Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie's "Fall in Love with Running" Challenge Sponsored by New Balance

Are you looking for a fun way to stay accountable this Fall? Then this challenge is for you! We've come up with 50 tasks centered around running or walking (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-designed race medal. Please read through everything carefully before registering to avoid any confusion or disappointment.  

The challenge will begin on 10/1 and "runs" through 11/30 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 custom medal. Complete all 50 tasks and, in addition to earning a medal, you will be entered to win one (1) of 10 prize packs. The prize packs this year include:

• Two (2) New Balance shoe packs, with a single pair of shoes per pack
• Three (3) New Balance fun packs (New Balance accessories, shirt, etc.)
• Five (5) $100 Fleet Feet gift cards

We will raffle off the 10 prize packs among those who complete all 50 tasks.     

The registration cost is $30 (with no tasks revealed) and will increase by $1 each day starting on 9/9 as we release 5 tasks/badges each day until we hit $40 and all 50 tasks are revealed. The price to register after the challenge begins on 10/1 will be $45 and registration will close on Sunday, 10/6. Please be aware that RunSignup now includes their processing fees in the total cost of the event vs. adding them at the end of the checkout process.  

SWAG: Participants will receive a customer long-sleeve Fall in Love with Running tech tee with their entry fee. All shirts will be available for pickup (or shipping, if selected) starting Thursday, 10/10. For those who choose shipping ($8 fee), we will mail the shirts at the beginning of the challenge and medals at the end of the challenge (if earned). Medals will be available for pickup or mailing on or around December 1 (additional communication to follow). Images of all shirts can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this page. The shirts run true to size so there isn't a need to size up unless you want a baggier fit. The image of the medal will be released soon, but you already know that it will be amazing!  

You can expect to receive your first communication from us on Friday, September 27th (or within 48 hours of registering if registering after that date) with the specifics on how to log your tasks into Run Signup, additional info on sharing in the private Facebook group, details on the local pickup, and more. Please be patient and wait for this email. There is nothing you can do before 10/1 anyway, other than map out your plan of attack. If you don't check your email or register with an email that you don't regularly check, you will miss important communications about the challenge. Important communications will also be posted in our private Facebook group, which can be found here. Please request to join once you are registered.  

Tasks/Badges (will be revealed 5 at a time starting on Monday, September 9th)
Day 1 Badge Reveal (9/9):

• Coffee First Badge - Run/walk past a coffee shop
• Just One More Badge - Run/walk 1 mile or 1 minute further than your previous run/walk
• Dog Walk Badge - Run/walk with a rescue dog or go with a friend who has a dog
• Sole Mate Badge - Run/walk in someone else's shoes
• Staying on Track Badge - Run/walk on a running track

Day 2 Badge Reveal (9/10):

• Water Warrior Badge - Carry a water bottle or wear a hydration vest during your run/walk
• Very Demure, Very Mindful Badge - Run/walk wearing your bestest/nicest/fanciest workout outfit
• Run of Luck Badge - Run/walk carrying a penny
• Superman/woman Badge - Run/walk wearing a cape or superhero outfit
• The Great Pumpkin Badge - Run/Walk past a pumpkin or jack-o-lantern

Day 3 Badge Reveal (9/11)

• Doggy Mile Badge - Count the number of dogs you see during a run/walk
• Negative Split Badge - Run/walk the second half faster than your first
• Keep It Clean Badge - Pick up garbage during a run/walk
• You're It Badge - Play tag with someone on your run/walk
• Cross-Training Badge - Run/walk with another sports equipment (e.g., boxing gloves)

Day 4 Badges (9/12)

• Trick or Treat Badge - Run/walk in a Halloween costume
• Up Up & Away Badge - Run/walk with an inflated balloon
• Time Traveler Badge - Run/walk on Sunday, 11/3, to mark the end of Daylight Savings Time
• Southpaw Badge - Make only left turns during your run/walk
• Bases Loaded Badge - Run/walk around the bases of a baseball field

Day 5 Badges (9/13)

• Bansky Badge - Take a picture of street art or graffiti during a run/walk
• Elle St. Pierre / "Moo"ving Badge - Take a picture of a cow on your run/walk
• Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Badge - Run/walk .25 miles of your 1 mile run/walk as fast as you can
• New Balance Badge - Run/walk in a shape that looks like NB
• Zen Badge - Strike a yoga post during a run/walk

Day 6 Badges (9/14)

