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VIRTUAL RUNNING CHALLENGE - START ANY TIME
OPEN UNTIL THE END OF 2025
CATHERINE OF ARAGON
99 MILES OF DISMISSAL
Follow in Catherine of Aragon's footsteps, on the route that she took after she was dismissed as queen. This epic virtual running and walking challenge will take you on a 99 mile odyssey, through the last, turbulent years of her life.
Every time you complete a walking or running activity, you'll advance along the virtual map between More and Kimbolton Castle, unlocking podcasts and postcards from Catherine at milestones along the route.
Earn beautiful bling, stay focused and make your miles more fun. Run or walk the 99 miles, choose to complete it in 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks and sign up today.
EARN BEAUTIFUL BLING
Celebrate your achievement with a beautiful limited edition Catherine of Aragon medal. Exclusively designed for this event, with lots of special touches for history-lovers.
Medals will be sent to you after you've completed the event and are bound to stand out in your collection.
UNRAVEL FASCINATING HISTORY AS YOU GO
This challenge tells the story of Catherine of Aragon after her 24-year marriage to Henry.
History tells us a lot about Catherine's time as Queen, and the overlap with Anne Boleyn. But then the narrative tends to follow Henry and Anne, leaving the last years of Catherine less well known.
Over the 99 miles you'll learn about how this courageous woman held her head high as she was banished from castle to castle, starting with More, stopping at Hatfield, Enfield, Ampthill, Buckden and ending at Kimbolton where she died.
For those who have already signed up
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We've partnered up with My Virtual Mission for this event so your whole journey is managed through their amazing tech platform - available through their website and in an easy-to-use app.
RUN OR WALK
Wherever you are in the world, complete a running or walking activity - whatever distance you like. Measure it using a GPS tracking device or take a photo of your treadmill screen. Lots of people have fancy GPS watches but there are plenty of free apps (e.g. Strava) that you can download on your phone that work just as well.
LOG YOUR ACTIVITY AND MOVE ALONG THE VIRTUAL MAP
Once this activity is logged in the My Virtual Mission app, you'll see your figure move along the virtual map. You can set it to automatically sync to some apps, or manually upload a photo of your GPS evidence in seconds. This journey tracks the movements of Catherine of Aragon in the last years of her life. We pick up her movements at The More in 1531 which is the start of the virtual map and then follow her to each place that she stayed (Hatfield, Enfield, Ampthill, Buckden) until her death at Kimbolton.
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UNLOCK PODCASTS AND POSTCARDS
When you reach certain places along the map, you'll unlock a postcard or podcast to tell you more about her time there. For example, Hatfield is the first stop along the route, so after you've logged 18 miles, you'll get a postcard. This will appear in the My Virtual Mission app/website and you'll also receive it by email. Along the 99 miles, you'll unlock 3 podcasts and 5 postcads.
SEE YOU ON STREET VIEW
At any time in your journey, you'll be able to check out your virtual surroundings on street view. You might even bump into someone with a matching Tudor hood! We've created Tudor hoods so that you can change your profile pic and channel your inner Catherine - just for fun!
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY
The Secret London Runs Connect Facebook group is full of like-minded walkers and runners. Come join us and share the fun.
EARN YOUR MEDAL
Once you go over the finish-line we'll send you your medal in the post to celebrate your 99 mile journey. This is the first of a 6-medal set, each dedicated to a different Tudor queen. Collect them all and earn a beautiful finisher's centrepiece too.
PRICING
£24.95 or £28.95 with a buff
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Motivation and accountability for 99 miles
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Unique medals with original illustrations
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Unlock loads of history along the route via postcards and podcasts
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Access to the "My Virtual Mission" platform for race mapping, tracking and street view, and synced activity uploads.
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Choose your timeframe - set a how for how long you want to take to complete the challenge.
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Take part anywhere in the world and join our amazing community in the Secret London Runs Connect Facebook group.
