GE Vernova Women's Network SWE Scholarship Race

A virtual 5k and 10k run/walk honoring those women who blazed the trail for the next generation of engineers in STEM, especially Paula Martin, the first woman plant leader in Greenville, an advocate of the next generation of STEM and a mentor of today’s leaders. As one of Greenville Women’s Network sponsors, fostering STEM education for the next generation of engineers was a crucial part of Paula’s mission. To honor this, we are raising funds for the GE Vernova Women’s Network Scholarship fund awarded by the Society of Women Engineers. Just as Paula did, we aim to honor her memory by continuing to blaze the path and support the next generation of STEM here at GE Vernova and future engineers of our company.

• Q: I want more information about GE Vernova matching, where can I find more information?
  • A: Check out our GE Vernova Matching Information section, with step by step information!
• Q: I am not really a runner but I am active, what kind of activities count as a workout?
  • A: Any kind of physical activity will count, but only counts if you log it in Strava. It could be hiking, walking the dog around the block, just walking while you eat an ice cream, doing one of the workout from the Power Station at home, biking, etc. The idea is for you to have at least 30 min of daily activity.
• Q: What if I do an activity that is 2 hrs long, does that count as 4 - 30 min workouts, do I get 4 points for my team? Or what if I run in the morning and run in the afternoon, that is 2 points right?
  • A: No, there is a max of 1 point per person per day. We have automated our tracking process, so if you workout 29 min, it won't count, but 30 or 31 min means you got your daily point. We also don't want you to over do it and possibly hurt yourself
• Q: How do I make sure my workouts count for my team?
  • A: We are automating our tracking process, so you need to be a registered participant and be part of a Strava team for your workout to count. Please make sure your registration name and your Strava name match. Due to privacy restrictions in Strava, your activities can only be counted if you have made them public in the privacy setting in strava.
• Q: What if 2 teams have maxed out on their total points?
  
  • A: In this case the tie breaker for the training competition winner will be the team that has donated the most amount of money per person, so keep your donations coming!
• Q: When do my workouts start count for the training competition?
  • A: September 1 through September 28.
• Q: Do I have to actually run the race?
  • Not really, we are okay if you decide to be a "sleeper", meaning a person that registered/donated, and decides to not be a walker/runner. We are here for some bragging rights, some fun swag and supporting STEM students.
• Q: I'm confused, so when is the actual race?
  • A: Distribution of pins/t-shirts (limited supply) will happen sometime near the end of the training competition at the GE Vernova's Greenville campus. More details to follow.
• Q: When can I start donating? 
  
  • A: You can start donating NOW! Donations will no longer be received for this race on Oct 5. 
• Q: I want to "purchase" a workout point, how do I do it?
  • A: We are no longer allowing workout points to be purchased. However, there is still the competition for the team that wins the most - so continue to donate!
• Q: Can I switch teams or the team I signed up for is my final team?
  • A: You can switch teams, no problem. Just make sure you switch on both the RunSignup Team and the Strava Team. 
• Q: How will we know how our team is doing?
  • A: We will send out progress emails: there will be some emails going on before competition start, and from Competition start week through Race Week there will be a weekly email. The email will show the workout points for the week and running total, as well as funds raised for that week and total per team. By doing this, each team will know where do they stand against other teams.
• Q: I registered for several distances and now my team has exceeded the maximum number, what can I do?
  • A: Nothing is wrong! Because of how the website works, it doesn't consolidate people to the number of registrations. During our weekly updates we will keep an eye on that, and even if the team is bigger that expected, all points are awarded as average for the the team with bonus points applied for bigger team (see more info about on the main event description page)
• Q: I got removed from my team, what happened?
  • A: If you got completely removed from your team it might have been an error, so please reach out to your captain and our race coordinators to have this promptly fixed.
• Q: I'm not located in Greenville SC, can I still race?
  • A: YES, this is the magic of a virtual race, it can be run anywhere! For the logistics of the pins/shirts, see the question below.
• Q: I can't pick up my pin/shirt in Greenville SC, what can I do?
  • A: Per team, we will ship in bulk to a US location so you can pick up your pin/shirt, ideally a GE office but this can change as we are aware of how every GE site is reopening differently. Team captains have also been known to ship to individuals not located close to a GE site. Please talk to your team captain to have a better understanding about shipping logistics.
• Q: When can I pick up my pin/shirt/medal?
  • A: We will have an in-person window on Race Week. More details on this in-person event to come later. Distribution of pins will happen at this time as well. Shirts will be available for pickup during the in-person event, and will be shipped shortly for non-Greenville teams, shortly after the race window closes.
• Q: In my Strava team I see "GE WN Admin",  do I need to do something?
  • A: The admin is us so that we can run the tracking of the progress of each team. If you see a follow request for the admin, please accept so that your privacy settings won't prevent us from recording your progress
• Q: Can I upload Apple Watch/Smart Watch workouts to Strava?
  • A: Yes you can! You can record and upload activities from your Apple Watch to Strava. Once you have completed a workout, make sure to upload it into Strava. This link includes instructions for how to link Apple Health Data to Strava.
• Q: My team is not showing in the leaderboard, it this is a mistake?
  • A: We consider a team a group of 2+ people. If your team only has 1 person, then it is not considered a team, and will not be in the leaderboard. 
• Q: My question is not here, who can I do? Who do I reach out to?
  • A: For any questions not answered here, please contact Dave Runkel (David.Runkel@gevernova.com), we will be "happy" to help and likely post your question and have it answered here for everyone

