming and monetary support efforts.
What is a Virtual 5K?
In a virtual “race,” there are no parking problems. No crowds. No long Porta Potty lines. There’s not even an official starting line.
That’s the flexibility offered by virtual races. When you sign up for a virtual race, you choose your starting line, your path, and where you want to end up. Complete your distance, share a celebratory photo at your finish line, and celebrate together with your community of challenge finishers!
As is the case with many Virtual 5Ks, the Keep TCA Running 5K (TCA 5K for short) is a fundraiser, providing us with the opportunity to not only grow as individuals, but as a community with a common goal.
How It Began:
Years ago, before national championship meets, high school runners mailed in their times to a national postal competition, and a champion was then selected and announced.
This was the early model of virtual racing.
It’s unclear when virtual racing made the leap online to a mass audience. Some race directors say it evolved from runners’ requests to participate in physical races from afar. Regardless, in recent years virtual racing has exploded in popularity, mostly because of its flexibility.
How It Works:
The TCA 5K is all about you. You choose your activity. You choose where you want to complete it. You choose if and who you want to complete your challenge with. You choose if and how you’d like to share your accomplishment with the world on challenge day*. This is your 5K.
*Challenge Day is the official date when we will be coming together to complete our challenges. As this is your personal challenge, you can complete it whatever day and time you want, but on Friday, July 30, 2021, we’ll ask everyone to share finisher photos and invite all 5K participants to join us online for a celebratory “Finisher’s Circle” gathering during the first day of our Beyond The Drum virtual conference.
Courtney is on a mission to move in all different directions as she walks, jump-ropes, plays taiko, and hikes her way towards her Virtual 5K. How many minutes of each do you think she’ll do on July 30th?
As Kristina puts it, “I am built for comfort, not for speed.” Kristina will be walking a 5K with her two adorable kiddos on July 30th. 1 person for each mile! (Wait, is that how it works?)
Sarah loves to run, so on July 30th, she’ll be challenging herself to run her fastest 5K to date. If you find yourself in the South Bay between now and Beyond The Drum, Sarah will be running around on The Strand every Sunday at 9 AM – running partners welcome!
Akemi is another TCA runner, and her priorities are excellent – while she completes her 5K to help keep TCA running on July 30th, we hear that fueling up with mochi donuts are also on her list of 5K preparations.
Paul is still trying to figure out what pair of shoes he will wear when he hikes around Hawaii for his 5K on July 30th. We don’t know which one he will choose, but we know that his taste in hats is excellent.
So, what will you move for?
*Race Bibs and Training Plans will be distributed starting July 1st.
Don't Want to Run?
We get that. As TCA Program Manager Kristina McGaha says, “I’m built for comfort, not for speed.” You do not need to run to complete a TCA 5K. Anything that gets you moving is worth doing.
You can walk, hike, bike, swim, climb, roll, or anything else that covers a distance of 5K to meet your goal.
But, how do you drum a 5K? Well, we’ve put together a conversion chart to help you plan out how you want to move to 5K. Click the graphic to the right to download the official TCA 5K Activity Guide, and feel free to get creative and make your own conversion! Whatever moves you, moves us.
[Click Image to Enlarge]
No matter how you complete your 5K, we also invite you to join TCA’s Strava Community Club. Log your activities, ask questions of and share achievements with fellow taiko community club members, and find out how others are staying active while helping TCA raise $10K.
Join the Taiko Community Alliance club on Strava, and if you’d like to, leave a post in the club introducing yourself!
Join the Keep TCA Running! club event on Strava to get updates specific to the TCA 5K and see who else in the TCA community is taking the 5K challenge.
For first-time Strava users, here’s a handy visual guide to get to know the app
and how you can start using it to support your TCA 5K.
And last, but not least, follow @tca5k on Instagram for weekly updates, tips, motivational messages, celebrations of achievements in our community, and more throughout the course of our Keep TCA Running! Virtual 5K.
Campaign Stats
Last Updated: June 21, 2021
155
MILES COVERED
(at least!)
50
GLOBAL MOVERS
$15,769
TOTAL RAISED
14 STATES
& 2 COUNTRIES
Why Do You Move?
Questions about the virtual race? Please contact sarah@taikocommunityalliance.org.