Fee-waived virtual 5K races allow increase participation compared to in-person races during COVID-19

Background: Children’s participation in physical exercise has numerous benefits and is well-studied. While there are many significant barriers to participation in exercise in young people, one that has arisen lately is the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cherokee Nation developed the “WINGS” program “to promote and give awareness to regular physical activity, health education, and nutrition for a healthier lifestyle.” One of the benefits of this program is fee waivers for participation in selected 5K races, which were transitioned to virtual races during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether race participation differed in children (17 years and under) who were given fee-waivers to virtual races compared to those who signed up for normal in-person races.

Methods: Seven fee-waived races and seven non-fee-waived races were selected, matched as occurring during the same month. The selected races took place during 2021 in different areas of Oklahoma. Male and female participation in the age group of 17 years and under was analyzed. Data from selected races was retrieved from public databases containing specific event information (oksportsandfitness.com; tatur.org; http://www.onlineraceresults.com).

Results: Of the seven WINGS 5k virtual fee-waived races, it was found that 273 males and 296 females (17 and under) participated in the 5k races. Whereas in the seven in-person 5k non-fee-waived races, it was found that 77 males and 51 females (17 and under) participated in the 5k races. Of the seven WINGS 5k virtual fee-waived races there was a total of 569 males and females (17 and under). Of the seven in-person 5k non-fee waived races there was a total of 128 males and females (17 and under). Participation rates of the 5k virtual fee-waived races were greater than the participation rates of the in-person non-fee waived races.

Conclusion: The WINGS program, even when offering its races in a virtual format, is able to increase participation in 5K events for children 17 years and under compared to in-person 5K races held in the same month in a similar location where the fee is not waived. This program allows children to continue exercising during the pandemic and reduce the barrier to exercise caused by COVID-19.