If you are a GE Vernova employee, your contributions that are NOT the registration fee donation can be matched by the GE Vernova Foundation.  There are certain requirements for the match, so please read this section closely. So once again, the registration fee CANNOT be matched by GE Vernova, BUT any additional contribution can be matched (must be $25 or more). Here is the step-by-step instruction for the match:

1. Go to the GE Vernova Matching Gift and login with your SSO​

2. Select “Matching Gifts"

      3. Select “Match an Offline Donation to a U.S. Organization”​

      4. In the search bar, look for "Society of Women Engineers"​ and for state select "Illinois" 

      5. Fill out the form​
               5a. For Donor Designation please fill out as "GE Vernova Women's Network Scholarship"

               5b. For Charity Contact Name please fill out as "Sohn Cook“​
               ​​5c. For Charity Contact Email Address please fill out as "sohn.cook@swe.org"

               ​​5d. Be mindful of the Gift Compliance section. The matched amount needs to be the funds that DO ​​NOT include the event registration ​

      6. Please revise the information, and hit "Save and Proceed“​
      7. Once again, check your information and hit "Submit"
      8. Now you should be in the confirmation page and you are all done!

We will be following up with SWE to make sure they have a complete list of who donated and that is was for the Women's Network Scholarship, and we will follow up GE Vernova Foundation to make sure your donation was matched but this can only happen after you fill out the form, so please fill out the form.

Thanks again for your generosity and happy trails!

2025 Race Registration Tiers

Donating to waive your registration fee? - Proceed to the registration page. There is a step in the registration process to donate and waive your registration fee at the same time.

Registration Tiers: (All gifts are while supplies last) 
$30 – registration fee 
$50 – 2025 pin + Registration Fee Waived* 
$75 – 2025 Race Shirt + $50 tier 
$100 – “I really love GEWN and SWE” + $75 tier* ** 

*$50 tier and above are GE Vernova match eligible 
** No gift for $100 donations, but you are *guaranteed* a crisp high five from Dave next time you see him.

For GE Vernova employees making donations, we have a special section with instructions for GE Vernova Matching.

Pins/Shirts/High Five Distribution

Greenville, SC Participants: TBD

Virtual Participants: GE Vernova Women's Network will coordinate with team captains for US shipping to one central location per team for team members to pick up their pins and shirts. More communication will be sent out post-race week.

The training competition is 4 weeks long. Each day, an individual has the opportunity to earn 1 point for their team by exercising for a total of 30 mins and then logging their workout on Strava. During these 4 weeks, the GE Vernova Women's Network team will track the workouts through each team's Strava page. At the end of the 4 weeks, the team with the most workouts per person will win the workout competition. There will be a second team winner which is the team that fundraises the most money through donations.

