Fall in Love with Running: Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie's Fall 2020 Accountability Challenge

Are you ready to Fall in Love with Running? Our in-person race calendar is looking pretty grim for the rest of the year so we have created this fun and engaging running/walking challenge to keep you active during the Fall months.  We've come up with 50 tasks (some easy, some challenging, some fun, some funny, some likely to sit outside of your comfort zone) and if you complete 35 of them you will earn a beautiful custom hand-made wooden medal.  

The challenge will begin on 9/1 and runs through 10/31 and can be completed anywhere, you do not need to live in the Hudson Valley!  You will log each completed task into Run Signup and earn an awesome virtual custom badge for each "scavenger hunt like" task completed.  Complete 35 tasks to earn a beautifully designed hand-made custom medal.  Complete all 50 tasks and in addition to earning a medal, you will be entered to win 1 of five $100 Fleet Feet gift cards.  For every 100 participants registered, we will add in an additional five $100 Fleet Feet gift cards.  So if we get 200 participants, we will raffle off ten $100 gift cards among those who complete all 50 tasks.      

The cost to register is $35 on day 1 (with no tasks revealed) but will go up $1 each day starting on 7/28 as we release 5 tasks/badges each day until we hit $45 and all 50 tasks are revealed.  The price to register after the challenge begins on 9/1 will be $50.  

SWAG: Participants will receive a custom gender specific long-sleeve technical baseball tee with their entry fee.  Shirts for those who register before 8/31 will be available for local curbside pick-up at Fleet Feet by Friday 9/11.  Those who register after 8/31 will get their shirt at the end of the challenge. Earned medals will be available for curbside pick-up at Fleet Feet starting on Tues 11/3.  Those who are not local or opt to have their SWAG mailed will receive their shirts AND medals (if earned) in the mail by 11/6.  There is a $4 fee to have your SWAG mailed. 

Once you register, don't forget to request access to our official challenge Facebook group: Here
You can also join our Strava group: Here

Tasks: 

Pet A Cat Badge - Pet a cat during a run
Bookworm Badge - Read a book about running
3 Rights Make A Run Badge- Do at least a 2 mile run/walk where you make at least 3 turns (all right hand turns)
200 Mile Badge- Run/walk a total of 200 miles over the 8 weeks of the challenge (25 miles per week)
Eat Sleep Run Repeat Badge- Run/walk the same route 2 days in a row

Bridge Badge:  Do a run/walk of at least 1 mile that includes a bridge 
Streak Week Badge: Run or walk at least 1 mile a day for 7 days straight
Selfie Badge:  Take a "before" and "after" selfie of your run and upload it
ABCs Badge: Make the map of your run/walk spell out a word
Garden Gnome Badge: Take a picture with a garden gnome on a run/walk (at least 1 mile)

Track Star Badge:  Complete a track workout (example: 6X400m with 400m recoveries) 
Support Local Badge: Register for the DC Classic Virtual 5K, Half Marathon or Full Marathon
Beach Bum Badge: Complete a run/walk of at least 1 mile on a beach
Early Bird Badge: Run or walk before sunrise (at least 1 mile) 
Treadmill Badge: Complete a run/walk on a treadmill (at least 2 miles)

Buddies Badge: Run (socially distant of course) with someone else who is doing the challenge
All Weather Runner Badge: Run in the rain (at least 1 mile)
Clowning Around Badge: Run or walk in a costume but not on Halloween (at least 1 mile)
Butt Blaster Badge: Complete a run/walk that includes stairs (at least a 1 mile run, at least 10 stairs) 
Hip Hip Hooray Badge: Take a jumping picture before or after a run

Man's Best Friend Badge: Run or walk with a dog (at least 1 mile) 
Tech Free Badge: Run or walk without a Garmin, GPS watch or any tracking device (apps etc); at least 15 minutes 
Loopy Badge: Run or walk a looped course (not an out & back) of at least 3 miles
Freaks Come Out At Night Badge: Run or walk after sunset (at least 1 mile) 
Climber Badge: Do a run/walk with an elevation gain of at least 500+ feet as measured by a GPS device 

Two A Day Badge: Complete 2 runs or walks in 1 day (1+ miles each)
Yogi Badge: Take a yoga class (Zoom, outdoors, whatever)
Woke Up This Way Badge: Do a run/walk with your shirt on backwards (at least 1 mile)
Beat the Train Badge: Complete a run (of at least 2 miles) that includes crossing train tracks (safely) 
Mallrats Badge: Complete a run/walk of at least 2 miles in a mall parking lot 

25 x 3 Badge: Run or walk at least 25 miles per week for 3 weeks (they don't need to be consecutive weeks)
Traveler Badge: Run or walk in 2 different states in one workout (at least 1 mile)
Etch-A-Sketch Badge: Make the map of your run/walk look like the shape of an animal or creature
Musical Badge: Complete a run/walk of at least 1 mile carrying a musical instrument
Lollipop Badge: Run while eating a giant lollipop (at least 1 mile) 

Hiker Badge: Go on a hike (at least 2 miles)
Companion Badge: Run or walk with a stroller (at least 1 mile, kid optional)
Gas Price Badge: Run or walk the same distance as the price of gas that day; Photographic proof encouraged
Tis The Season Badge: Take a picture with Christmas decorations on a run/walk (at least 1 mile) 
Friendmill Badge: Complete a run/walk on someone else's treadmill (at least 2 miles)

Show Off Badge: Share photographic proof of at least 5 of your milestone accomplishments in the group facebook page
Superhero Badge: Run or walk wearing a cape (at least 1 mile)
Leftie Badge: Do at least a 2 mile run/walk where you make at least 3 turns (all left hand turns)
Flamingo Badge: Take a picture with a lawn flamingo on a run/walk (at least 1 mile)
Mailman Badge: Take a picture with a mailbox, house # or sign with the numbers 845 on it during a run/walk (of at least 1 mile) 

Nature Lover Badge: Complete a trail run/walk of at least 2 miles
Trick-Or-Treat Badge: Take a picture with Halloween decorations on a run/walk (at least 1 mile) 
Donut Badge: Complete a run of at least 2 miles and eat a full donut midway through 
Not From Here Badge: Run or walk in a different county than the one you currently live in (at least 1 mile)
Toy Badge: Complete a run/walk of at least 1 mile while carrying a children's toy

The rules: 
* All tasks must be completed between 9/1-10/31, tasks completed outside of the challenge window will not count.  
* Running and walking counts 
* All tasks must be marked complete in Run Signup to count, no exceptions.  Detailed instructions on how to mark tasks as complete will be emailed prior to the start of the challenge.  Once you mark the task complete, you will earn the corresponding badge.    
* This challenge is basically the honor system but participants are highly encouraged to share photographs of their completed tasks in the Facebook group.  You can also upload photographs onto your Strava account however your account will need to be public for others in the group to see 
* While this is an individual challenge, you can complete some of the tasks in small groups however we ask that you respect the current guidelines in place regarding masks, social distancing and group meet-ups.  
* Not really a rule but if you register with an email address that you don't check, you will miss the communications that we send to you.  Please either register using a relevant email address or commit to checking posts in the Facebook group, thank you!  

Once you register, please share the challenge on your Facebook page.  If 5 people register through your link, you will receive $15 of your registration fee back!