The British Science Association have today (Friday 15 September) relaunched our hugely popular initiative, Run the Solar System.
The virtual race – an immersive tour of the solar system featuring each planet as a distance marker – was first available exclusively during British Science Week in March 2017, when thousands of people from all over the world participated.
The app was enjoyed by people from all corners of the globe
Due to the huge success of the app, and in response to popular demand, the BSA has decided to make Run the Solar System permanently available, using the end of the famous Cassini mission on 15 September as a platform for the relaunch.
Developed in partnership with Six to Start, the team behind Zombies, Run! (the world’s most popular smartphone fitness game) and supported by Yakult, Run the Solar System is an immersive running app with the solar system scaled down to a 10k journey. Broadcaster and space enthusiast Dallas Campbell narrates the virtual race through space, which features clips from the NASA archives.
Physicist, broadcaster and running enthusiast Helen Czerski was one of the app's biggest fans, even writing a blog about it and the accompanying Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10k in The Guardian.
People loved Run the Solar System so much that we even held a live 10k at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, complete with a space-themed race village
The registration site, www.runthesolarsystem.com is once again live. Runners anywhere in the world can download and take part in the virtual race, wherever and whenever they like. A leaderboard is also still on the site for participants to track their performance against one another.
Ivvet Modinou, Head of Engagement at the British Science Association, said: “We were amazed and incredibly proud of how well received Run the Solar System was. It engaged a group of people who don’t ordinarily seek out science activities but who are interested in sports and running. It also provided a fun physical activity for science and space fans. It was fantastic to see runners taking part all over the world and enjoying the experience, which is why we wanted to extend the opportunity to people who would love to try it again or didn’t get to the first-time round.”
“Science has always been at the heart of our company since it was founded in 1935 by the scientist Dr Shirota”, said Hiroaki Yoshimura, Managing Director for Yakult UK. “We saw this as a unique opportunity to support both science and fitness and are delighted that it will be available again to enable anyone anywhere in the world to explore the solar system and get fit at the same time!”
The app and participation in the virtual race is free, but runners can also purchase newly created Run the Solar System merchandise, such as t-shirts and hoodies.