This race will be run as a virtual-hybrid race. All participants across any location can complete their race virtually at their own pace during race week. 

Participants can choose to join a team or run as individuals. Join an existing team or create your own with co-worker, family and friends (this race is open to all-non GE employees). Participants can run, walk or "sleep" this race. "Sleepers" are those that decide to sign-up, not run the race but contribute financially to the race or to different teams. Bonus points for participation will added at the end of the race:

5 participants = 1 extra point (normalized - added to final score)

After registration, participants will be able to see the information for the Strava link to their teams.

We have recently created a Frequently Asked Questions section.

Training Competition: September 1 to September 28

Virtual Race: September 29 to October 5

Training Notes and Tips

• Each run should be at an easy pace; you should be able to talk to a training partner or sing along with your music-save the speed for race day!
• Not ready to run yet?  Take each “run” and make it a power walk!
• If you miss a run: don’t worry about doubling up on workouts, just pick up where you left off. 
• Need some guidance for strength training or crosstraining workouts?  Consider joining the Power Station and participating in one of their training classes!

Still need guidance?  Feel free to reach out to one of the Power Station staff members, we are always happy to help!  You can email power.station@ge.com with questions about training.

Training Schedule

For those in Greenville, the Power station offers a wonderful facility and amazing staff who are here to help you reach your fitness goals! Please note that Personal Training and Group Exercises are available for Power Station Members only

Power Station membership

You are welcome to learn more about us at https://www.gepowerstation.com . If you do decide you would like to be a member of the Power Station the next step is for you to enter your information into our membership management system, Club Automation.  Please follow the link below and complete the required information before your next visit to the Power Station.

https://powerstation.clubautomation.com/profile/create

Group Fitness-

The easiest way to sign up for Group Fitness classes is on our website. https://www.gepowerstation.com/groupexercise You can bookmark this website, as most do, and when you click on the class you want to register for it will ask for that password you have created. You can sign up for classes 5 days in advance. Our lunch class get filled up quickly so try to sign up early.

Personal Training-

Move better, train better and feel better with a customized program designed just for you. Our various models of training support you with any goal including weight loss, strength 
gains, improving balance, sport performance, injury rehabilitation, flexibility and more. Transform the way you train and reach your goals faster by working with one of our nationally accredited trainers. 

Please email tori.head@gevernova.com to inquire about personal training. 

Group Exercise classes for the month of September!

Join the GE Vernova Greenville Run Club for the Annual Corporate Shield GE Vernova 6k, to be held on the GE Vernova campus this year!

GE Vernova Run Club Swamp Rabbit Meeting:
The GE Vernova Run Club will be meeting on Wednesday, September 24th at 6:00pm. All paces are welcome for a 5k run/walk along the swamp rabbit trail. Meet up at Rusty the Rabbit next to the Commons in Unity Park (34.854049, -82.415389 in google maps).

The winning team for the Scholarship Race will each receive a limited quantity GE Vernova Cross Country Singlet!

GE Vernova Cross Country Race:

Join the GEV Run Club and Wellbeing for the GE Vernova Cross Country 6k held here on our Greenville Campus! Be sure to join team GE during sign up to score points for our corporate shield team. The race will be held at 8:30am on October 11th, 2025. Runners and Volunteers are needed for the race! GE Vernova employees and their families get free entry when using the coupon code GEV2025 in the Run Sign Up website. Sign up at the link below! Please reach out to Joshua Melton for any questions.

https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/GECrossCountryRace 

GE Vernova 6k Training Plan 

Get ready for race day with the GE Vernova 6k Training Plan! This plan follows along with the GE Vernova Women’s Network Scholarship Race Training Plan so you can train concurrently for both races! The training plan starts on September 1st and continues for 6 weeks to race day. It is self-guided but there are opportunities through the Power Station and our Monthly Run Club meeting on the Swamp Rabbit Trail to make it more social.