Humans have been running for 2.6 million years, initially to hunt and flee but eventually in competition with one another as well. In more contemporary times, running is an effective way of staying healthy, reducing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, assisting with weight loss, and even improving one’s mental health. Millions of people across the globe consider themselves to be runners, whether it’s for the health benefits, the urge to compete, or even the mere enjoyment of the activity.
In 2014, Harry Potter fans discovered a new reason to run with the launch of the non-profit Random Tuesday Inc. and its first virtual running club for charity. Virtual runs are still physical activities but instead of competing against others at the same place and time, the runners complete the necessary distance on their own and receive a medal upon completion. For those who participated in the Potterhead Running Club of Random Tuesday, the entry fees were donated to charity and the medals had a Harry Potter-theme to their design. This held true from its initial inception in 2014 until the organization closed its virtual doors in 2022.
“Our founder Brian Biggs got into running actual live events at the start of 2014, and learned shortly thereafter about ‘virtual’ runs that could be completed anywhere,” Keir Hansen, communications director of Random Tuesday, explained of the non-profit’s origins during an interview in 2019. “After signing up for a few through organizations that sold event registrations for profit, he came up with the idea of hosting them solely as charity fundraisers – specifically themed around fandom interests that could be a fun motivator to get more people involved, and thereby raise more for the resulting charity partner.”
While the first Potterhead running event in 2014 was a success and proved the viability of the project, it wasn’t until the following year and a feature article on the popular MuggleNet.com that Random Tuesday was able to reach a larger portion of Harry Potter fandom. With one fandom under their belt, co-founders Brian and Dawn Biggs then expanded the scope of Random Tuesday by adding running clubs geared towards Doctor Who (Whovian Running Club) and Gilmore Girls (Chilton Running Club) fandoms as well.
“Brian discovered Doctor Who in a binge-watching session while recovering from surgery, and fell in love with the themes and heart of the long-running program,” Hansen said of the reasoning behind the choices. “Dawn has been an absolutely unabashed fan of Gilmore Girls since it first aired because of the wit, strength, and feminist empowerment of the program. All three fandoms gave a look at worlds where the efforts of a committed group of people – wizards, travelers through space and time, or a close gathering of family and friends – could create a better world. We as fans could see that it was possible to better ourselves and others at the same time.”
It is a sentiment shared with other Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Gilmore Girls fans as well. “Rarely, if ever, have we met a Harry Potter fan who learned of what we do and didn’t at least understand the natural connection and then choose to join us at least as part of our fanatical conversation, if not our activities and events,” Keir Hansen explained of the Potterhead Running Club. “It’s rather contagious.”
Doctor Who fans, meanwhile, were the same way. “Whenever we have that conversation with a fan, even if they are not yet on their own fitness journey, they fully understand the idea of bettering oneself while bettering the world, because it’s synonymous with the title character’s spirit and mission,” Hansen added regarding the Whovian Running Club.
Lastly, there’s the fandom that has grown out of Gilmore Girls. “There are few things in the world as caffeinated and motivated as a strong Gilmore Girls fan,” Hansen continued. “We attend the annual Gilmore Girls Fan Fest in Connecticut each year, and are constantly amazed by the responses we get from people who learn of the Chilton Running Club for the first time, and say things in response like, ‘I’m mad that I just found you now and not years ago, but at least I’ve found you!’
Obviously there are other fandoms that were eager to embrace the efforts of Random Tuesday, and for that reason the non-profit added a fourth running club to its original trio. The resulting Fandom Running Club sponsored virtual runs for television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural and Stranger Things, such cult classic films as The Breakfast Club and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and even events celebrating tabletop, card, and video games. Uniting these fandoms were only part of the equation, however, as the runs themselves were still meant to raise funds for charity as well.
“Our nearly sixty charity partners past and present are a wide global assortment of organizations that look to make a real, measurable, tangible change for good in the world,” Keir Hansen explained in 2019 of the charitable organizations that had benefited from Random Tuesday virtual runs. “We select them from a long list recommended by our members, and vet them to ensure complete non-profit transparency, no religious or political affiliations, and an operational size that is neither too small or localized, nor too large to be truly impacted by our donations.”
During its first five years of existence, Random Tuesday Inc. donated over $2.5 million to over fifty charities worldwide. A staggering amount by any measure, and a testament to not only the organization but the multitude of fans who embraced the virtual running clubs of Random Tuesday.
It is also representative of the contemporary trend of fandoms and charity going hand-in-hand. “They are not only linked, they are self-amplifying,” Hansen explained. “We look to our fanatical passions to charge us up, lift us, show us worlds of wonder and accomplishments that inspire. And with that inspiration, we move forward and support those charities that make such aspirations a reality.”
From 2014 until 2022, Random Tuesday provided its own inspiration for a multitude of different fandoms – one virtual run at a time.
Anthony Letizia