Those who've given the cold shoulder to commuting by any means other than a car may want to get their blood flowing with getDowntown's
"Conquer the Cold" winter commuting challenge.
"We kind of want to give people the sense that you can dominate your commute so it's not just doing it, it's dominating it. It's approaching winter commuting with a sense of adventure and a sense of fun," says Nancy Shore, director of getDowntown.
Employees using alternative means of transportation to get to work in downtown Ann Arbor can log their commutes online during the month of January. Qualifying trips are via bike, bus, and foot. Various badges of honor will go to the most ambitious commuters, and there is a $500 grand prize gift certificate to outdoor retailer Moosejaw.
Participants can also post pictures and stories online, with the goal of "generally just trying to elevate the exposure of people that do do winter commuting, in both showing that it can be something that anybody can do, and also that it is something that is a little bit more hard core, and that people that are doing it should feel a little bit cooler than the rest of us," Shore says.
Informational winter commuting warm-up events (with free drink coupons!) will be held at Sweetwater's coffee shop on Tues., Dec. 4 at 123 W. Washington, and Wed., Dec. 5 at the Kerrytown location.
Bonus: you won't have to shovel your car out.
Source: Nancy Shore, director of getDowntown
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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