• Sweater Weather Badge - Wear you favorite sweater during a run/walk
• Singing in the Rain Badge - Carry an umbrella on your run/walk (rain or shine)
• Heavy Lifter Badge - Run/walk carrying a 1 pound weight
• Tie Breaker Badge - Run/walk wearing a tie, take a picture
• Free Marketing Badge - Take a picture doing a run/walk in your Fall in Love with Running shirt

Day 7 Badges (9/15)

• This or That Badge - Run/walk wearing a hat or a visor
• Glow Better Badge - Run/walk after sunset/before sunrise wearing reflective gear
• Margarita Monday Badge - Run/walk on a Monday and watch Margarita Monday that day
• Aloha Athlete Badge - Wear a grass skirt on your run/walk
• Wigging Out Badge - Run/walk wearing a fun wig

Day 8 Badges (9/16)

• Local Miles, Local Smiles Badge - Run/walk by your local running store and take a selife in front
• Age is Just a Run Badge - Run/walk your age (e.g., 48 = 4.8 miles)
• No Tech Trekker Badge - Run/walk without your watch
• Check Mate Badge - Run/walk with a chess board piece
• Fill 'Er Up Badge - Run/walk the same distance as the price of gas on that day (e.g., $3.50 = 3.5 miles)

Day 9 Badges (9/17)

• Exchange Rate Badge - Carry foreign currency on you run/walk
• Recess Badge - Run/walk past a playground
• Fall Foliage Badge - Run/walk past trees with leaves changing colors and take a picture
• Full-Mast Badge - Take a picture with a flagpole that is taller than you during your run/walk
• Six Feet Under Badge - Run/walk through a cemetery

Day 10 Badges (9/18)

• Three's a Crowd Badge - Do a 3-legged run/walk with a friend for .25 miles of your 1 mile run/walk
• Before & After Badge - Take a selfie before AND after your run/walk
• Snail Mail Badge - Count the number of mailboxes you pass during your run/walk
• Field Day Badge - Carry an egg on a spoon for .25 miles of your 1 mile run/walk
• Double Century Badge - Run/walk a total of 200+ miles during the challenge

If you are registering before all tasks are revealed, you should be aware that nearly all of the tasks should be accessible by everyone regardless of running or walking experience. Some are challenging and will require some effort, thinking, planning, and creativity, but there isn't anything that is extremely physically challenging such as scaling a rock wall. With that said, we believe that every single person who registers can absolutely complete at least 35 tasks. Getting all 50 tasks will definitely be more difficult but that is exactly why it is called a challenge! Task/badge examples that are from our previous challenges include: Run/walk past a brewery, complete a run/walk wearing a lei, take a picture of a flowering tree on a run/walk, complete a run/walk wearing suspenders, and take a picture.  These won't be making a reappearance but should give you a general idea of what to expect.  

Important Note:  If you sign up before seeing all of the tasks/ badges you are taking a risk that you may not like or want to complete every single one of them. If you have the mentality that you MUST complete all 50, you should probably wait until all 50 are revealed before committing so that you can make 100% sure that you are comfortable with every single task. To keep the challenge fair and fun for all participants, we won't be offering any badge alternatives!

The rules (please read everything before registering): 
* All tasks must be completed between 10/1-11/30, tasks completed outside of the challenge window will not count. You can't start early! 
* Running and walking counts.
* All tasks should be completed during a run or walk of at least 1 mile.  
* While you CAN complete multiple badges during a single run or walk, you will need to do a mile for each badge you are marking off. So if you are marking off 3 badges, your run/walk will need to be at least 3 miles. If you are marking off 10 badges, your run/walk will need to be at least 10 miles.  
* All tasks must be marked complete in Run Signup to count, there are no exceptions. Detailed instructions on how to mark tasks as complete will be emailed before the start of the challenge. Once you mark the task complete, you will earn the corresponding badge.    
* This challenge is based on the honor system but participants are highly encouraged to share photographs of their completed tasks in the Facebook group. We will have a specific post for each task/badge.  It's a lot of fun to see how other participants are tackling the challenge!  
* PLEASE register with an email address that you regularly check, not your old account with 150,000 unread messages that you haven't looked at since 2006. We communicate with participants via email and the Facebook group and you will miss important communications if you aren't checking either.   

Once you register, please share the challenge on your Facebook page. Our challenges are way more fun when done with friends! If 5 people register through your link, you will receive $5 of your registration fee back.