SEASON PASSES
Sign up Queen by Queen or get a great deal when you sign up for all your challenges together. The 5 Queen option is for those who have already completed the Catherine of Aragon Challenge.
THANK YOU
FOR THE AMAZING FEEDBACK SO FAR
"I am really enjoying Catherine of Aragon and cannot wait for the rest of the queen challenges. I've done quite a few virtual runs now, but this is the first one I've done where I feel like I'm not doing it completely on my own."
ALISON DRANSFIELD
"Really enjoying the Catherine of Aragon challenge. The perfect combination of two of my favourite things; history and running. History has so often been written by men, about men, so it’s great to find out more about the women behind Henry VIII and their journeys. Looking forward to discovering lots of fun facts about the other 5 Queens too over the course of the year!"
JOANNA CRAIG
"The Catherine of Aragon / Six Wives Challenge transcends all virtual runs - as does the stunning medal. From day one I learnt so much as it's a fascinating history lesson on the hoof. A lot of it took place around an area I'd lived in for years, and I had no idea about a fraction of the information which I unlocked en-route via the postcards and podcasts. I can't wait to run with the other 5 wives and the lovely Secret London Runs community of runners."
HELEN MAZA
"The podcasts are amazing!!!"
RUTH PATEL
"I loved the Catherine of Aragon challenge. Learning more about this amazing Queen and what she went through while virtually walking in her shoes was really inspiring and it’s got me looking forward to the next challenge. The podcasts and postcards which accompanied the route were also a delight."
VICKY HALLAM
Well, I’m 64, I’m overweight and unfit, and I’ve been out walking every day since the challenge started come sun, rain, wind and snow. I gave myself 8 weeks to complete 99 Miles of Dismissal and it looks as if I may do it in exactly half that time. I am so thrilled! I simply could not, and would not, have been able to achieve this without the support from this lovely group"
SHEILA DONNELAN JONES
Podcasts and postcards are unlocked as you move through certain places along the virtual map (triggered by your mileage total). You'll receive a pop up in the My Virtual Mission app/website and an email to celebrate too.
The journey starts at the More. The first time you register an activity (however long or short), you'll get the first podcast. But we also send this to you in the confirmation email when you sign up, in case you're too excited to wait.
Then you unlock postcards at Hatfield (after 15.7 miles) and Enfield (27.4 miles) and then your next podcast at Ampthill (67.2 miles).
Then at 89.8 miles you'll get your final podcast to tell the end of the story and keep you company on the final 10 miles of the journey. Meanwhile, you'll get a postcard at Buckden (93.4 miles) and a final poscard at the end of yours (and Catherine's) journey at 99.8 miles.
THE JOURNEY EXPLAINED
Scroll up from the bottom to see the route
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1. How fast do I need to be?All fitness levels are welcome. Each tour has a guide pace to keep you in your comfort zone. We operate on a "no one gets left behind basis" which means that we'll always run at the pace of the gentlest person in our lovely group. So please don't be nervous about joining us. But also, don't be afraid of signing up for a merrily medium or festively fast pace and the gentle jingle is often very gentle. There are also walking tours available of the 5k Christmas lights tour.
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2. Do you have a bag drop?Unfortunately we do not have a bag drop, especially with the tour starting and ending in different parts of London. Our tours are not races - so we advice packing light and bringing a running backpack for your essentials. If you need to store any items, we recommend using Luggage Hero before you come to your tour.
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3. What do I need to bring with me?Your ticket on your phone (we don't need a paper copy), water if you usually run with it. Wear warmer clothes than you usually would for a run of the length of your tour - we will be stopping around the run to for twinkly lights and festive history. Of course, we highly recommend all the Christmas fancy dress.
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4. Is the Christmas lights tour suitable for children?Yes - children are welcome, as long as they're accompanied by an adult who takes full responsibility for their safety whilst on the tour. Accompanied children are welcome at all our tours, as long as they're comfortable with the guide pace, but we do have 2 Family Special dates for the 5k Christmas lights tour, so you can bring little ones and know there are plenty of others there too.